BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner (BCOHRC) is conducting an inquiry into the police use of media exclusion zones, with a particular focus on the restrictions created during the decampment in the Downtown Eastside on April 5, 2023 (Inquiry). BCOHRC believes that hearing directly from individuals and organizations affected by the April 5, 2023 is critical to understanding what happened as well as communities’ experiences with exclusion zones.
Individuals can participate in the Inquiry by providing video submissions to the Commissioner. The Commissioner will rely on the submissions to inform the final Inquiry report and recommendations and will identify the source of the information she relies on in her final report. The Commissioner will not identify the personal information of any third parties that appear in a video submission but have not independently provided consent.
BCOHRC is asking for consent to:
- attribute quotes to participants from submissions in the Inquiry final report and promotional materials.
Consent is completely voluntary. It is your choice.
You may revoke your consent at any time by writing to BCOHRC at and withdrawing your consent. However, BCOHRC cannot be responsible for any information already publicly disclosed prior to consent being revoked.
BCOHRC will retain the information it receives during the Inquiry in accordance with BCOHRC’s retention policies.
If you would prefer that BCOHRC keep your submission confidential, you can choose not to provide consent. You can also provide a video submission to the Commissioner confidentially, meaning that it will not be posted to the Inquiry website. Only people authorized by the Commissioner, which will be limited to staff or contractors of the BCOHRC, will have access to confidential presentations and submissions.
Please note that if you make allegations against third parties as part of your submissions, and you make your submission public or consent to BCOHRC to make them public, BCOHRC cannot guarantee that third parties will not take legal or other action against you arising from the contents of your submission. To mitigate this, BCOHRC will be summarizing your submission in the Inquiry report in a way that does not identify third parties.
Consent form: Video submissions
For questions about BCOHRC’s protection of information and privacy, please contact:
Sarah Khan, General Counsel and Privacy Officer
BC’s Office of the Human Rights Commissioner
536-999 Canada Place, Vancouver BC, V6C 3E1