BC Politics · accountability · feature story · August 19, 2026
B.C. closes public access to government directory, raising transparency fight
The B.C. Government Directory still exists for internal users, but the public can no longer use it to look up employee and organizational directory information. The official explanation is cybersecurity and employee privacy. Critics say the timing and scope create a new transparency problem.
Source-led feature based on the official B.C. directory notice and a Steve Kooner Facebook video carrying a Global News segment.
What changed
The official B.C. Directory notice now says: “Public access to the B.C. Government Directory is no longer available.” It says public access to employee and organizational directory information now requires a B.C. government credential, while government employees with IDIR credentials can use the internal directory.
The public is redirected to general services, Service BC contact options, and a media-contact list rather than a searchable employee/organizational directory.
The video that triggered the story
Steve Kooner’s Facebook post says the NDP “shut down the B.C. Government Directory,” calls it a basic public resource that existed for decades, and argues the cybersecurity/privacy rationale is too broad.
Open the Facebook source video →
“The BC Government is shutting down public access to the Government Employee Directory saying RCMP recommended the move amid cybersecurity concerns.”
The recovered captions identify the TV report as Jordan Armstrong reporting on the change. The segment says Global News used the directory in February to count 152 ministerial public-affairs officers, managers and directors.
Official rationale vs. accountability concern
| Official/public record | Transparency issue |
|---|---|
| The B.C. notice says the province restricted public access to strengthen cybersecurity and protect employee privacy. | The notice does not provide public detail on what less-restrictive alternatives were considered, such as hiding emails while preserving names/titles/organizational charts. |
| Internal B.C. government users can still use the directory. | The public loses a tool for seeing how departments are structured and who holds taxpayer-funded roles. |
| Public users are redirected to Services A-Z, Service BC and media contacts. | Those replacement links help with service access and media routing, but they do not replace an employee/organizational directory. |
Update: Steve Kooner Instagram clip added
Added Aug. 19, 2026 Instagram Reel DcNPU1zSWqH Full clip preserved
After publication, NewsForBC added a second Steve Kooner Instagram Reel. The clip repeats the directory-transparency claim and carries a Global News report/headline: “B.C. government ends public access to directory in place since 1930s.” The recovered transcript says B.C. appears to be the only province with no public directory after a several-province comparison, and notes opposition/open-government concerns.
What the video adds
The captions say the directory had allowed the public to see who works in each department and contact information. They also say the report checked several provinces and found directories in some form, while B.C. “now appears to be the only province with no Directory.” NewsForBC treats that comparison as a current-news claim that should be periodically rechecked because provincial directory URLs change.
The segment also quotes opposition/open-government concerns, including the argument that the public has the right to understand government structure and who is responsible for decisions.
Why this matters beyond one website
Directories are not just convenience tools. They can show how a government is organized, which branches exist, which managers or directors are responsible, and how public communications staffing grows or changes over time. If names and direct contacts pose a real security risk, government can still publish org charts, branch listings, role titles, generic emails, switchboard numbers, and downloadable staffing summaries.
The question for B.C. is not whether employee privacy and cybersecurity matter. They do. The question is whether the province can protect those interests without eliminating the public’s ability to map the bureaucracy it funds.
Records and questions to watch next
- What exact RCMP or law-enforcement advice was received, and can a redacted version be released?
- Was a privacy-impact or threat-risk assessment completed?
- Will B.C. publish a public org-chart replacement with branch names, position titles and generic contacts?
- How will journalists, researchers and citizens verify staffing growth, communications staffing and ministry restructuring?
- Will the change be reviewed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner or a legislative committee?
Source package
- Steve Kooner Instagram browser capture
- Steve Kooner Instagram metadata
- Steve Kooner Instagram transcript
- Full Steve Kooner Instagram clip
- Source note
- Claim table
- Clean transcript from recovered captions
- Recovered Facebook metadata
- Captured official B.C. directory notice
- Live official B.C. directory notice
- B.C. government media contacts / ministries
- B.C. government Services A-Z
NewsForBC note: This is a transparency/accountability feature, not a finding that the government’s cybersecurity concern is false. The public record currently shows the shutdown happened and the official rationale. The next question is what evidence and replacement transparency tools the province is willing to release.