British Columbia's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) enables the public to request and obtain copies of records held by public bodies, including Vancouver School Board, when those records are not routinely available.

What is a Record?

Under FIPPA, a "record" includes books, documents, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, vouchers, papers and any other thing on which information is recorded or stored by graphic, electronic, mechanical or other means. Records also include email and information stored electronically.  However, the definition of a record under FIPPA does not include a computer program or any other mechanism that produces records.

Requests for Information under FIPPA

If you would like to request records form the Vancouver School Board, and those records are not routinely available through a respective department or on the VSB website, you can make a formal request for records through the FIPPA.

Routinely Available Records Include:

• Regular (Open) Board Minutes and Reports
• Regular (Open) Committee Minutes and Reports
• Bylaws
• Budgets
• Annual Reports
• Policies and Procedures

See records available to the public without a request for access under this Act.

For BC School enrollment numbers please visit the Ministry of Education student enrollment page.

For BC School district financial information please visit school district revenue and expenditure tables.

For Student Record requests, please visit the student records page.

Submitting your request

All formal requests for records must be done in writing to provide sufficient detail to assist staff in locating/ retrieving the records sought.  You may use the Freedom of Information Request Form or you may submit your request in your own format (with the required information).

If you are requesting the records for a student over the age of 12, please have the student attend their school office to have the signed Consent for the Release of Personal Information form witnessed and submitted by a school district staff member.  If for any reason you feel the student does not have the mental capacity to consent, please indicate this in the request. If you are unable to attend the school office to have the form witnessed, please email foipop@vsb.bc.ca for alternate arrangements. (Please note: alternate arrangements will require photo identification).

When submitting your request for records please;

• Try to name the exact record (s) you seek.
• Use specific dates and/ or locations if applicable
• Do not submit a request that is duplicate to a previous request as the previous request would have already been fulfilled and a response sent to you. 
• Broad, complex requests, or requests for “all records” take longer to process and increase the likelihood of longer timelines of delivery and larger fees being charged to you.

All formal requests must be submitted by in-person drop-off, mail or email to:

Attention: Risk Management and Privacy Compliance

Email: foipop@vsb.bc.ca

Vancouver Board of Education
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6J 5K8

Fees for services related to requests under FIPPA

A non-refundable application fee of $10 is required for all FOI requests. There are no application fees or processing fees for personal FOI requests. Indigenous Governing Entities are not required to pay application fees.

Your request will not be processed until payment is received. Fee payments are accepted by e-transfer to foipop@vsb.bc.ca, please include applicant name in your e-transfer memo. 

To pay a fee by cheque, please send a cheque or money order made payable to the Vancouver School Board. Quote the applicant name and mail attention to:

Attention: Risk Management and Privacy Compliance

Vancouver Board of Education
1580 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
Canada V6J 5K8

Please note that additional processing fees may apply to General FOI requests, depending on the size and complexity of the request description as permitted under section75 of the Act. 

Section 75 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act permits the Vancouver Board of Education to assess and charge a fee for certain costs associated with responding to access requests.  Fees will be charged at rates listed in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Fee Schedule for the following;

• Locating, retrieving and producing the record
• Preparing the record for disclosure
• Shipping and handling the record
• Providing a copy of the record

Release of Information

The Vancouver Board of Education strives to be a greener and more sustainable school district.   In support of these efforts, we try to respond to all FOI requests digitally.