MLA Mary Polak, BC Liberal House Leader, raised concerns on Monday that Premier John Horgan and the NDP are abusing the Freedom of Information (FOI) process by adding new fees in order to restrict public access to government documents.

“In a democracy, government documents and public records belong to the people,” said Polak, MLA for Langley. “For John Horgan and the NDP to add new fees for access to public documents by members of the public, as well as the Official Opposition, is a violation of fundamental democratic principles.”

New fee demands are now being applied by the NDP government to virtually every single request for e-mails of government officials made by the Official Opposition. More than $50,000 in new fees have been applied to date and further invoices are being received daily.

“This is a deliberate effort by the NDP government to create a barrier to access public information,” added Polak. “John Horgan and the NDP need to stop trying to hide records and finally embrace the concept of government transparency. British Columbians deserve better.”