As part of its commitment to FOIPOP, BCIT has an established policy, 6700, which governs requests for information and an office at the Institute to deal with FOIPOP, records management, and copyright issues.
BCIT is bound by this provincial legislation, and employees have a statutory duty to assist requestors who wish to access BCIT’s records.
E-mail messages, handwritten notes, letters and contracts in the custody and control of the Institute are considered to be records under the FOIPOP Act. All records can potentially be released to the public. BCIT employees must be aware of this and take care to create written documentation in an objective and professional manner.
Teaching materials, including exams, and research materials that are created and used by individual instructors are not considered to fall within the definition of a record under the Act.
FOIPOP is closely related to Records Management.
Personal information is recorded information about an identifiable individual, such as birthdate, address, grades, etc. Personal information may be collected from students and employees and used for purposes consistent with providing education and training, administering activities of BCIT and providing student services. Additional uses of personal information require the authorized consent of individuals.