Tag: News
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Filing an FOI request is not defamation
“The overarching purpose of access to information legislation, then, is to facilitate democracy. It does so in two related ways. It helps to ensure first, that citizens have the information required to participate meaningfully in the democratic process, and secondly, that politicians and bureaucrats remain accountable to the citizenry .” Dagg v Canada (Minister of…
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FOI In The News: Government rejects Senate changes to ATIA; “culture of secrecy” and more
The Senate proposed giving the Federal Privacy Commissioner the ability to have access decisions certified by the Federal Court of Canada (thereby becoming legally enforceable) if the government ignores the initial decision or refuses to comply. The Senate also proposed banning the use of “code words” to describe individuals or government entities as a means…
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FOI In The News (May 8, 2019)
Globe & Mail: Canada’s information czar says lack of stable funding ties her hands Jim Bronskill, May 1, 2019 Federal information commissioner Caroline Maynard warns that financial uncertainty is making it impossible for her office to set goals and maintain momentum. The Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada handles complaints from Canadians who have…
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FOI In The News (April 23, 2019)
CBC News: Overburdened public bodies seek fees, restrictions on freedom of information requests Ian Froese, April 11, 2019 In Manitoba, there is currently no charge to apply for access to records, and requestors are allotted two free hours for search and preparation time. As part of a review of Manitoba’s Freedom of Information and Protection…
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Update: FOI Flowcharts have been sent (copies are still available)
If you requested a poster-sized printed copy of the FOI Flowchart, it has now been sent. Keep an eye on your incoming mail, as the posters will be arriving shortly. If you are an FOI professional in Ontario and you haven’t seen the FOI Flowchart yet, I suggest taking a look. It is available for…
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Leave no paper trail?
“Family minister’s foster care review instructions leave no paper trail” Katie Nicholson, Joanne Levasseur · CBC News · Posted: Feb 20, 2019 4:00 AM CT The article above appeared on the CBC website just this morning. I think it offers an important lesson to institutions who may be tempted to avoid keeping appropriate written records as a way of limiting their…
