WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia are established and must govern themselves in accordance with the Community Charter and the Local Government Act of British Columbia;
AND WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia and are founded on fundamental democratic principles, including adherence to procedural fairness and due process in all of its proceedings;
AND WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia are also bound to comply with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act [FIPPA] of British Columbia, in particular the statutory requirement to protect privacy;
AND WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia have a statutory duty under FIPPA to protect personal information from unauthorized collection, use and disclosure;
AND WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia provide for various civic and public engagement opportunities through a variety of statutory and non-statutory platforms, including but not limited to webcasting Council and Board Meetings, public information meetings, public hearings, open houses, and surveys;
AND WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia typically require members of the public to provide personal information, including but not limited to name, address, and other contact information for the public record, when participating in civic and public engagement;
AND WHEREAS the requirement to provide personal information for purposes of participating in civic and public engagement is contrary to the protection of privacy provisions under FIPPA;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT UBCM request the Province of British Columbia to review FIPPA in the context of the democratic principles of procedural fairness and due process in terms of how local governments engage members of the public during statutory and non-statutory civic and public engagement opportunities.