Not every day does a request for government documents turn five-years old.
That's why the B.C. Freedom of Information and Privacy Association threw a tongue-in-cheek party Wednesday at the People's Law School, complete with noisemakers, sparkling wine, cake and a chorus of Happy Birthday.
"We don't know if this is the longest-ever FOI request; if it isn't, it's close," said FIPA policy director Vincent Gogolek. "Five years to get something through FOI - you're supposed to get it within 30 days."
FIPA sought the provincial government's 10-year, $300 million workplace support services contract awarded IBM in 2004. In July 2008, information commissioner David Loukidelis ordered the release of non-controversial records. The government balked and filed for a judicial review. The B.C. Supreme Court upheld Loukidelis' decision last week, but FIPA continues to wait for full disclosure.
"When he was in opposition, Gordon Campbell spoke very clearly about the importance of transparency and FOI," Gogolek said. "There's a letter up on our website, his words, in writing."
Canadian Taxpayers' Federation B.C. director Maureen Bader said transparency could have prevented millions of dollars of cost overruns when the NDP built the fast ferries and Liberals expanded the Vancouver Convention Centre.
"Politically sensitive transparency issues are delayed beyond the time that that information is actually useful to anyone," said B.C. Civil Liberties Association's Micheal Vonn. "Information delayed is information denied and that's, I'm sad to say, increasingly the practice here."
