FIPA Bulletins

FIPA Bulletins


Special General Meeting

Thank you to all of those who attended our Annual General Meeting, which took place June 2, 2016 at the YWCA Hotel. There were, however, a few matters that were left out of the AGM. We are holding a Special General Meeting on November 15, 2016 to vote in new directors to the board, and […]

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FIPA on Facebook

After careful consideration and deliberation, FIPA is finally joining the Facebook world, at least for a trial period. But first, we want to make a few things clear: We will not be posting content exclusively to Facebook – anything found on our page will also be available on our website and/or Twitter. Our Facebook posts […]

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Meet our new staff members

There have been a few changes to our staff here at BC FIPA. We are pleased to introduce our new Event Coordinator and Program Director: Amy Yeung joins us as our Event Coordinator. With over 10 years of corporate event planning experience, her background brings creativity, organizational and administrative skills to the BC FIPA team. […]

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Upcoming FIPA events

2016 BC Information Summit September 22, 2016 8:15 AM – 5 PM UBC Robson Square Theatre, Vancouver More info here. 25th Anniversary Fundraising Soiree November 3, 2016 6:30 PM – 9:30PM Bill Reid Gallery of Northwest Coast Art, Vancouver Stay tuned for more information! Special General Meeting November 15, 2016 Doors open at 7 PM […]

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Federal government consultations on C-51

The federal government has taken a while to get moving on its election promise to make amendments to Bill C-51, but it now looks like things may be starting to stir. There have been a number of false starts to date. For example, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale, writing in the Huffington Post in early […]

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Connected Car report in SCC

FIPA’s much praised report for the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, The Connected Car: Who is in the Driver’s Seat is now being cited as an important authority in the Supreme Court of Canada. Last month the Supreme Court turned down a request for leave to appeal from Wayne Rodney Fedan, who was convicted in […]

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Elections Act challenge to be heard in SCC in the fall

With the provincial election just around the corner, FIPA’s fight against restrictions on freedom of expression in BC’s Election Act is going to make its final stop in the Supreme Court of Canada this October. This is barely six months before the BC election campaign begins. The Election Act requires any persons or groups who […]

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Triple delete case highlights need for FOI reform

The conviction of former Ministry of Transportation political staffer George Gretes for  obstructing the Information and Privacy Commissioner in her investigation of the “Triple Delete” scandal underscores the need for serious reform of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). He was not, however, charged with the act of deleting information as […]

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Join us for the 2016 BC Information Summit

Since the last Information Summit, we have seen some major shifts in the freedom of information and privacy landscape. There have been major reports from both a BC Special Legislative committee and from the House of Commons ATI Ethics and Privacy standing committee calling for a serious overhaul of the federal and provincial laws. Some […]

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The question of online reputation

In 2015, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada chose “Reputation and Privacy” as one of its priority areas for the next five years. The OPC wanted to examine the risks “stemming from the vast amount of personal information posted online”, with the goals of enriching the public debate, ensuring they can advise Parliament […]

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FIPA talks ATI reform with Commons Committee

FIPA was back in Ottawa earlier this month, once again talking about reform of the ancient Access to Information Act. This is something we have done going back to the last century, with very little to show for our efforts to-date. There is a difference this time, however, because the minister responsible for the Act, […]

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To surveil and protect (records from the public)

The VPD may or may not be engaging in mass cell phone surveillance  Do you know if the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) is using surveillance tools to spy on peoples’ cell phone activity? Chances are you don’t, and neither do we. That’s because the VPD has refused to confirm or deny the existence of records […]

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