FOI Requests in British Columbia: FIPPA Deadlines, Fees, and Appeals

British Columbia's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act gives the head of a public body 30 days to respond to a records request, counting only days that are not Saturdays or holidays, allows a limited extension under section 10, sets a $10 application fee, and gives a requester 30 days, counted the same way, to ask the Information and Privacy Commissioner for a review.

Information last verified on 2026-09-24. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article addresses British Columbia's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSBC 1996, c 165, which governs requests to BC provincial and local public bodies. It does not cover the federal Access to Information Act, Ontario's FIPPA and MFIPPA, Alberta's Access to Information Act, or Quebec's access law; see the access to information hub for those, including the federal ATIP process. It also does not cover a request to a private business for the personal information it holds about you; that is a request under PIPEDA, a different regime entirely.

What FIPPA Covers and Who Can Ask

FIPPA applies to public bodies as the Act defines them: provincial ministries and government agencies, municipalities and regional districts, school boards, universities and colleges, health authorities, and other bodies the Act or its schedule names. It does not reach the federal government, which falls under the Access to Information Act, or a private company, which falls under PIPEDA or BC's own private-sector Personal Information Protection Act.

Anyone can make a request under FIPPA; the Act does not restrict access requests to BC residents or Canadian citizens. A request must be made in writing and give enough detail for the public body to identify the record sought.

The 30-Day Response Deadline

Section 7(1) of FIPPA states the general rule plainly:

"Subject to this section and sections 23 and 24 (1), the head of a public body must respond not later than 30 days after receiving a request described in section 5 (1)." (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSBC 1996, c 165, s.7(1))

Those 30 days are not plain calendar days. Schedule 1 of FIPPA provides that a "day" does not include a holiday or a Saturday, and section 29 of BC's Interpretation Act, RSBC 1996, c 238, defines "holiday" to include Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday, Easter Monday, Canada Day, Victoria Day, British Columbia Day, Labour Day, the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, Remembrance Day, Family Day, New Year's Day, and December 26. In practice the 30-day count skips weekends and statutory holidays, so it works much like a business-day count.

This matters for a reader comparing provinces: Ontario moved its FIPPA and MFIPPA deadline to 45 business days on 2026-07-01, and Alberta's new Access to Information Act counts 30 business days. BC's 30 days and Alberta's 30 business days are close in practical length, although each province defines its own excluded days.

The clock can also pause. Under section 7(4), if the public body decides you must pay fees under section 75(1)(a) or (b), the time from that decision until you pay the application fee, agree to the written fee estimate and pay any required deposit, or are excused from the service fees does not count toward the 30 days.

Extensions Under Section 10

A public body does not have to meet the 30-day deadline in every case. Section 10(1) allows an extension of up to 30 more days where:

• The applicant has not given enough detail to allow the public body to identify a requested record.
• A large number of records is requested, or must be searched, and meeting the 30-day limit would unreasonably interfere with the public body's operations.
• More time is needed to consult with a third party or another public body before the request can be answered.

With the Commissioner's permission, section 10(2) allows an extension longer than 30 days on those grounds, or an extension the Commissioner otherwise considers fair and reasonable. Separately, section 10(1.1) lets a public body extend the time by the period an applicant consents to in the prescribed manner; that subsection sets no 30-day limit. Under section 10(3), a public body that extends must tell you the reason, when to expect a response, and, for an extension under section 10(1), that you may complain about it.

A fourth ground once existed at section 10(1)(d). The current consolidation published by BC's King's Printer marks that paragraph as repealed, citing chapter 19 of the 2026 statutes. The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Amendment Act, 2026 (Bill 9) proposed both that repeal and the new section 10(1.1); this article takes the consolidation's 2026 chapter 19 to be that Bill as enacted but has not confirmed the link separately. Bill 9 as introduced also proposed removing the lack-of-detail ground in section 10(1)(a), but the consolidated text still includes it, so as consolidated a public body relying on section 10(1) has the three grounds listed above.

