Vaughn Palmer: Under cover of DRIPA, NDP pressing on with legislation to weaken FOI

Green MLA Rob Botterell is accusing the David Eby government of using Bill-9 to move B.C. from “freedom of information to freedom FROM information.” Photo by ADRIAN LAM /TIMES COLONIST

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VICTORIA — While Premier David Eby struggled this week to clarify his intentions on DRIPA, the B.C. New Democrats pushed ahead with legislation to weaken the province’s freedom of information law.

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Bill-9 was introduced two months ago under the guise of modernizing and improving the efficiency, clarity and accountability of the existing Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

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On closer examination, it contained several measures to weaken what was once regarded as the country’s best access to information legislation.

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The revisions would increase the power of administrators, agency heads and other senior bureaucrats to narrow, delay and reject information requests, based on subjective considerations largely of their own making.

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One of the most contentious provisions was a kind of nuisance clause. It would allow officials to squelch applications simply because “responding to the request would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the government of B.C.”

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One of the strongest attacks on Bill-9 came from Green MLA Rob Botterell.

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He is literally one of the fathers of freedom of information in B.C. Under the 1990s NDP government, Botterell headed the public service team that put together the existing Act, earning accolades across the country.

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He has accused the Eby government of using Bill-9 to move B.C. from “freedom of information to freedom FROM information.”

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After a delay of several weeks, the bill is back at the forefront of debate in the house, with strong denunciations from the B.C. Conservatives.

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“Why, in 2026, are we moving backward on transparency?” challenged Surrey-Panorama MLA Bryan Tepper.

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“It’s because this NDP government has realized that their policies cannot withstand scrutiny. They don’t want you to see the internal memos on why the decriminalization of hard drugs failed so spectacularly.

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“They don’t want you to see the correspondence regarding the cost overruns on the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain or the North Shore wastewater treatment plant. They don’t want you to see the deals regarding Indigenous land claims that are being cut without public consultation.”

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Skeena MLA Claire Rattee drew on her experience trying to wrest information under the existing legislation.

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She repeatedly requested reports submitted by Dr. Daniel Vigo, the government advisor on the toxic drug crisis, mental health and addictions.

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“These are documents that are directly tied to government policy, particularly in the context of the addiction, crisis and concurrent disorders,” said Rattee, a member of the Conservative party.

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“These are reports that are being used to justify decisions that are affecting communities across this province — or not. I wouldn’t know because I haven’t been able to see them. Not a partial disclosure, not heavily redacted records, nothing.”