Justice Canada and BC FIPA held a meeting with civil society groups in the context of the government consultation on Lawful Access on March 15, 2005. No one in the group assembled for the Vancouver consultation questioned the need for lawful access provisions in the Criminal Code and the Competition Act to address new technologies. […]

BC FIPA endorses most of the recommendations for reform of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPP Act) presented in the two reports Enhancing the Province’s Public Sector Access and Privacy Law (Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2004) and Privacy and the USA Patriot […]

BC FIPA has presented a list of 11 recommendations regarding reforms to BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“the Act”). These recommendations are our top priorities for reform and cover the following issues: increasing routine release; better principles guiding retention and destruction of documents; restoring the coverage of the Act to all […]

“The no-fly list announced last Friday represents a serious incursion into the rights of travelers in Canada, rights of privacy and rights of freedom of movement,” says Jennifer Stoddart, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Canada’s Transport Minister announced the government’s intention to create a “no-fly list” entitled “Passenger Protect” on August 5, 2005. Stoddart said […]

BC Information and Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis released his 2004/2005 annual report to the Legislature today and called on the BC government to enact legislation legally requiring public bodies to document their actions or decisions. “If governments are to be held accountable and the public’s right of access to government information is to be meaningful, […]

Canadians are being asked for their input on proposed legislation that would strengthen safeguards against identity theft and include measures aimed at helping victims of such crimes. The Consumers Measures Committee, a committee comprised of federal, provincial, and territorial consumer protection representatives, has launched a public consultation on identity theft. The background paper identifies several […]

The Environmental Law Clinic (ELC) has asked B.C.’s Information and Privacy Commissioner to conduct a Public Inquiry into whether government discriminates against environmental groups that request government documents under the province’s Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation. ELC student Scott Giesbrecht made the request on June 23, 2005 on behalf of Sierra Legal Defence Fund and […]

The level of concern and demand for consent on cross-border sharing of personal information is extremely high amongst Canadians, according to an EKOS Research Associates survey commissioned by the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Approximately 90 percent of Canadians surveyed wish to not only be informed but insist on governments and the private […]

Canada’s information watchdog leveled a blistering attack at the federal government in his annual report tabled Monday. John Reid said: A “deep distrust” of the federal freedom-of-information law remains entrenched within government. The government’s proposed whistleblowing legislation for the public service is actually a legal instrument for covering up alleged government wrongdoing for periods of […]

Canadians using freedom of information laws to find out how government decisions are affecting their daily lives are very likely to be denied, according to a national audit by the Canadian Newspaper Association. The CNA study found that while the federal government as well as Canada’s provinces and territories all have freedom of information legislation, […]

Canada’s Privacy Commissioner has launched an examination of the cross-border flow of personal information hastened by the war on terror. The commissioner’s first-ever such audit will focus on information about Canadians that’s being sent to United States security agencies via the Canadian Border Services Agency. Read the Ottawa Citizen article

CALGARY – Premier Ralph Klein’s government has been named the “most secretive government body in Canada” by the country’s leading journalism association. At its annual awards ceremony this past weekend, the Canadian Association of Journalism voted the Government of Alberta the winner of its Code of Silence Award, for its handling of a Freedom of […]