Vancouver Coastal Health Wins a “Secrecy” Award—And That’s No Joke
By Tina Winterlik aka Zipolita You’d think awards are given to recognize excellence. But not this one. Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) just “won” the 2024 Code of Silence Award for Outstanding Achievement in Government Secrecy , handed out by the Canadian Association of Journalists (CAJ) and its partners. This isn’t satire—it’s a serious (and damning) recognition of how VCH routinely failed to meet basic standards for transparency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Let’s be clear: this award is a call-out, not a celebration. While people across British Columbia were living in fear, searching for clarity, and trying to protect loved ones, VCH was: Ignoring nearly one-third of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. Taking over 100 days (sometimes 171 days ) to respond to the media. Charging outdated $10 fees and only accepting cheques or money orders . Failing to release information they were already supposed to make public. The B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner con...
