A diverse and growing group of rights, health, union and other organizations has launched a province-wide campaign to demand that the BC government drop its proposed deal with the Maximus corporation because of the privacy implications of the USA PATRIOT Act. The Right to Privacy Campaign believes that contracting out the administrative functions of BC’s […]

BC Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis has launched a public process to review the impact of the U.S. Patriot Act on government plans to contract out the Medical Services Plan (MSP) to an American company. He has called for submissions from American and Canadian experts and the general public and expects to issue his report by […]

FIPA is applauding the final report of a Special Committee of the BC Legislature that has completed a six-year review of the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The committee’s report, “Enhancing the Province’s Public Sector Access and Privacy Law”, makes 26 recommendations to improve each of the 6 parts of the […]

BC Information and Privacy Commissioner David Loukidelis has sent a letter to the BC government decrying proposals for changes to the FOI and privacy act that would “undermine the openness and accountability the government has promised.” The letter was sent to a Special Committee of the Legislature that is conducting a review of the Act. […]

FIPA has joined with more than 30 other civil liberties groups in sending an open letter to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) asking it to cease development of a biometric national database standard for biometric passports. Privacy International, which organized the letter, is worried that international agreement on such a standard will pressure governments […]

BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner has presented a sweeping vision for reform of the provinces’ Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to a special committee of the Legislature which is conducting a review of the act. The submission proposes that public bodies be required to implement schemes for routine disclosure of a lot […]

A special committee of the B.C. Legislature is conducting the second formal review of the province’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPP) Act. The submissions made to this committee, and its report to the Legislature, will be a major influence on the Liberal government’s future approach to FOI and privacy. Once again, the […]

BC FIPA has proposed revisions to s. 13 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act in Response to the Decision in College of Physicians of British Columbia v. British Columbia (Information and Privacy Commissioner) in its submission to the Special Committee to Review the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act […]

We have put together model letters to help citizens access and correct the personal information held by the Federal and BC governments.   Personal Information: Request for Personal Information from BC Gov’t Request for Personal Information from Federal Gov’t   Corrections: Request for Correction of Personal Information Held by BC Gov’t Request for Correction of […]

We have put together model letters to help citizens access records held by the Federal and BC governments.   Requesting records: BC FOI Request – Model Letter BC FOI Access Request Form Federal ATI Request – Model Letter Federal ATI Access Request Form   Appealing a denial or unsatisfactory handling of a request: BC FOI […]

Darrel Evans, executive director of BC FIPA, was in Victoria today to deliver a speech at the BC Library Association Annual Conference on Bill 38, BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). After extensive consultation and input from organizations like BC FIPA, Bill 38 has turned into a real privacy bill what BC FIPA describes as […]

Legislation introduced this week by the BC Liberals is an enormous leap for privacy rights, but BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner must have adequate resources to enforce it. The Personal Information Protection Act will require every private-sector organization in British Columbia to institute a privacy code regulating the way they collect, use and disclose the […]