It is time to reform BC’s Personal Information Protection Act  2025.03.14 Victoria, BC – The Freedom of Information and Privacy Association is calling on the provincial government to introduce modernized and rights-focused reforms to BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).  FIPA agrees with the Information and Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey that now is the time […]

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston introduced Bill 1 An Act Respecting Government Organization and Administration on February 18. Strong opposition followed from the Auditor General given amendments infringed on auditor independence. Swift public backlash saw Houston withdraw some proposed changes by February 24 while leaving many others. Some of the changes that remain impact Nova Scotia’s […]

On October 29th, 2024, the Independent Special Interlocutor, Kimberly R. Murray, officially presented her Final Report and the Indigenous-led Reparations Framework for Missing and Disappeared Children and Unmarked Burials associated with Indian Residential Schools to Survivors and the federal Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, at the 7th National Gathering on Unmarked Burials. […]

New for 2024, FIPA conducted a major research activity investigating the exponentially high rates of Access to Information and Privacy requests (“ATIP requests”) received by Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (“IRCC”) as compared to all other government institutions. Given broad direction to explore and investigate with extended advisors Jerika Caduhada documented the findings. According to […]

BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) was pleased to participate in the Foreign Interference Commission’s public consultation process. Given broad direction to explore and investigate with extended advisors Ryan Rutley complied the following submission. The Commission is investigating threats to Canadian democracy from foreign interference and assessing the Canadian government’s capacity to defend […]

“In the context of ever-increasing police budgets and weak oversight agencies, the public should be very alarmed about the further erosion of our civil liberties and human rights through the passage of C-70,” warns Meghan McDermott, policy director of the BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA). “The rapid enactment of these new laws without any kind […]

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A California bill that would require marketplaces like eBay and Nextdoor to start collecting bank accounts and tax identification numbers from high-volume sellers who advertise online but collect payments offline was fast-tracked by Democratic lawmakers with committees voting on it Tuesday.  The idea is that thieves will be less likely to […]

FIPA is working to support the efforts of IndigiNews. This Government’s actions to suppress access to information continue to impact press freedom and the ability of the public to hold elected officials accountable. You can contact IndigiNews for comment or to provide support by contacting them directly via email to: stories @ indiginews.com . FIPA’s Statement on […]

Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MP Alex Ruff’s “need to know” private members bill has cleared another hurdle in the House of Commons. On June 5, Ruff’s bill – C-377, An Act to Amend the Parliament of Canada Act (need to know), passed second reading. This bill will formalize the process for parliamentarians to request a secret security […]

The BC Supreme Court’s recent decision (Liberal Party of Canada v. The Complainants, 2024 BCSC 814) confirming that the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) applies to federal political parties (FPPs) is a step in protecting British Columbians’ privacy and considering privacy implications nationwide.   In 2019, the BC Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (“OIPC”) […]

Canada’s privacy czar and a government official are warning that a Senate bill proposing to block minors from “sexually explicit material” online could apply to streaming services such as Netflix.Philippe Dufresne, the country’s privacy commissioner, says legislators should dramatically narrow the bill’s scope to address concerns about “what will be captured.”Dufresne, along with Owen Ripley, […]

The B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association is monitoring the government’s response to the series of “sophisticated cybersecurity incidents” identified over the course of the last week across the Government of British Columbia.  “Questions such as ‘how did this happen?’ and ‘what is being done to improve information security and prevent future incidents?’ must […]