BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association
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20260207 Access and Privacy Online
Your Access and Privacy Online News Summary for Saturday, February 7th.
Late breaking this week: Bill C-4, Part 4, is heading toward a unique Senate committee. It is not too late to contact Senators or your MP. You’ll find links in the show notes. We’ll be following developments closely.
This week, access-to-information requests continue to expose deep accountability gaps. From millions in executive bonuses paid despite missed federal performance targets, to Alberta municipalities left carrying hundreds of millions in unpaid oil and gas taxes.
We’re also looking at how transparency failures intersect with human harm whether that’s labour trafficking hidden inside Canada’s temporary worker programs, or privacy breakdowns affecting seniors, victims of crime, and students navigating AI in the classroom.
Internationally, Europe is taking some big steps. There’s a raid of a major tech platform and evidence they are walking away from U.S. based digital infrastructure in the name of privacy and data sovereignty.
And in the United States, we’re tracking the growing consequences of surveillance-driven immigration enforcement, weak redaction practices, and the erosion of oversight norms.
Be sure to follow the links in the show notes to let them know.
Also available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, ListenNotes, Podchaser, Boomplay.
Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder
Send comments to: FIPAOnline @ fipa.bc.ca
You can support these efforts by subscribing or donating.
Full Show Links
FIPA Bill C-4
- Bill C-4 Dashboard
- Bill C-4 Backgrounder
- Send a Message to members of parliment
- Send a Message to Senators
- Bill C-4 Resources
- Donate to Help Us Reach More Canadians
Canadian Access to Information
- Nearly All Federal Executives Took Bonuses Last Year: CTF
- Search Alberta oil and gas company municipal tax arrears
- Investigative Journalism Foundation – https://theijf.org/article/search-alberta-oil-and-gas-company-municipal-tax-arrears
- How Canada’s Labour Traffickers Trap Workers
- https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/how-canadas-labour-traffickers-trap-workers/The Investigative Journalism Foundation – https://theijf.org/article/labour-trafficking-fintrac
- Kaslo council, January 14: Revised council procedures bylaw discussed
- Valley Voice – https://valleyvoice.ca/
- A.A. Wright Public School Champions Inclusion Through Student-Led Braille Club
Canadian Privacy
- Police say New Brunswick seniors home has more than a dozen victims of sex offences
- MP highlights need for Federal tools and collaboration in addressing extortion crimes
- Behind the Tips: How Crime Stoppers of Halton Helps Keep the Region Safe
- Burlington Local-News.ca – https://local-news.ca/2026/01/28/behind-the-tips-how-crime-stoppers-of-halton-helps-keep-the-region-safe/
- Calgary schools approve use of heavily vetted AI tools for learning
International Access and Privacy
- Paris prosecutors raid X offices as part of investigation into child abuse images and deepfakes
- France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US
- Liberia’s largest gold miner repeatedly spilled dangerous chemicals, records show
US Roundup
- DHS ramps up surveillance in immigration raids, sweeping in citizens
- Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS raises conflict of interest concerns
- Epstein files rife with uncensored nudes and victims’ names, despite redaction efforts
- ‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees
- Attorney says Gabbard is holding up a complaint about her actions, which her office denies
- Complaint accuses Gabbard of playing politics with intelligence, which spy agency rejects
Network Updates
- ICLMG raises concerns with the proposed regulations for the Foreign Influence Registry
- Civil Society Launches People’s Consultation on AI: Government Regulation of AI Needed
- Civil Society Launches People’s Consultation on AI: Government Regulation of AI Needed
FIPA Updates
- FIPA at VIPSS 2026
- Access and Privacy Online in the Classroom
Your Access and Privacy Online News Summary for Saturday, February 7th.
Late breaking this week: Bill C-4, Part 4, is heading toward a unique Senate committee. It is not too late to contact Senators or your MP. You’ll find links in the show notes. We’ll be following developments closely.
This week, access-to-information requests continue to expose deep accountability gaps. From millions in executive bonuses paid despite missed federal performance targets, to Alberta municipalities left carrying hundreds of millions in unpaid oil and gas taxes.
We’re also looking at how transparency failures intersect with human harm whether that’s labour trafficking hidden inside Canada’s temporary worker programs, or privacy breakdowns affecting seniors, victims of crime, and students navigating AI in the classroom.
Internationally, Europe is taking some big steps. There’s a raid of a major tech platform and evidence they are walking away from U.S. based digital infrastructure in the name of privacy and data sovereignty.
And in the United States, we’re tracking the growing consequences of surveillance-driven immigration enforcement, weak redaction practices, and the erosion of oversight norms.
Be sure to follow the links in the show notes to let them know.
Also available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM, ListenNotes, Podchaser, Boomplay.
Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder
Send comments to: FIPAOnline @ fipa.bc.ca
You can support these efforts by subscribing or donating.
Full Show Links
FIPA Bill C-4
- Bill C-4 Dashboard
- Bill C-4 Backgrounder
- Send a Message to members of parliment
- Send a Message to Senators
- Bill C-4 Resources
- Donate to Help Us Reach More Canadians
Canadian Access to Information
- Nearly All Federal Executives Took Bonuses Last Year: CTF
- Search Alberta oil and gas company municipal tax arrears
- Investigative Journalism Foundation – https://theijf.org/article/search-alberta-oil-and-gas-company-municipal-tax-arrears
- How Canada’s Labour Traffickers Trap Workers
- https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/how-canadas-labour-traffickers-trap-workers/The Investigative Journalism Foundation – https://theijf.org/article/labour-trafficking-fintrac
- Kaslo council, January 14: Revised council procedures bylaw discussed
- Valley Voice – https://valleyvoice.ca/
- A.A. Wright Public School Champions Inclusion Through Student-Led Braille Club
Canadian Privacy
- Police say New Brunswick seniors home has more than a dozen victims of sex offences
- MP highlights need for Federal tools and collaboration in addressing extortion crimes
- Behind the Tips: How Crime Stoppers of Halton Helps Keep the Region Safe
- Burlington Local-News.ca – https://local-news.ca/2026/01/28/behind-the-tips-how-crime-stoppers-of-halton-helps-keep-the-region-safe/
- Calgary schools approve use of heavily vetted AI tools for learning
International Access and Privacy
- Paris prosecutors raid X offices as part of investigation into child abuse images and deepfakes
- France dumps Zoom and Teams as Europe seeks digital autonomy from the US
- Liberia’s largest gold miner repeatedly spilled dangerous chemicals, records show
US Roundup
- DHS ramps up surveillance in immigration raids, sweeping in citizens
- Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS raises conflict of interest concerns
- Epstein files rife with uncensored nudes and victims’ names, despite redaction efforts
- ‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees
- Attorney says Gabbard is holding up a complaint about her actions, which her office denies
- Complaint accuses Gabbard of playing politics with intelligence, which spy agency rejects
Network Updates
- ICLMG raises concerns with the proposed regulations for the Foreign Influence Registry
- Civil Society Launches People’s Consultation on AI: Government Regulation of AI Needed
- Civil Society Launches People’s Consultation on AI: Government Regulation of AI Needed
FIPA Updates
- FIPA at VIPSS 2026
- Access and Privacy Online in the Classroom