Commentary: Drawing Access Together — Lessons Learned

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  

Support these efforts by subscribing or donating. 

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