Alberta’s digital awakening: Reclaiming trust in the age of data

By Hodine Williams ( November 3, 2025, 2:59 PM EST) -- When Alberta ushered in its Access to Information Act (ATIA) and Protection of Privacy Act (POPA) on June 11, it wasn’t just swapping one set of bureaucratic tools for another. It was, in truth, embarking on a quiet revolution: a statement that the province intends to govern not only with efficiency, but with empathy in an age where information is power. The long-standing Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) had served its time. For decades, it shaped how government and public institutions handled personal data. But in an era dominated by artificial intelligence, digital surveillance and predictive analytics, FOIP had begun to feel like a relic from a gentler, less connected world....