“The Loophole Loop: How BC Built an Accountability Dead End”

BC Ombudspersons Gives OPIC Free Pass

The BC Ombudsperson has confirmed what many already suspected: there’s no real oversight of BC’s privacy watchdog.

If the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) mishandles your file, no one has the legal authority to investigate them. The Ombudsperson’s own words:

“We do not have the legal authority to investigate complaints about independent offices of the legislature such as OIPC. You may enquire with OIPC on how to escalate your concerns.”

Translation: the only recourse for misconduct by the watchdog is to ask the watchdog to judge itself.

This isn’t an oversight. It’s by design.

• Municipalities hide misconduct behind FIPPA exemptions.
• OIPC rubber-stamps secrecy or ignores complaints.
• Ombudsperson claims its hands are tied.

BC’s “oversight ecosystem” is a closed circle where every door leads back to the same institution you’re trying to hold accountable. It’s not broken. It’s working exactly as built.