B.C. government accused of ‘rampant censorship'
A report by the University of Victoria's Environmental Law Clinic and a public advocacy group called the Dogwood Initiative points to long delays in answering information requests, high fees and rampant censorship of documents.
A report by the University of Victoria Environmental Law Clinic blames the high fees and delays for a 57 per cent decline in freedom of information requests in the last 12 years. Photo by ecstaticist on Flickr.
The B.C. government is being accused of breaking its promise to be open and accountable because there are so many barriers to getting government information.
A report by the University of Victoria's Environmental Law Clinic and a public advocacy group called the Dogwood Initiative points to long delays in answering information requests, high fees and rampant censorship of documents.
Eric Swanson of Dogwood calls the barriers to information a “nightmare”, adding an essential component of democracy has been systematically neglected by the B.C. government.
The report says in 2008, 47 per cent of requests made by public interest groups, the media, and political parties were not met in the legal time frame, while some information search fees have been set as high as $172,000.
It blames the high fees and delays for a 57 per cent decline in freedom of information requests in the last 12 years.
The report was presented to a special committee reviewing B.C.'s information legislation.
Document Actions
- Send this
- Print this
- Bookmarks
