FOI requests

FOI requests


Fight for Farmland has FOI requests denied; one farm and three homes now sold in affected area

The Region of Waterloo’s attempted acquisition of 770 acres of prime farmland has reached a new level of frustration for those battling against it. Fight for Farmland, the grassroots group behind the push for more transparency, has come up empty following 21 freedom of information (FOI) requests to the Region. Eighteen of them were completely […]

Read More


What are FOI requests to a public body?

Freedom of information (FOI) requests to BC public bodies can provide you information about either:   government activities or programs, or  personal information from government records about yourself or on behalf of someone else.  There is no limit to how much information you request, but the larger the size of the request, the more resources it […]

Read More


How do I obtain my personal information from X body?

When requesting your personal information from a public body, one of the first things you should do is verify that the public body has the personal information you seek. Accessing information, even if it is your own, can sometimes be a long-drawn-out process so it is important to verify they have it before starting the […]

Read More


The time for information rights reform is here!

We are asking the BC Government to keep their promise. Sign the petition for FIPPA reform today! The BC Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) was meant to help create a culture of openness and transparency within the government. Today, however, we frequently see public bodies failing to create records or destroying […]

Read More


Book your FOI workshop now!

We offer Freedom of Information workshops to anyone looking to learn basic and practical skills needed to start tackling their own FOI projects. Workshops are entirely FREE and can be focused on the foundational knowledge of FOI through our 101 workshops, or the more advanced intricacies found in our 201 version. Send us a message […]

Read More


BC Government claims it has no records related to Mark Carney speech about Vancouver real estate market

NEWS RELEASE JANUARY 19, 2017   BC government claims it has no records related to Carney speech about Vancouver real estate market  FIPA asks Information Commissioner to investigate Yet another incredible ‘no responsive records’ response to a FIPA FOI request FIPA has filed a complaint with the Acting BC Information and Privacy Commissioner after the […]

Read More


Cost of RCMP ‘Project Souvenir’ (BC Leg Bombing)

Here are the documents we received from the RCMP in response to our ATI request for: “Records outlining the total cost to date of the investigation into the activities of John Nuttall and Amanda Korody related to the attempted bombing of the BC Legislature on July 1, 2013, including the number of officers involved in […]

Read More


NEWS RELEASE: BC Government ordered to re-examine Mt. Polley information

Information Commissioner says other ministries should also look for information that must be released in public interest VANCOUVER, July 2, 2015 – In a major report released this morning, Information and Privacy Commissioner Elizabeth Denham has gone beyond simply telling the BC Government to re-examine its files for information to be released surrounding the Mount […]

Read More


Submissions for OIPC Hearing on Ministry of Health Firings

Below are the submissions and supporting affidavits from FIPA and the BC Government in the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) Hearing in March 2014, which resulted in Order F14-45. Submissions: FIPA intial submissions FIPA reply submission BC Government reply submission BC Government initial submission Affidavits: Taylor Affidavit Johnson Affidavit Madden Affidavit Email […]

Read More


FOI Release: Ministry of Health data breach final release

In response to OIPC order F14-45, the release of all data sharing and other agreements between January 1, 2011 and August 2, 2012 involving MoH and Rebecca Warburton, William Warburton, Malcolm Maclure and Colin Dormuth; all correspondence between these individuals and the Ministry related to these agreements, particularly discussions of delays or other impediments to access to data for research […]

Read More


FIPA complaint to OIPC: Mount Polley tailings pond

Request for an investigation into the failure of the BC Government to release information about the Mount Polley tailings pond, contrary to s.25 of FIPPA. Download the complaint

Read More


BC Government says the magic word and documents disappear

What do you do when you want to make sure documents can’t be requested under freedom of information law? Well if you’re the BC Government, you need only utter one magic word: transitory. Government policy states that a transitory record is one that relates to “temporary usefulness […] needed only for a limited period of […]

Read More