B.C.'s privacy watchdog David Flaherty has travelled the world on the taxpayers' ticket.

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy commissioner's high-flying ways have cost B.C. residents more than $70,000 since his appointment in mid-1993.

He has taken over 100 travel days a year -- half of them outside B.C.

Now he says he's so busy he's going to ask for help -- possibly even a second commissioner.

"We have real problems getting (privacy) policy work done," he told The Province

"I am not sure whether I need an assistant commissioner for privacy or an assistant commissioner for freedom of information, or the province needs two separate commissioners. I'm not sure what the solution is," he said.

He plans to plead his case with the legislative committee currently conducting a fourth-year review of the Freedom of Information Act.

Given his travel record, it will be a tough sell, said Geoff Plant, the Liberal representative on the committee.

"I would think the case for expanding his office is a tough case to make and will have to be made on the basis of real demonstrated need," said Plant.

In addition to taxpayer's money, Flaherty's travel -- including airfare, accommodation and meals -- has been subsidized by other sources for appearances at conferences. The benefits came from a private marketing corporation, universities, several non-profit societies and other freedom of information offices.

Flaherty defended his itchy feet, saying his international reputation as a privacy expert earns him many invitations to conferences.

"I get many more invitations than I accept," he said, "which may not be evident when you have seen what I do accept in the course of a year."

Flaherty has taken 20 international trips -- half outside North America -- since he took the job.

By comparison, Ontario's top commissioner claimed about $30,000 in travel expenses in the same period, with just four trips outside North America.

"At one level, I regard myself as an ambassador for the legislation in B.C," said Flaherty.

But Plant said Flaherty's mandate is to act as an ambassador for the act inside B.C.: "I am not sure he was hired to become an international public relations officer for the statute that he is charged to administer."

Since mid-1993, Flaherty has made 20 other out-of-province trips to cities across Canada. And he's visited every major centre in B.C., with extended tours of Vancouver Island, the Interior and the northwest coast.

Work also took him to Vancouver about 60 times for meetings, site visits and conferences.

His 1996 travel schedule kept him away from Victoria for 81 weekdays -- eating up almost one third of his available office time.

Flaherty says he makes up for lost time when he's in Victoria.

"I do not work a nine-to-five day. Never have . . . I frequently feel that I live in the office."

Flaherty also keeps in touch by phone, fax and e-mail when he is out of town, at times submitting communication bills from hotels in the hundreds of dollars.

"When I am away from the office, I am always in touch by phone and electronically.

"I am a heavy-duty user of computers and electronic mail."

Flaherty said travelling and networking with other experts allows him to spot trends and keep up with new technologies.

He credited his staff for helping him manage the load. They mediate settlements in up to 95 per cent of all appeals on information requests before they reach Flaherty.

"Luckily for me, I have a competent staff. They don't need me to babysit them as they go about their general work. I am insulated from much of the mediation work."

The commissioner is the final arbitrator on freedom and privacy issues -- only when mediation fails. He writes four or five orders a month.

Flaherty said he needs the extra help in his office because of the heavy load of freedom of information appeals.

That leaves little time for work on protection of privacy -- the subject of almost all his conferences and site visits.

So far this year, that commitment has taken him to conferences in San Francisco, Brussels, Budapest, the Yukon, Boston, Montreal, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

WHAT THE COMMISSIONER DOES

David Flaherty was appointed information and privacy commissioner by the legislature in July 1993.

The commissioner hears appeals for requests for information under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and writes orders giving his decisions.

Flaherty is also in charge of protecting the privacy rights of individuals when they involve public documents and databases.

His mandate also includes educating users -- who are primarily British Columbians -- about the privacy act.

His office has a staff of 25 people and an annual budget of $2.6 million. Flaherty's annual salary is $127,962.

Flaherty, formerly a private privacy consultant, is part of a relatively small and tight-knit group who meet and speak at conferences around the world.

A WHIRLWIND TOUR OF DUTY

1993

July 13 -- David Flaherty is appointed Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy commissioner.

Aug. 1 to 14 -- He's relocated from London, Ont.

Aug. 15 to Sept. 3 -- Site visits to freedom of information offices in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.

Sept. 23 to Oct. 1 -- Trips to London, England, and Manchester for meetings on data protection.

Oct. 1 -- Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act introduced.

Oct. 16 to 18 -- Trip to Seattle convention.

1994

March 23-27 -- Seattle and Chicago for conferences.

March 30 -- Kamloops for meetings.

April 30 to May 4 -- Washington. D.C., as speaker at two-day convention.

May 26 to 27 -- Prince George for site visits and meetings.

June 8 to 9 -- Kelowna for meeting with B.C. police chiefs.

June 24 to July 3 -- Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, for meetings.

July 8 to 17 -- London, Isle of Man and Cambridge, England, to speak at privacy conference, meetings on data protection.

Sept. 3 to 10 -- Amsterdam for conference on data protection.

Oct. 1 to 9 -- Washington, D.C., two-day conference. Three vacation days.

Oct. 12 to 18 -- Ottawa, Quebec and Toronto for conferences.

Oct. 27 to 31 -- Phoenix for conference.

Dec. 3 to 13 -- Honolulu, speaker and panelist at four-day convention. Five vacation days.

1995

Jan. 12-16 -- Toronto, meetings with Ontario counterparts.

Feb. 11 to 15 -- Toronto and Ottawa conferences.

Mar. 28 to 29 -- Prince George for speech and site visits.

April 22 to 26 -- Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal, speaker at conference and meetings.

April 29 to May 7 -- Belgium, conference and writing report.

May 13 -- Prince George for site visits and conference.

July 7 to 24 -- London and Manchester for three-day conference and meetings. Left July 15 for vacation in France.

Sept. 3 to 10 -- Copenhagen five-day conference.

Sept. 21 to 24 -- Fort St. John for meetings and site visits. Gives speech.

Oct. 25 to 29 -- Toronto for conference of commissioners.

1996

March 26 to 30 -- Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton for site visits.

April 25 to 28 -- Santa Monica, Calif., for conference.

April 28 to May 1 -- Toronto for conference.

June 5 to 8 -- Gibsons and Sechelt for site visits and meetings with health officials.

June 9 to 24 -- New Zealand as speaker at one-day privacy issues forum. Site visits and meetings.

June 28 to July 7 -- London, Cambridge, Oxford for meetings and conference.

July 22 to 28 -- Parksville, Courtenay, Campbell River, Port Hardy for meetings

Aug. 13 to 14 -- Nanaimo for site visits and dinner with mayor.

Sept. 15 to 22 -- Ottawa, privacy conference at Chateau Laurier. Two-day Montreal vacation.

Sept. 25 to 27 -- Prince George, site visits and conference.

Oct. 2 to 4 -- Castlegar, site visits, conference.

Oct. 5 to 10 -- Washington, D.C., three-day conference.

Oct. 13 to 20 -- London, Brussels for conference.

Oct. 23 to 25 -- Fort St. John and Taylor for site visits.

1997

March 11 to 16 -- San Francisco for conference.

March 31 to April 3 -- Boston, conference.

April 25 to 29 -- New Brunswick, conference.

May 19 to 26 -- Budapest, speaker at conference.

May 28 -- Regina, meetings.

June 14 to 21 -- Williams Lake, Vanderhoof, Burns Lake, Smithers, Terrace, Prince Rupert, Queen Charlotte Islands for site visits, meetings.

Sept.15 -- Brussels, conference.

Sept. 23 to 26 -- Montreal, conference on privacy.

- Does not include 60 Vancouver trips.