BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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Information commissioner battles challenges by bureaucracy
Opinion – Vaughn Palmer
Vancouver Sun
December 3, 2009
BC Information commissioner David Loukidelis is seeking a $400,000 legal budget to cover the growing number of court challenges to his rulings by the B.C. government and other public bodies.
Loukidelis outlined his predicament in a recent presentation to the legislature finance committee, which vets the funding for the office for freedom of information and protection of privacy and the budgets for the other independent watchdogs on government.
“The office is facing a significant challenge in the form of a substantial increase in the number of B.C. Supreme Court judicial review proceedings being brought against [our] decisions,” he advised the committee.
Court challenges to his orders to disclose information were up by 50 per cent over 2008, with the financial year only half gone. Each necessitates a substantial outlay of legal bills, which the office has been funding by shortchanging other priorities.
Opinion – Vaughn Palmer
Vancouver Sun
December 3, 2009
BC Information commissioner David Loukidelis is seeking a $400,000 legal budget to cover the growing number of court challenges to his rulings by the B.C. government and other public bodies.
Loukidelis outlined his predicament in a recent presentation to the legislature finance committee, which vets the funding for the office for freedom of information and protection of privacy and the budgets for the other independent watchdogs on government.
“The office is facing a significant challenge in the form of a substantial increase in the number of B.C. Supreme Court judicial review proceedings being brought against [our] decisions,” he advised the committee.
Court challenges to his orders to disclose information were up by 50 per cent over 2008, with the financial year only half gone. Each necessitates a substantial outlay of legal bills, which the office has been funding by shortchanging other priorities.