'We haven't settled on a fee,' says B.C. premier as backlash against charging for information grows
B.C. Premier John Horgan seems to be backing away from a steep $25 fee proposed for Freedom of Information requests, while doubling down on controversial legislative changes that would make charging for disclosure possible.
On Wednesday, Journalism professors from the University of British Columbia, BCIT, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Langara College and Thompson Rivers University issued a letter warning a $25 fee would be among the highest in the country. Addressed to the minister responsible, Lisa Beare, the letter argues the fee would be "a step backward for government transparency and openness."
Hamish Telford, associate professor of political science at the University of the Fraser Valley, also echoed concerns from the privacy commissioner that some of the changes the government has proposed to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act are a step in the wrong direction.
"If people thought the system was broken, it would be on the side that it was too difficult to access information – and the government is bringing in an act to make it even more difficult now," Telford told CTV News.
When asked about the changes at a weekly news conference Wednesday, Horgan distanced himself from the suggested size of the charge.
"We haven't settled on a fee. The bill allows a fee to be set by regulation," he explained.
The $25 figure came from the minister responsible this week. On Tuesday, Beare, who has the citizen services file, said, "other jurisdictions have a fee between $5 and $50, I'm recommending a number right in the middle of that."
In opposition, Horgan regularly used information from documents received through Freedom of Information requests to hold government to account. On Thursday, he reiterated the province's justification for paving the way for a financial disincentive.
"I believe thousands and thousands of requests aren't about finding out how decisions are made, they're about surveillance," Horgan said.
The province said it processes more than 10,000 FOI requests per year, and that the volume increased to an all-time high of 13,055 in 2019-20. Horgan blamed much of the spike on the BC Liberals.
One request even asked for a screenshot of his computer, prompting a cheeky response from the premier in which he showed his cellphone screen to reporters.
Telford thinks while the bill may be short-sighted, the NDP probably won't drop it.
"I'm guessing they'll dig their heels in and push this through, and then come to regret it sometime in the future when they're in the opposition," he said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Boeing's financial woes continue, while families of crash victims urge U.S. to prosecute the company
Boeing said Wednesday that it lost US$355 million on falling revenue in the first quarter, another sign of the crisis gripping the aircraft manufacturer as it faces increasing scrutiny over the safety of its planes and accusations of shoddy work from a growing number of whistleblowers.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.