B.C. judge orders government to hand over cabinet documents to teachers’ union

VANCOUVER – British Columbia’s government has been ordered by a judge to hand over confidential cabinet documents to the teachers’ union in advance of a September trial.

The BC Teachers’ Federation filed a petition in B.C. Supreme Court in June 2012, arguing the government’s back-to-work legislation breached teachers’ charter rights to collective bargaining.

As part of its trial preparations, the union took the government to court, hoping to force it to give up several cabinet documents.

But the government argued the documents were privileged, and there was a public interest in maintaining their confidentiality.

Justice Susan Griffin has ruled there is a public interest in disclosing the documents, saying the information isn’t sensitive enough to keep secret.

However, Griffin has imposed some tight restrictions on the use of the information and ordered the teachers’ union not to use the documents outside the context of the court action.