Victoria, January 25, 2023 – Polling results released during Data Privacy Week reveal British Columbians’ views on freedom of information and privacy. “The public continues to see that a fee to file a request for information is unnecessary, and that legislative timelines should be met,” said BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) Executive […]

Ensuring people are empowered to access information is central to our mandate. That’s why we’re so pleased to continue working with Courthouse Libraries BC to make sure Freedom of Information 101 is available through their Vimeo platform and updated regularly. Check out this latest material here. This is a skills training webinar for newcomers to […]

OTTAWA — The federal public safety minister says he is prepared to work with other parliamentarians to revise the Liberal government’s cybersecurity bill after civil society groups and opposition MPs raised transparency and accountability concerns. While he is open to changes, Marco Mendicino said in a recent interview the bill that was introduced last year […]

Questions about your legal rights surrounding health information post-pandemic?  FIPA has a history of considering the privacy and access issues that intersect your rights and personal health information. We originally launched www.healthinfoprivacybc.ca in 2011. Over the course of the pandemic, the site received a lot of attention. A lot has changed in the past decade. To ensure […]

A law reform activity has begun to ensure political parties respect your privacy rights. Learn more by visiting Your Political Privacy. Become part of the coalition by emailing yourpoliticalprivacy at fipa.bc.ca

The Provincial Code of Silence Award has been handed out and FIPA’s nominees have received national recognition. You can read the full press release here. Congratulations to @lisabeare, @jjhorgan and @BCGovNews for the big “win”. Only with the concerted effort of so many @BCNDPCaucus could they turn their back on public accountability. Thanks to the […]

The Peter Bryce Prize for Whistleblowing is awarded annually by the Centre for Free Expression to honour individuals who serve the greater good by courageously speaking up about wrongdoing and abuses of public trust.  The prize is named after Dr. Peter H. Bryce, an early Canadian whistleblower who, in 1907, spoke up about appalling public […]

The Special Committee to Review the Personal Information Protection Act released its report with recommendations titled Modernizing British Columbia’s Private Sector Privacy Law. “I am strongly encouraged to see many of the recommendations that FIPA, BCCLA, and our partners made to the Committee reflected in the final report” according to Freedom of Information and Privacy […]

Bill 22 is a failure. We suspected it might be bad. On review it is worse than anyone expected. “We started to compile pluses and minuses,” says FIPA (Freedom of Information and Privacy Association) Executive Director Jason Woywada. “The problem is there are so few positives and so many serious minuses we needed to take immediate […]

A step backwards for transparency when the public needs it most. VICTORIA, October 18, 2021 – Bill 22, introduced in the BC legislature today, shows a disregard for the Legislature, its legislation, and, most importantly, British Columbians.  “The legislation falls short. It is a missed opportunity and, in key areas, a step in the wrong direction” according to FIPA (Freedom of Information and Privacy Association) Executive Director Jason Woywada. […]

Working with our partners in the Right to Information Alliance of Canada (RTIAC) we sent letters to the major political parties to determine what their commitment is to greater Government Transparency. The Individual letters to the parties and the responses received are at the bottom of this page. RTIAC Letters to Parties – RTIAC Questions – […]

BC FIPA and BCCLA support the Heiltsuk First Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and Tsilhqot’in National Government’s requests for COVID case information  VANCOUVER, September 15, 2020 – The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) and the BC Civil Liberties Association’s (BCCLA) have signed a joint letter to express support for the Heiltsuk First Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and Tsilhqot’in National Government’s and their requests for information […]