FIPA is joining over 50 major organizations and tens of thousands of Canadians today in a new campaign to tell the federal government to stop wasting billions on Canada’s hugely expensive online spying apparatus. The campaign is part of a worldwide day of action against online spying called the Day We Fight Back, and is […]

In a letter sent to the Senate Defence Committee chair, BC FIPA called for the testimony of three senior intelligence officials to be given under oath when they appear before the Committee on Monday. The letter, also written on behalf of OpenMedia, and the Samuelson-Glushko Canadian Internet and Public Interest Clinic (CIPPIC), is in response […]

BC Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham has found at least one Ministry has violated section 25 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act; that public bodies across the province seem unaware of their legal duty to release information relevant to public health and safety or environmental risks without a Freedom of […]

This week Justice Minister Peter MacKay introduced Bill C-13; legislation that is being touted as a solution to the serious issue of cyberbullying, but which on closer examination seems to be little more than a carbon copy of the controversial Bill C-30 with a new title. And Bill C-30 itself was a reboot of Bills […]

The B.C. government last week announced a fast-tracked consultation process for the new BC Services Card and the government’s digital services strategy. The consultation will centre on a panel of randomly selected British Columbians, who will have until Christmas to hand in a report. Public input on the process must be submitted by August 22nd. […]

FIPA will be in court next week seeking to force the government to stop suppressing freedom of expression during provincial elections. Our Charter challenge gets under way in BC Supreme Court in Victoria on Monday November 4, seeking to strike down the provisions that require everyone to register with Elections BC before undertaking ‘election advertising’ […]

BC FIPA, today, submitted a letter to the Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development in the context of its consultation on local government election reform. BC FIPA strongly opposes provisions on third party spending limits and believes the lack of a minimum spending threshold in the provisions makes them unconstitutional violations of freedom of […]

The B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association is extremely pleased to announce the official release of our brand new educational resource: Access in the Academy: Bringing ATI and FOI to academic research. The text is now available for download by donation through our website here. We also have a limited number of print copies […]

BC FIPA has responded to the Federal Government consultation on the Open Government Partnership commitments with a highly critical examination of the government’s approach. Lack of transparency is a serious issue in this country, and not just for this government. However, the Government of Canada labours under the most archaic Access to Information law, and […]

What is the BC Services Card? It’s an ID card that combines both the drivers license and the provincial health care card.   Is that all it does? Doesn’t sound too scary to me. Right now that is all it does. However, it is a key part of the ‘Government 2.0’ plan, which will link […]

A new report from Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham reviewing the performance of the Government of British Columbia’s ‘open government’ initiative calls the open information component “the weakest component of the policy”. This is a large initiative, covering a number of different areas, and so the results do vary. But the overall, they are […]

BC FIPA’s intervener’s factum in SCC 34828 (case docket at SCC website).  BC FIPA takes the position that greater deference to the adjudicative tribunal should have been taken by the lower court and that “access to information legislation, such as in Ontario and British Columbia, fulfils a particularly critical role in nourishing our democracy. It creates […]