FIPA Shorts: BCOIPC Commissioner - FOI Trends

BC Information and Privacy Commissioner Michael Harvey returns to Access and Privacy Online to speak with FIPA President Mike Larsen, Executive Director Jason Woywada, and producer Patrick Farnsworth. Here is a brief segment of our interview. 

The province of BC recently released their Report on the Administration of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for 2024/25. The numbers show requests dropping, costs going up, and complaints increasing. We ask the commissioner to give us his take on what those mean. 

Be sure to check back for the full interview, which goes online in the week ahead.  

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News stories through the Canadian Press and Feedly. 

• Report on the Administration of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act 2024/25: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/british-columbians-our-governments/initiatives-plans-strategies/open-government/open-information/annual_report_on_the_administration_of_foippa_fy_24-25.pdf 

• Are People Losing Trust in BC’s FOI System?: https://thetyee.ca/News/2025/11/07/Are-People-Losing-Trust-BC-FOI-System/  

• Canada’s information regulators call on their respective governments to promote a more robust information ecosystem: https://www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/news-releases/3047  

• OIPC / ORL Budget submission Fiscal years 2026/27 - 2028/29: https://www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/budget-annual-report-service-plans/3037  

• OIPC Trust in the Age of Information 2025/26 - 2027/28 Strategic Plan: https://www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/special-reports/3028  

• Protecting the privacy of children and youth through responsible use of educational technologies in the classroom: https://www.oipc.bc.ca/documents/infographics/3051  

• Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services: https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/committees/43rd-1stsession-fgs  

• Friday, November 21, 2025 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM: https://www.leg.bc.ca/parliamentary-business/committees/43rdparliament-1stsession-fgs/meetings/3460  

• Includes: Annual Review of Statutory Offices of British Columbia: Three-year rolling service plans, annual report and budgetary estimates for fiscal years 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29: Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner: https://www.leg.bc.ca/hansard-content/Committees/43rd1st/fgs/20251121am-Finance-Victoria-Blues.htm  

• Office of the Information Privacy Commissioner, Budget Submission, 2026/27: https://www.leg.bc.ca/committee-content/19717/IPC_Budget-Submission_2026-2027_FGS.pdf 

• Office of the Information Privacy Commissioner, Budget Tables, 2026/27: https://www.leg.bc.ca/committee-content/19719/IPC_Budget-Tables_2026-27_FGS.pdf 

• Office of the Information Privacy Commissioner, Annual Report, 2024/25: https://www.leg.bc.ca/committee-content/19718/IPC_Annual-Report_2024-25_FGS.pdf