COVID-19 data transparency complaint to go to BC's Privacy Commissioner

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Complainant wants more data about COVID-19 available to public

A Victoria man is asking BC's Privacy Commissioner to begin an investigation that could force the province to release more data about COVID-19. BC's Information and Protection of Privacy Act says a public body must disclose to the public, information about a risk of significant harm to the environment or to the health or safety of the public or a group of people, or any topic clearly in the public interest.

Anthony Roy says the Minister of Health, the Provincial Health Officer and the BC Center for Disease Control have not lived up to that standard. Roy says data sets about where and under what conditions people are being exposed to the virus are not being released. For example, he says there is no public data that explains why church gatherings are banned, while AA meetings of the same size are allowed.

"I'm not asking for one minute that people shouldn't respect the orders. I'm happy to obey. What I'm not happy about is the lack of proper discussion and lack of proper justification for the orders. This is the proper discussion people should be having without somebody trying to shut it down by not providing the information."
—Anothony Roy.

Roy says public health orders that ban people from gathering, attending events or worshiping in faith settings are an infringement of their charter rights. He's hoping the privacy commissioner will agree denying people the information needed to assess those decisions should not be allowed to continue.

Bob Joseph on Indigenous relations

One of the country's leading experts on Indigenous relations is encouraging young people to pursue a career in reconciliation. Bob Joseph is the author of the best selling book "21 Things You May Not Know about the Indian Act." He led a virtual discussion yesterday, that included more than 1000 people from across Vancouver Island. Joseph has delivered courses and advised countless companies and organizations for decades, on how to work with first nations. Joseph says Indigenous relations is a growing industry.

"Every level of government, federal, provincial and local government, nothing gets built in this country without talking to indigenous peoples, and I mean lengthy conversations, so if you're looking for a career path that way, you could get involved in consultation and engagement. Some of my friends who are really good at it charge out at $1700 to $2000 dollars a day because it's such a specialized skill. And so if you want a job where I get to change the world, meet new people and do stuff that's never been done before, Indigenous relations is it."

Yesterday's virtual question and answer session was hosted by the Vancouver Island Regional Library. The discussion included the future of Indigenous governance, how to approach first nations as an ally and how the Indian Act needs to evolve.