Three more court orders filed as Northern Health continues to breach information request deadlines

FORT ST. JOHN. B.C. — Three more formal orders have been issued against Northern Health for continued breaches of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

In April, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC) filed a consent order with the Supreme Court of British Columbia against Northern Health for breaching the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

Three more orders were issued on May 21st and May 22nd. 

One of the orders on May 21st covers three separate freedom of information (FOI) request files Northern Health “had not fulfilled its duty” to respond to within the FIPPA timeline, and the other addresses another file submitted by a different applicant with the same lack of response from the health authority. 

The order issued on May 22nd identifies a sixth file from a third individual with regards to which Northern Health is also in violation of FIPPA timelines. 

The three orders all identify Northern Health as in violation of its “duty to respond to the applicant’s access request.” 

When contacted about the first order in May by Energeticcity.ca, Northern Health declined an interview, citing capacity challenges at the health authority’s Information and Privacy Office for the delays in FOI responses. At that time it told Energeticcity.ca it would not be commenting further. 

FIPPA timelines indicate public bodies have 30 days to respond to an FOI request, and the orders all indicate Northern Health did not respond within this timeline.

Caroline Alexander, who filed several FOI requests with Northern Health between January 8th and January 23rd, says some of the FOI files identified in the three new orders are hers.

The new orders from OIPC indicate Northern Health has until June 11th or 12th to respond to Alexander’s FOIs.

“If those deadlines are not met, I will be pursuing additional steps, including further complaints,” Alexander said.