BC FIPA presented its submission to the Alberta Legislative Standing Committee on Health review of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). The submission consists of an extensive report prepared by journalist and researcher, Stanley L. Tromp. Based on a comparative analysis of FOI laws around the world it makes 79 recommendations […]

The unanimous report handed down by the Special Committee reviewing BC’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act has a lot of positive recommendations, but a few recommendations could be huge problems for FOI and privacy rights in this province. First, the good stuff. The committee has repeated a number of the recommendations of […]

FIPA has asked BC’s Information and Privacy Commissioner to investigate a new government order requiring Crown corporations to notify the provincial government in advance when any information is to be released in response to freedom of information requests. In the letter requesting the investigation, FIPA executive director Darrell Evans states the “requirement gives us a […]

Read about all the ways that FIPA is pursuing its mission to protect and advance the freedom of information and privacy rights of people in BC and throughout Canada in Annual Report for 2009 (pdf).

Three BC watchdog groups are commending the BC government for increasing transparency by bringing the BC Ferries corporation back under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPP Act). BC Ferries was removed from the provincial freedom of information law in 2003 by the Liberal government as part of a massive re-organization of […]

From the Tyee The British Columbia government’s push for greater power to collect and widely share citizens’ personal information should be refused given the province’s dismal recent record at protecting privacy, acting information and privacy commissioner Paul Fraser on Wednesday told a committee reviewing British Columbia’s freedom of information and protection of privacy act. “The […]

Charities, non-profit groups and privacy advocates have joined forces to issue a critical report on the $180 million Integrated Case Management (ICM) project the BC government announced in February’s Throne Speech. The planned ICM system will collect comprehensive personal data from hundreds of independent community service organizations which are contracted to provide government services, in […]

The BC government is ploughing ahead with a massive data-matching program that will centralize control of all the personal information obtained from citizens who receive government services, despite the fact they have not completed a legally-required Privacy Impact Assessment. Both FIPA and the Information and Privacy Commissioner have been informed that no Privacy Impact Assessment […]

BC FIPA today published “Culture of Care…or Culture of Surveillance?” its extensive study on the BC Government’s Integrated Case Management System (ICM) and its potential impact on independent community service organizations. “The findings of this study should sound a clear warning to government, the independent community service sector, and the general public that all is […]

Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner Paul Fraser has released the findings of an extensive investigation into the adequacy of privacy protection in Vancouver Coastal Health Authority’s community-based electronic health record system known as the Primary Access Regional Information System (PARIS). The Commissioner’s investigation found that privacy was a missing ingredient in the early development stages […]

In this issue: FOIPP Act review committee hears a lot about “How it was meant to be” Birthday party marks 5th Anniversary of FIPA request for IBM contract FIPA protests massive data-matching scheme Push continues for reform of federal Access to Information Act Legal Actions: Does FOI apply to the corporate subsidiaries of public bodies? […]

British Columbia’s provincial government will explore creating a new chief privacy officer position following a recent privacy breach scandal involving the personal information of 1,400 government clients. “It’s one of the things we are considering,” says Citizens’ Services Minister Ben Stewart. The announcement comes on the heels of a report this week from Acting Privacy […]