Democratic Rights

Democratic Rights


Your Political Privacy Launches

A law reform activity has begun to ensure political parties respect your privacy rights. Learn more by visiting Your Political Privacy. Become part of the coalition by emailing yourpoliticalprivacy at fipa.bc.ca

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2021 Code of Silence Winner

The Provincial Code of Silence Award has been handed out and FIPA’s nominees have received national recognition. You can read the full press release here. Congratulations to @lisabeare, @jjhorgan and @BCGovNews for the big “win”. Only with the concerted effort of so many @BCNDPCaucus could they turn their back on public accountability. Thanks to the […]

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2021 Peter Bryce Nominee

The Peter Bryce Prize for Whistleblowing is awarded annually by the Centre for Free Expression to honour individuals who serve the greater good by courageously speaking up about wrongdoing and abuses of public trust.  The prize is named after Dr. Peter H. Bryce, an early Canadian whistleblower who, in 1907, spoke up about appalling public […]

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Report highlights collaboration.

The Special Committee to Review the Personal Information Protection Act released its report with recommendations titled Modernizing British Columbia’s Private Sector Privacy Law. “I am strongly encouraged to see many of the recommendations that FIPA, BCCLA, and our partners made to the Committee reflected in the final report” according to Freedom of Information and Privacy […]

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FIPA launches Transparency Matters

Bill 22 is a failure. We suspected it might be bad. On review it is worse than anyone expected. “We started to compile pluses and minuses,” says FIPA (Freedom of Information and Privacy Association) Executive Director Jason Woywada. “The problem is there are so few positives and so many serious minuses we needed to take immediate […]

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Bill 22 News Release

A step backwards for transparency when the public needs it most. VICTORIA, October 18, 2021 – Bill 22, introduced in the BC legislature today, shows a disregard for the Legislature, its legislation, and, most importantly, British Columbians.  “The legislation falls short. It is a missed opportunity and, in key areas, a step in the wrong direction” according to FIPA (Freedom of Information and Privacy Association) Executive Director Jason Woywada. […]

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2021 Federal Election Letters

Working with our partners in the Right to Information Alliance of Canada (RTIAC) we sent letters to the major political parties to determine what their commitment is to greater Government Transparency. The Individual letters to the parties and the responses received are at the bottom of this page. RTIAC Letters to Parties – RTIAC Questions – […]

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NEWS RELEASE: Support for the Heiltsuk First Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and Tsilhqot’in National Government’s requests for COVID case information

BC FIPA and BCCLA support the Heiltsuk First Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and Tsilhqot’in National Government’s requests for COVID case information  VANCOUVER, September 15, 2020 – The BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) and the BC Civil Liberties Association’s (BCCLA) have signed a joint letter to express support for the Heiltsuk First Nation, Nuu-chah-nulth Tribal Council, and Tsilhqot’in National Government’s and their requests for information […]

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News Release: Joint Submission Calling for Reform to BC’s Privacy Laws

BC FIPA and BCCLA recommend key changes to BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) VANCOUVER, August 17, 2020 – BC’s Personal Information and Protection Act (PIPA) is in need of reform. That’s the finding of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) and BC Civil Liberties Association (BCCLA) in a joint written submission to the Special Legislative Committee. FIPA previously made an oral presentation to the Special Committee […]

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News Release: Time to reform BC’s privacy laws

BC FIPA recommends key changes to BC’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) VANCOUVER, June 10, 2020 – During the Special Committee’s public consultations to review PIPA, BC Freedom of Information and Privacy (FIPA) presented several key recommendations.  Compared to other provincial and the federal privacy legislation, BC’s PIPA has had no substantive amendments in the last 17 years. Presently, more than ever, personal information is being collected […]

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Joint letter on data collection and privacy in the COVID-19 era.

BC FIPA, along with other civil society groups, has signed on to Open Media’s joint letter calling for measures to be put in place to ensure Canadians’ right to privacy is protected, and not undermined after the crisis is over. Specifically, we are asking for a clear message from the provincial and federal governments stating […]

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Data Privacy Design Jam: What is meaningful consent in an age of connected devices?

BC FIPA, in partnership with the Vancouver Design Nerds, held a two-day design jam in Ottawa March 5th and 6th. The purpose of this event was to explore issues around meaningful consent in the context of everyday life ranging from personal wearable technologies to smart homes and smart cities and their relationship to big data. […]

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