The Ministry of Citizens’ Services launched an online survey soliciting input on access to government information and the protection of privacy. The Ministry says it will use this input to make improvements to the rules surrounding access to information and protection of personal information. The survey is open until 4pm PT on July 15, 2021.   We were hoping for a […]

VANCOUVER, September 17, 2020 – The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) has released their latest report Troubling clouds: Gaps affecting privacy protection in British Columbia’s K-12 education system.    “The government is setting the system up for failure.” according to Jason Woywada BC FIPA Executive Director. “Without the resources, guidance and supports they need, teachers, schools, and districts are making the best of a bad situation. The result puts personal information in the system at risk.”  […]

Vancouver, September 2, 2020 – FIPA is encouraged by the report but discouraged by the climate that gave rise to it. The fact that public bodies have been consistently violating the law is deeply concerning and FIPA urges the BC Government to take this report seriously.    “The NDP ran on a platform favouring stronger FOI law in 2017. We haven’t seen them follow through […]

This document analyzes BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) relative to Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act, Quebec’s Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector, and Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. It highlights key differences, provision by provision, in BC’s PIPA relative to other jurisdictions. As it is a side by side analysis of Canada’s private-sector privacy […]

BC FIPA recommends key changes to BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) VANCOUVER, June 10, 2020 – During the Special Committee’s public consultations to review PIPA, BC Freedom of Information and Privacy (FIPA) presented several key recommendations.  Compared to other provincial and the federal privacy legislation, BC’s PIPA has had no substantive amendments in the last 17 years. Presently, more than ever, personal information is being collected […]

FIPA-sponsored poll shows BC wants key reforms to privacy laws   VANCOUVER, June 4, 2020 – Polling results released today indicate that British Columbians want increased public education and enhanced protections to their privacy rights, among other key reforms to privacy laws.   The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) commissioned an Ipsos poll, a leading independent market research company, on public opinion […]

BC FIPA, along with other civil society groups, has signed on to Open Media’s joint letter calling for measures to be put in place to ensure Canadians’ right to privacy is protected, and not undermined after the crisis is over. Specifically, we are asking for a clear message from the provincial and federal governments stating […]

View full submission here. The context in which we understand privacy is shifting in the current landscape of big data analytics, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. What was generally considered a broad topic with varying normative understandings is now at the forefront of debates and policy work as the varied stakeholders attempt to narrow its […]

This is the third in our series on the privacy promises we can expect from a Liberal minority government. Information about the Right to Erasure is from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s ‘Digital Charter: Trust in a digital world’, and the Liberal Party of Canada’s election 2019 platform document, ‘Forward: A real plan for the middle […]

This is the second in our series on the privacy promises we can expect from a Liberal minority government. From Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s ‘Digital Charter: Trust in a digital world’, and the Liberal Party of Canada’s election 2019 platform document, ‘Forward: A real plan for the middle class’ (40). In Canada’s Digital Charter, data […]

This is the first in our series on the privacy promises we can expect from a Liberal minority government. (From Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s ‘Strengthening Privacy for the Digital Age: Proposals to modernize the Personal Information and Protection of Electronic Documents Act’.)  1. Meaningful Consent One of the commitments to increase the powers […]

Vancouver, October 7, 2019 –  The Premier of British Columbia, John Horgan, announced late Friday that he has accepted the resignation of the Minister of Citizens’ Services, Jinny Sims, due to an ongoing RCMP investigation into her conduct. At this time, precise details into the nature criminal investigation of Minister Sims are unknown. The former […]