Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens' Services Andrew Wilkinson has issued the following statement regarding the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner's report, "A Failure to Archive: Recommendations to Modernize Government Records Management."

"I'd like to thank the Information and Privacy Commissioner for her report and recommendations.

"Managing and providing access to records is an important function that we take very seriously. These records are a valuable historical resource. Already we are working with the Royal BC Museum to find solutions for a portion of the government records that need to be archived. This will help address the challenges identified in the report.

"While we currently meet our legal obligations for storage, we continue to explore new approaches to policies and tools to ensure that our management of records is modern, efficient and responsive.

"As outlined in my mandate letter, my ministry is committed to developing ways to improve citizens' access to information. This includes using technology to improve our records management as well as to widen access to information. Our Open Government initiatives provide citizens with more information than ever before. Citizens can access over 3,200 data sets through DataBC, and ministerial expense reports and responses to Freedom of Information requests can be accessed through the Open Information website."