MLA Mandeep Dhaliwal Urges Public to Register Opposition Over End of Public Access
SURREY, B.C., Aug. 29, 2026 — The British Columbia government’s decision to end public access to its online government employee directory has sparked growing political and public discussion.
Surrey North MLA Mandeep Dhaliwal, of the B.C. Conservative Party, has criticized the decision and is urging members of the public to register their opposition.
Dhaliwal said the government directory has served for decades as an important tool allowing British Columbians to identify government departments and officials and contact them directly regarding public services and other concerns.
Public access to the directory was discontinued on Aug. 18, 2026. The directory had been in existence since the 1930s and provided information such as government employees’ names, departments, work telephone numbers and email addresses.
The B.C. government says the decision was made because of increasing cybersecurity and privacy concerns. Officials have warned that the growing use of artificial intelligence makes it easier to collect publicly available information and use it for targeted cyberattacks.
The government has indicated that it plans to create a new directory page providing contact information for senior officials and government ministries.
Dhaliwal, however, argues that a balance can be achieved between protecting government employees’ privacy and maintaining direct public access to government services.
He says closing direct communication channels between citizens and government departments is not acceptable and is encouraging residents to make their concerns known to the provincial government.
Meanwhile, the Office of the B.C. Information and Privacy Commissioner has begun reviewing the government’s decision to remove the directory.
Commissioner Michael Harvey has acknowledged that cybersecurity threats are serious, but said removing the directory without providing an effective alternative raises important questions about government transparency and public access.
The debate now centres on how B.C. can protect government employees from cybersecurity and privacy risks while ensuring that citizens continue to have meaningful and direct access to government services.
