To this point in the provincial election campaign, the leaders of the four major parties have been quite reticent to reveal where they stand on some of the burning issues in the field of information rights. That’s why we sent all four parties a questionnaire pushing them for clear positions on how they would stop […]

The provincial election campaign is well underway and all the major parties have released their platforms. But unfortunately for those of us concerned about information and privacy rights, the pickings are awfully slim. Information issues were smoking hot right up to the drop of the writ. But ever since, they’ve received hardly a mention. Looks […]

A few short days from now, the writ will drop on the 2013 provincial election, kicking off twenty-eight days of heated campaigning. And while there’s no shortage of issues for voters to consider, recent controversies around government secrecy and attempts to undermine Freedom of Information make it clear that information policy should be a top […]

Victories, challenges, exciting changes, and a lot of hard work as another year passes at FIPA. Read the whole story in our Annual Report for 2012 (pdf).

BC FIPA sent the leaders of BC’s political parties a series of questions on freedom of information and privacy issues. Here are the responses we received: BC Liberal Party response (pdf). BC Green Party response (pdf). BC NDP response (pdf).

Judging by a number of documents released by her office on Monday, Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham is not satisfied with the “maybe by 2016, if we feel like it” response from Deputy Minister of Citizen Services Kim Henderson to her recent recommendation that the provincial government implement a legislated duty to document. In […]

In this issue: Election Act gag law forces charter challenge Victoria police come around to privacy — sort of Annual General Meeting Bad Id(ea) as Provincial Government charges ahead with a new ID card, serious privacy concerns remain Oral culture at top levels of government grows under ‘Open Government Premier’ Feds kill online spying bill, […]

In a new investigation report prompted by a complaint from the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association, Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham confirms widespread and growing instances of senior government officials failing to keep records of important decisions. FIPA’s complaint outlined a dramatic increase in the number of general FOI requests returned with […]

The BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) and the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) are calling for the BC government to put the brakes on the roll out of the BC Services Card. The BC Services Card is a key part of the BC government’s broader “e-government” strategy – a comprehensive identity management […]

The B.C. Government’s stubborn refusal to fix our province’s unconstitutional Election Act has forced a Charter challenge by the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA). The definition of election advertising contained in s.228 of the Act is extremely broad, and captures any communication with the public that “…promotes or opposes, directly or indirectly, […]

BC FIPA filed a notice of civil claim in BC Supreme Court on January 28, 2013 challenging the legality of the provisions in the BC Election Act dealing with 3rd party advertisers. BC FIPA submits that the restrictions on 3rd party election advertising and the registration requirements for 3rd party election advertisers in the BC […]

The B.C. Ministry of Child and Family Development has issued an interim report by a consultant hired to review the problem-plagued Integrated Case Management System, and the results are damning. The report outlines a laundry list of weaknesses in the system, which is meant to streamline government service provision by linking and sharing citizen data […]