The province鈥檚 new Information and Privacy Commissioner has been travelling across British Columbia, listening to residents as he develops a strategic plan to guide his office鈥檚 future work.
Michael Harvey, appointed in May 2024, leads both the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) and the Office of the Registrar of Lobbyists.
One of seven stops, 麻豆精选 hosted a public session on May 27, that brought together representatives from municipal government, healthcare and education sectors, community groups, and non-profit organizations. The discussion covered a wide range of issues鈥攆rom public trust and digital surveillance to the question of who鈥檚 responsible for protecting personal data.
鈥淭his is part of our public engagement sessions to get people鈥檚 feedback and perspectives,鈥� Harvey said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e developing ideas that we鈥檒l release鈥攈opefully in early fall鈥攁s a strategic plan to guide the work of our offices.鈥�
A Province-Wide Conversation
Harvey says he鈥檚 hearing recurring concerns, including frustration with the Freedom of Information system, growing data collection, and questions about the influence of artificial intelligence.
Video surveillance is also drawing scrutiny鈥攅specially at the municipal level. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of attention on it there,鈥� Harvey noted, though it's not exclusive to local governments.
Trust in a Digital World
One theme that has surfaced consistently across the province is trust, or the erosion of it.
鈥淭here鈥檚 a literature in political science that talks about the decline of trust going back for generations,鈥� Harvey said. 鈥淚t ties into the rise of television, cable news, and now the internet,鈥� he said.
In 麻豆精选, participants raised concerns about who is collecting their data, how it鈥檚 being used, and whether they can trust the information they鈥檙e receiving. Harvey says these anxieties are shared across the communities he鈥檚 visited.
Who鈥檚 Watching Whom?
It鈥檚 a recurring question Harvey noted. 鈥淚s too much personal data being collected鈥攁nd by whom?鈥�
While he encourages individuals to understand and exercise their privacy rights, he says the burden shouldn鈥檛 fall entirely on them.
鈥淵es, we need higher rates of data literacy,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e should be teaching it in an age-appropriate way throughout our education system. But we also need to build stronger guardrails around how organizations and governments handle personal data.鈥�
B.C.'s Strong Privacy Laws鈥擶ith Room to Grow
Harvey says B.C. stands out in terms of privacy protection.
鈥淏.C.鈥檚 legislation sets a high bar鈥攊n terms of both scope and strength,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of why I wanted this job.鈥�
Still, he believes many British Columbians don鈥檛 realize how well-protected they already are.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 part of the outreach goal that I set. I think if they understood the strength of protection that they have, maybe that would help the trust issue.鈥�
Harvey also pointed out that B.C.鈥檚 privacy protection laws are far from perfect.
鈥淭hey need to change to keep up to changing demands,鈥� he said. 鈥淚'll keep pushing for improvements, but I think that the people of this province should be happy to know that the laws that they have are solid laws and that they're well protected.鈥�
A Legacy of Advocacy
Harvey credits both political will and a long tradition of advocacy for the strength of B.C.鈥檚 privacy and data laws.
鈥淵es, the legislature had to pass these laws,鈥� he said. 鈥淏ut there鈥檚 also been a strong history of commissioners, going all the way back to the mid-1990s when David Flaherty was the first commissioner. He was a giant in privacy circles and the inspiration for a lot of this work.鈥�
That legacy continues today through scholars, institutions, and organizations like the Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA).
鈥淚 think it reflects the sophisticated way people in this province think about access, privacy, and their rights,鈥� Harvey added.
What the Commissioner Actually Does
Harvey said there are four main areas of work his office handles.
Quasi-judicial role: 鈥淲e investigate complaints, can issue orders with the force of law, and even impose monetary penalties in lobbying transparency cases. We also initiate our own investigations.鈥�
Education and outreach: 鈥淲e raise public awareness and provide information. That鈥檚 why I鈥檓 out here doing these workshops.鈥�
Research: 鈥淲e conduct our own research and encourage others to explore privacy and access issues relevant to our mandate.鈥�
Policy and legislation: 鈥淲e comment on new laws, propose legislative reforms, and review privacy impact assessments from public bodies and organizations.鈥�
More Work Ahead
While optimistic, Harvey says his office still has work to do in promoting privacy rights and building public awareness.
鈥淚 think there鈥檚 more to be done in helping people understand what our office does, the mandates we have, and how they can exercise their rights,鈥� he said.
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