BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to empower citizens by increasing their access to information and their control over their own personal information. BC FIPA provides public assistance and public legal education.  BC FIPA cannot and does not provide legal advice.  Introduction  The legislation governing access […]

The relevant legislation that provides rights regarding access to information and privacy depends on what information you are requesting and from whom.   The Access to Information Act (“ATIA”) provides rights to request general information from the federal government, while the Privacy Act provides rights to request personal information from the federal government. Requests to the […]

The purpose of your request is usually irrelevant; however, it may be necessary for you to prove your identity if you are requesting personal information.   A public body typically has a legal duty to assist individuals requesting information.   If your request doesn’t include enough detail, the organization should work with you to identify what you […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]