Whistleblowers need legal protection, says B.C. privacy body

VICTORIA – A British Columbia privacy rights organization is joining Auditor General John Doyle’s call for whistleblower protection in the province.

Freedom of Information and Privacy Association executive director Vincent Gogolek says his society has been pushing for whistleblower protection laws for years.

He says the association called for whistleblower legislation at government hearings two years ago, but when the Liberals amended the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, it did not include the protection.

Gogolek’s association hands out whistleblower of the year awards, and in 2007 gave the award to Gord McAdams, a B.C. government employee who was fired hours before he was due to retire for leaking sensitive park boundary documents.

In a report, Doyle said he was concerned about B.C.’s lack of protection for whistleblowers, especially since two major investigations conducted by his office this year relied heavily on information provided by whistleblowers.