Recent Articles

  • New FOI fee led to drop in number of requests in B.C.

    New FOI fee led to drop in number of requests in B.C.

    I’m interested in the significant drop in the number of requests, and wonder what to make of it.

  • Transition

    Transition

    As autumn turns to winter, and the current year gives way to the new, there is no better time to think about transition.

  • Can a requestor refuse to provide their name?

    Can a requestor refuse to provide their name?

    What should an institution do when a requestor has not provided their name, and refuses to do so when asked? Does the institution still have an obligation to process the FOI request, even without knowing who the request is coming from?

  • Multi-Factor Authentication is now supported

    Multi-Factor Authentication is now supported

    I am pleased to announce that the FOI Assist software now supports Multi-Factor Authenticaion (MFA). This has been a highly requested feature in 2022, as institutions prioritize IT security and demonstrate increasing sophistication in their use of cloud-based services.

  • Informal Requests

    Informal Requests

    Institutions have an obligation to provide records in response to FOI requests; however, this does not prevent institutions from providing records or information without using the official FOI process.

  • Canada’s biggest newspapers set their sights on Freedom of Information

    Canada’s biggest newspapers set their sights on Freedom of Information

    It now looks like last week’s cover article in The Globe and Mail was just an opening salvo.

  • “Access Delayed, Access Denied”

    “Access Delayed, Access Denied”

    Freedom of Information (FOI) was the subject of a cover story in the Globe and Mail this morning. Under the cover heading “Access Delayed, Access Denied”, a reference to the famous legal maxim “Justice Delayed is Justice Denied”, Globe journalists and FOI veterans Tom Cardoso and Robyn Doolittle report on the delays currently plaguing Canada’s…

  • The Absurd Result Principle

    The Absurd Result Principle

    It was a privilege to speak last week to all of the attendees of the Freedom of Information Police Network (FOIPN) Fall Conference at the Belleville Police Service Headquarters in Belleville, Ontario. I was asked to deliver a presentation on the Absurd Result Principle, a legal principle with a long history in the Canadian and…

  • When is Purchase Agreement Information Exempt as Third Party Information?

    When is Purchase Agreement Information Exempt as Third Party Information?

    Today’s article should be of interest to anyone who applies the mandatory third party exemption in section 17(1) of FIPPA (or its equivalent in section 10(1) of MFIPPA) to purchase agreements, service agreements, and supporting documents such as the records of discussions surrounding decisions to purchase products and/or services. The Divisional Court of Ontario recently…

  • Public Employees’ Right of Privacy

    Public Employees’ Right of Privacy

    Just in time for some “light summer reading”, on June 21, 2022, the Ontario Court of Appeal issued an interesting decision that may have implications for how institutions conduct searches in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.

  • Farewell to AMCTO 2022 Niagara Falls

    Farewell to AMCTO 2022 Niagara Falls

    The 2022 AMCTO Municipal Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario is over. I’m pleased to share that the conference was a huge success for FOI Assist! I met with many municipal representatives, and I was surprised (and pleased!) to learn that most had never heard of the FOI Assist software. There were many requests for “full…

  • Hello from AMCTO 2022

    Hello from AMCTO 2022

    Good morning everyone! I’m here at the AMCTO 2022 Municipal Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It feels great to be back at a “real life” event and meeting people in person. There’s been a great crowd, and many municipal employees have been coming by the FOI Assist booth to see and hear about the FOI…