Learn how to navigate big data sets and open data held by public bodies to inform your research and how they can power your next project. About this event Join award-winning journalist David McKie for a lunch and learn event with FIPA President Mike Larsen to discuss the intersection of big data with freedom of […]

The all-party Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the “Committee”) is holding open, public consultations. Our initial summary of core issues can be found here.  The Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) hopes those of you that are making submissions before the Committee will consider these issues. […]

The Provincial Code of Silence Award has been handed out and FIPA’s nominees have received national recognition. You can read the full press release here. Congratulations to @lisabeare, @jjhorgan and @BCGovNews for the big “win”. Only with the concerted effort of so many @BCNDPCaucus could they turn their back on public accountability. Thanks to the […]

Take your environmental research to the next level. Learn how to get the information you need from public bodies through FOI. About this event Join facilitators Mike Larsen, Criminology Department, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, and Sean Holman, Professor of Environmental and Climate Journalism, University of Victoria, for FIPA’s latest Freedom of Information 101 seminar on Wednesday, […]

The Peter Bryce Prize for Whistleblowing is awarded annually by the Centre for Free Expression to honour individuals who serve the greater good by courageously speaking up about wrongdoing and abuses of public trust.  The prize is named after Dr. Peter H. Bryce, an early Canadian whistleblower who, in 1907, spoke up about appalling public […]

The Special Committee to Review the Personal Information Protection Act released its report with recommendations titled Modernizing British Columbia’s Private Sector Privacy Law. “I am strongly encouraged to see many of the recommendations that FIPA, BCCLA, and our partners made to the Committee reflected in the final report” according to Freedom of Information and Privacy […]

FIPPA Section 68 is clear: the Minister is to table an Annual Report on FIPPA before the Legislative Assembly as soon as possible. This Government has failed to do so since 2019. It is simply not believable that the Ministers’ earliest opportunity to table a 2019/2020 Annual Report on FIPPA is the spring of 2022, particularly because they just introduced amendments to the legislation and […]

Bill 22 makes the status quo worse for accountability, transparency, and privacy.  On November 25th, the BC Government introduced late stage amendments to  Bill 22 Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) 2021 which will need to be reviewed. On the same day they invoked closure to ram Bill 22 through the legislature and into law without further debate or consideration.  Bill 22 is extraordinary for all the wrong reasons.   The inspiration is extraordinary because […]

FIPA submitted multiple Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to the BC government this fall regarding the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the public engagements held in the summer of 2021. Government requested extensions for all of them. That pushed release for some until after the end of session. We pushed […]

Victoria, November 16, 2021 – Polling results released today indicate that several proposed changes introduced in Bill 22 are not supported by British Columbians. “The results of this poll show that British Columbians neither agree nor support two of the largest changes in Bill 22” said BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) Executive […]

The Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy is awarded annually by the Centre for Free Expression, Canadian Association of Journalists, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression, and News Media Canada to call public attention to governments, government departments, and agencies that distinguish themselves by denying public access to government information to which […]

Bill 22 is a failure. We suspected it might be bad. On review it is worse than anyone expected. “We started to compile pluses and minuses,” says FIPA (Freedom of Information and Privacy Association) Executive Director Jason Woywada. “The problem is there are so few positives and so many serious minuses we needed to take immediate […]