Fees: The $10 Application Fee and What It Does Not Cover

Since 2021, a general access request to a BC public body carries a $10 application fee. The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Regulation sets that figure directly:

"The application fee under section 75 (1) (a) of the Act is $10." (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Regulation, BC Reg 155/2012, s.13(2), as amended by BC Reg 298/2021)

Section 75(1) of the Act also allows a public body to charge for locating and retrieving records, producing and preparing them (not including time spent severing exempt material), shipping and handling, and copying, at rates the regulation's fee schedule sets. Two carve-outs matter for most requesters:

• Section 75(2) gives the first 3 hours spent locating and retrieving records at no charge. Only time beyond that first 3 hours can be billed.
• Section 75(3) removes fees altogether for a request for your own personal information. The $10 application fee and every other charge under section 75(1) apply only to general access requests, not to a request for records about yourself.

If a fee estimate for those services is more than you can afford, you can ask in writing for relief: section 75(5) lets a public body excuse all or part of the service fees under section 75(1)(b) on financial hardship grounds, on any other ground it is fair to excuse payment, or where the record concerns a matter of public interest, including the environment or public health or safety. The waiver power does not reach the $10 application fee. Section 75(6) requires the public body to respond to a fee-waiver request in writing within 20 days.

Requesting a Review from the OIPC

If a public body refuses access, misses the deadline, or charges a service fee you dispute, sections 52 and 53 of FIPPA give you the right to ask BC's Information and Privacy Commissioner for a review of that decision, action, or failure to act. Section 52(1) excludes one decision from review: a decision to require the application fee. The request must be made in writing and delivered to the Commissioner.

Section 53(2) sets the deadline:

"A request for a review of a decision of the head of a public body must be delivered within (a) 30 days after the person asking for the review is notified of the decision, or (b) a longer period allowed by the commissioner." (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSBC 1996, c 165, s.53(2))

Those 30 days are counted under the same Schedule 1 definition as the response deadline, so Saturdays and holidays do not count. If the public body never responds at all, section 53(3) treats that failure as a decision to refuse access, and the 30-day limit in section 53(2)(a) does not apply to a review of it.

Government Records Versus Business Records

FIPPA only reaches BC public bodies. If you want records a private company, such as a bank, retailer, or employer, holds about you, that is a different request under the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, commonly called PIPEDA, or in some cases BC's own private-sector Personal Information Protection Act. See PIPEDA access requests for how that separate process works.

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about British Columbia's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSBC 1996, c 165, and its regulation, current as of September 2026. It is not legal advice. It does not independently confirm the regulation's per-hour and per-page fee schedule beyond the $10 application fee. Consult the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia or a lawyer licensed in your province for advice on your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a BC public body have to respond to a FIPPA request?

Section 7(1) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act gives the public body 30 days from receiving the request. Under the Act's Schedule 1, a day does not include a Saturday or a holiday, and Sunday and statutory holidays are holidays, so the count skips weekends and statutory holidays much like a business-day count. Ontario moved to 45 business days in 2026, and Alberta counts 30 business days.

Can a BC public body extend the 30-day deadline?

Yes. Section 10(1) allows up to 30 more days if the applicant has not given enough detail, a large number of records must be searched, or more time is needed to consult a third party or another public body. A fourth ground was repealed in 2026. A public body can also extend by a period you consent to under section 10(1.1), or for longer with the Commissioner's permission under section 10(2).

How much does a FIPPA request cost in BC?

A general access request carries a $10 application fee under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Regulation, added in 2021. The first 3 hours spent locating and retrieving records are free under section 75(2), and a request for your own personal information carries no fee at all under section 75(3).

Can processing fees be waived?

Yes, the service fees for locating, producing, preparing, shipping, and copying records can be. Section 75(5) lets a public body excuse all or part of those fees if the applicant cannot afford to pay, if it is otherwise fair to excuse payment, or if the record concerns a matter of public interest such as the environment or public health and safety. The $10 application fee is not covered by section 75(5), and section 52(1) excludes a decision to require it from Commissioner review. The public body must respond to a waiver request in writing within 20 days under section 75(6).

What can I do if a public body refuses my request or misses the deadline?

Sections 52 and 53 let you ask BC's Information and Privacy Commissioner for a review in writing. Section 53(2) requires the request within 30 days after you are notified of the decision, counted the same way as the response deadline, or within a longer period the Commissioner allows. If the public body never responded, section 53(3) treats that as a refusal and the 30-day limit does not apply.

Does FIPPA cover requests to a private business in BC?

No. FIPPA only covers BC public bodies such as ministries, municipalities, school boards, and health authorities. A request to a private business for the personal information it holds about you falls under PIPEDA or, in some cases, BC's own Personal Information Protection Act, not FIPPA.