Access and Privacy Online

Canada’s Access to Information Act gives people a legal right to request federal government records. But delays, unclear duties, inconsistent service and gaps created by outsourcing can make that right difficult to use in practice. 

In this special commentary, host Patrick Farnsworth speaks with Pascale Grenier, a UVic Law Co-op Legal Researcher who contributed to FIPA’s submission, and FIPA Executive Director Jason Woywada about the federal review of the Act. 

They discuss what “every reasonable effort” should require from government institutions, why requesters should receive a clear account of how their request was processed, when the public interest should favour disclosure, and why transparency should follow public functions and public money. 

Pascale also reflects on the research, judgment and practical lessons involved in turning complex legal and policy issues into recommendations for reform. 

What would it take to move access to information from a right on paper to a right people can rely on? 

• A Call for Stronger Access Rights: https://fipa.bc.ca/20260615-submission-tbs-atia-review  

• Pathways to Precarity: https://fipa.bc.ca/2024-pathways-to-precarity 

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Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca 

Access and Privacy Commentary: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/  

Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/ 

News stories through the Canadian Press and Feedly. 

Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM 

How do we know whether a freedom-of-information system is actually working? Counting closed files and measuring response times tells only part of the story. 

In this Access and Privacy Commentary, host Patrick Farnsworth speaks with FIPA researcher Spencer Izen, author of Drawing Access Together, alongside FIPA Executive Director Jason Woywada and President Mike Larsen. 

The report draws on approximately three years of research involving 56 B.C. public bodies and more than 36,000 pages of policies, procedures, training materials and other records. It finds that public bodies frequently document how an FOI file moves through the system more clearly than how responsive records are found or how legal decisions about redaction are made. 

The panel discusses why recordkeeping is the foundation of access, why redaction is legal work, and why the statutory maximum for responding to a request should not become the ordinary timeline. They also examine the report’s central proposal that FOI performance be evaluated on correctness: whether the right records are found, the law is applied properly and information is released at the right time 

Listen to the discussion, read Drawing Access Together, and join the conversation about effective and accountable public administration. 

The scope, findings and recommendations summarized in this description are drawn directly from the final report and FIPA’s release materials. 

Drawing Access Together:

• https://fipa.bc.ca/aa/final-report-2026/  

• https://fipa.bc.ca/aa/final-report-background/  

• https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/access-assessments/ 

• https://fipa.bc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/20260615-Drawing-Access-Together-An-Access-Assessments-Report.pdf  

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Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca 

Access and Privacy Commentary: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/  

Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/ 

News stories through the Canadian Press and Feedly. 

Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes, YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM 

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, August 1st. 

This week: Alberta’s referendum costs and voter-file concerns; access records exposing hidden delays and historic mistreatment; municipal AI safeguards; and, internationally, the growing struggle over surveillance, public records, and platform control. 

Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260801-access-and-privacy-online

Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-31

FIPA voterprivacy.ca 

• Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca 

Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. 

Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca 

Our Contributors: 

Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder  

Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/  

News stories through the Canadian Press, Feedly, and ICLMG. 

Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes,  YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM. ListenNotes,  Podchaser, Boomplay 

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, July 25th. 

We are into the news doldrums of summer right now; that said, there are still stories hitting our radar. This week: bridge records, surveillance pricing, paid priority access to Truth Social, and Vatican secrecy all hit the FIPA radar. 

Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260725-access-and-privacy-online 

Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-30 

FIPA voterprivacy.ca 

• Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca

Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. 

Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca 

Our Contributors: 

Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder  

Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/  

News stories through the Canadian Press, Feedly, and ICLMG. 

Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes,  YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM. ListenNotes,  Podchaser, Boomplay 

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, July 18th. 

This week: FIPA calls for stronger federal privacy law; provinces narrow access to records; AI expansion tests energy, consent, and political accountability; and U.S. investigations raise new concerns for public records and press freedom. 

Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260718-access-and-privacy-online 

Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-29 

FIPA voterprivacy.ca 

• Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca 

Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. 

Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca 

Our Contributors: 

Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder  

Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/  

News stories through the Canadian Press, Feedly, and ICLMG. 

Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes,  YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM. ListenNotes,  Podchaser, Boomplay 

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, July 11th. 

We’re back after a brief holiday break. This week: a lawsuit over the exposure of nearly three million Alberta voters, unanswered questions about overdoses inside B.C. hospitals, expanding surveillance in the United States, and a serious threat to Germany’s freedom of information law. 

Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260711-access-and-privacy-online 

Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-28 

FIPA voterprivacy.ca 

• Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca 

Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. 

Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca 

Our Contributors: 

Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder  

Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/  

News stories through the Canadian Press, Feedly, and ICLMG. 

Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes,  YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM. ListenNotes,  Podchaser, Boomplay 

 

The team here at Access and Privacy Online is taking the next week off for the holiday.

We’ll be back July 11th with more coverage. We’ll also be putting together some commentaries over the summer on the developing access and privacy stories we have been covering here on the podcast.

Take care, and we’ll see you then.

Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. 

Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca 

Access and Privacy Commentaries: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-commentary/  

Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/ 

News stories through the Canadian Press and Feedly. 

Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes,  YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM. ListenNotes,  Podchaser, Boomplay  

This is your Access and Privacy News Summary for Saturday, June 20th. 

This week: transparency systems under scrutiny in B.C., new federal privacy and online safety proposals, whistleblower concerns from Montreal police, and major U.S. stories on public records, voter data, and law enforcement accountability. 

And as another reminder: House of Commons petition E-7237, calling for stronger voter privacy protections, closes on July 4th. 

Show Notes: https://fipa.bc.ca/nm/20260627-access-and-privacy-online 

Individual Stories: https://fipa.bc.ca/tag/2026-season-episode-26 

FIPA voterprivacy.ca 

• Voterprivacy.ca: www.voterprivacy.ca 

• House of Commons E-Petition: https://www.ourcommons.ca/petitions/en/Petition/Sign/e-7237 

• Important: After signing this Parliamentary petition, you must confirm your email address via the reply email they send you for your signature to count. 

Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. 

Send comments to FIPAOnline@fipa.bc.ca 

Our Contributors: 

Writing: Shaun Fisk | Production: Patrick Farnsworth | Music: Breakmaster Cylinder  

Access and Privacy Online: https://fipa.bc.ca/research-resources/podcasts/access-and-privacy-online/  

News stories through the Canadian Press, Feedly, and ICLMG. 

Available through: PodBean, Apple iTunes,  YouTube, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, PlayerFM. ListenNotes,  Podchaser, Boomplay