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The Government of British Columbia has repeatedly failed to post Freedom of Information response on its so-called “Open Information” catalogue regarding Housing Target Consultations that the Province made with Municipalities, after almost a year and a half since the FOI request was made.

By Sasha Izard
March 7, 2025

On October 10, 2023, I received acknowledgement of a Freedom of Information request that I had made to the Province of BC for:

“Copies of all records pertaining to the Housing consultations the province made with communities subject to the province’s Housing Supply Act, on the targets over the summer including which communities were consulted, how many people were engaged in each of the consultations, what were the questions asked in the consultations and what were the responses from the consultations. Include how the results of those consultations led to the housing target numbers and how it led to those numbers only in certain municipalities.
(Date Range for Record Search: From 6/1/2023 To 10/4/2023)“

I was subsequently charged $90 by the Province for the results, which I paid them on Oct 23, 2023:

On Nov 15, 2023, the Province took an extension:

And another extension was asked for on Jan 9, 2024, after their previous 30 day period had already expired (without them asking for an extension during that period):

And another extension was asked for on April 9, 2024:

On April 10, 2024 I responded:

The FOI office responded:

On May 23, 2024, I finally received the document of 837 pages:

“These records will be published on the BC Government’s Open Information website a minimum of ten business days after release. To find out more about Open Information, please access the Open Information website at: www.gov.bc.ca/openinformation“

Only they didn’t publish them on the government’s Open Information website.

Well over half a year later,

On Jan 27, 2025, I asked the FOI officer:

The next day they responded:

I responded:

They responded on Jan 29, 2025:

Today on March 27 I responded:

The FOI request was initially made on Oct 5, 2023.

The FOI response finally arrived on after I refused to grant more seemingly endless extensions that looked like mere delaying tactics on May 23, 2024.

After multiple emails on the subject of it not being posted on the government’s open information catalogue, of March 7, 2025 it is still not posted.

Is the government of British Columbia under BC NDP leadership intentionally hiding the results of its housing target consultations with municipalities?

I’ll let you decide.
– Sasha Izard

Update: A couple weeks after this article was written, the Province finally complied and posted the results:

The Government of British Columbia finally posts Freedom of Information response on its “Open Information” catalogue regarding Housing Target Consultations that the Province made with Municipalities; after almost a year and a half since the FOI request was made. – CRD Watch Homepage