Latest Blog Posts
For a complete list of all blog posts please click hereDuty to assist
In March 2017, I wrote a blog post entitled “Assisting the Applicant” about what the Commissioner means when he refers to the best practice of assisting the applicant. It discussed how government institutions and local authorities should respond to access to information requests openly, accurately, and completely. Since then, both The Freedom of Information and... read more
UPDATED: Who Signs for a Child?
When it comes to obtaining the personal information of a child under the age of 18 years, it is commonly accepted that a child cannot sign for himself or herself. So who can sign for that child? The Children’s Law Act, sections 3 and 4 provides: The parents of a child are joint legal custodians... read more
UPDATED: Clarifying Access Requests: Unclogging the Pores of FOIP
Consider the following scenario from three perspectives: Imagine you are an applicant who has made what you thought was a fairly simple access request. You are shocked when a courier arrives at your door with five banker’s boxes full of records. Now you have to go through it all and find what you are actually... read more
UPDATED: Fee Waiver Criteria – In the Public Interest
Please note that this blog was originally posted on March 25, 2015. On January 1, 2018, amendments to both The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Regulations (FOIP Regulations) and section 8 of The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Regulations came into effect. The blog below discusses these regulations as they were... read more