Download the letter. Letter from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner in response to BC FIPA’s complaint about the government’s failure to inform the OIPC of the changed status of an RCMP file on Ministry of Health firings (see press release).

Many questions remain after Commissioner addresses FOI complaint relating to controversial Ministry of Health firings VANCOUVER, September 10, 2015 – The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) is raising concerns that RCMP or other files could be left open indefinitely, thereby avoiding requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. […]

Download the full August 2015 Bulletin, or use the links below to read individual articles online. In this issue: Political Parties and Your Personal Privacy Where do the Parties Stand on Access to Information Reform? OIPC to B.C. Government: Yes, You Can Post Those Embarrassing Reports Hacked: Real-Life Stories of Connected Cars Gone Bad The TPP’s Threat […]

In the April issue of the Bulletin, we described our complaint about the B.C. Government’s odd excuse for failing to post two embarrassing reports online: they claimed that they were simply complying with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). In response to our complaint, the Office of the B.C. Information and […]

As Canadians prepare to vote in the upcoming federal election, we at FIPA are working to determine where political parties stand on key access to information issues. Together with Newspapers Canada and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, we’ll be asking parties to describe what they will do to repair and improve transparency policies and practices, and […]

How can federal political parties use your personal information? Unfortunately, in Canada the answer is ‘any way they see fit.’ You read that correctly: Unlike most public or private organizations in this fair nation—whether public, private, non-profit, for-profit, professional or volunteer run— federal political parties are not governed by any privacy-specific legislation. And as parties […]

Download letter now Letter from the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner in response to BC FIPA’s complaint about the BC government refusing to post reports.

VANCOUVER, August 5, 2015 – The Office of the BC Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) has confirmed that the BC government is not prevented by law from posting reports that contain personal information. This follows the BC government’s claim that their refusal to post certain “embarrassing” reports online was based on restrictions in the Freedom […]

Information Commissioner says other ministries should also look for information that must be released in public interest VANCOUVER, July 2, 2015 – In a major report released this morning, Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham has gone beyond simply telling the BC Government to re-examine its files for information to be released surrounding the Mount […]

FIPA Mini-Bulletin: June 2015 The past month has been action-packed at FIPA. At the Federal level, the passing of Bill C-51 in the Senate and the Conservative Government’s retroactive attack on access to information through the C-59 Omnibus Bill set the tone for the month. In BC, allegations were made by a former executive assistant […]

On June 22, 2015, FIPA filed an Application for Leave to appeal the judgment of the Court of Appeal for British Columbia on our Election Act challenge. The BC Election Act makes something as simple as putting a handwritten sign in your window during the election period without registering with the authorities an offense, which […]

Information Commissioner closes big loophole in FOI law   VANCOUVER, June 19, 2015 – In a series of decisions released today, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner has ruled that governments and public bodies can no longer withhold information in a record on the basis that it is ‘outside the scope’ of the […]