2017–18 Annual Report on the Access to Information Act

From April 1, 2017, to March 31, 2018

---

Table of Content

Introduction

Description of the Institution’s Structure

Delegation

Interpretation of the Statistical Report

Education and Training Activities

Overview of New or Revised Institutional Policies and Procedures

Key Issues Related to Access to Information Complaints and/or Investigations

Time Monitoring for Processing Access to Information Requests

Appendix A – Delegation Order

Appendix B – Statistical Report

---

Introduction

The Access to Information Act (ATIA) gives Canadians the broad legal right to information contained in federal government records.

The ATIA provides government institutions with 30 days to respond to access requests. Additional time may be granted if there are many records to examine, other government agencies to be consulted, or third parties to be notified. Access rights are subject to specific and limited exemptions.

This annual report to Parliament is submitted by the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner (the Commissioner) pursuant to section 72 of the ATIA. On April 15, 2007, the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act entered into force. It created the Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada (the Office). The new legislation replaced the Treasury Board Policy on the Internal Disclosure of Information Concerning Wrongdoing in the Workplace.

The Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is mandated to establish a safe, independent, and confidential process for public servants and members of the public to disclose potential wrongdoing in the federal public sector. The Office also helps to protect from reprisal public servants who have filed disclosures or participated in related investigations.

The Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is an independent agent, reporting directly to Parliament.

Description of the Institution’s Structure

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator is the only employee dedicated, on a part-time basis, to fulfil the Access to Information Act responsibilities. The Coordinator is assisted by a contractor for the processing of the requests.

Delegation

The Commissioner, as the head of the government institution, has designated, pursuant to section 73 of the ATIA, the persons holding the positions set out in the delegation order, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties or functions of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner as specified therein. A copy of the delegation order is included in Appendix A.

Interpretation of the Statistical Report

Appendix B provides a statistical report on the ATIA applications processed by the Office between April 1, 2017, and March 31, 2018.

The number of requests received during this reporting period is much lower than what was seen in previous years (see table 1). The Office received two new requests in this reporting period, one from the public and one from the media. None were carried over from the previous period and both processed requests were completed during this reporting period and within a 15-day timeframe. These two requests were nil returns.

Seven consultations were received from other government institutions and processed within the 30-day timeframe. Four were recommended for full release and the three others were partially released. Portions of the documents of one consultation were exempted under the following sections of the ATIA: 16.4(1)(a), 19(1) and 21(1)(a). The two others were partially exempted under section 16.4(1)(a). No extension was applied.

Two of these consultations dealt with statistical information provided by the Office to central agencies, one dealt with the topic of means of communications used by the Office, another one focused on the migration of institutional web-based information to the single portal Canada.ca, finally others dealt with the results of investigations carried by the Office under the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act.

No translations were required to respond to the requests. The Office collected $10 in application fees and spent $37,100 in resources administering the ATIA.

Table 1 – Five-Year Trend of Access Requests

*Total requests processed includes any requests carried over from previous reporting periods.

 Text version

This line graph illustrates the new requests received and total requests processed from fiscal years 2013–14 to 2017–18. Number of requests are presented in along the y axis, increasing in increments of 5. These are graphed against fiscal years from 2013–14 to 2017–18 on the x axis.

	2013–14	2014–15	2015–16	2016–17	2017–18
New requests received	19	7	44	8	2
Total requests processed	20	11	36	24	2

Education and Training Activities

Considering the low volume and nature of the requests received during this reporting period, no training on access to information was provided to PSIC employees. However, a refresher on one’s ATIP responsibilities will be delivered to all personnel in the next reporting period.

Overview of New or Revised Institutional Policies and Procedures

There were no new or revised institutional policies or procedures implemented in the reporting period that had an impact on access to information.

Key Issues Related to Access to Information Complaints and/or Investigations

No complaint was received by the Office during this reporting period and the previous one. However, a number of complaints received in previous reporting periods are still under investigation by the Information Commissioner. The Commission will complete an analysis of this situation once all complaints have been resolved.

Time Monitoring for Processing Access to Information Requests

Though no formal time monitoring was conducted during the reporting period, the Office uses a case management system to track processing times regarding access to information requests. This tool assists the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator and the contractor dedicated to this function in monitoring timelines to ensure compliancy with legislated deadlines.

---

Appendix A

Access to Information Act Delegation Order

The Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada, as the head of the government institution, hereby designates pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act, the person holding the position set out below, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties or functions of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner as specified below.
 

Position	Sections of the Access to Information Act
Deputy Commissioner	Full Authority
ATIP Coordinator	Full Authority

I name France Duquette as Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator.

Date: May 10, 2017

Signed by: Joe Friday, Public Sector Integrity Commissioner

---

Appendix B

Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Office of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner of Canada

Reporting period: 2017-04-01 to 2018-03-31

Part 1 – Requests under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of Requests

	Number of Requests
Received during reporting period	2
Outstanding from previous reporting period	0
Total	2
Closed during reporting period	2
Carried over to next reporting period	0

1.2 Sources of requests

Source	Number of Requests
Media	1
Academia	0
Business (private sector)	0
Organization	0
Public	1
Decline to Identify	0
Total	2

1.3 Informal requests

Completion Time
1 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More Than 365 days	Total
1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1

Part 2 – Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

2.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition of requests	Completion Time
	1 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
No records exist	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2
Request transferred	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	2

2.2 Exemptions

Section	Number of requests
13(1)(a)	0
13(1)(b)	0
13(1)(c)	0
13(1)(d)	0
13(1)(e)	0
14(a)	0
14(b)	0
15(1) — I.A. Footnote *	0
15(1) — Def. Footnote *	0
15(1) — S.A. Footnote *	0
16(1)(a)(i)	0
16(1)(a)(ii)	0
16(1)(a)(iii)	0
16(1)(b)	0
16(1)(c)	0
16(1)(d)	0
16(2)(a)	0
16(2)(b)	0
16(2)(c)	0
16(3)	0
16.1(1)(a)	0
16.1(1)(b)	0
16.1(1)(c)	0
16.1(1)(d)	0
16.2(1)	0
16.3	0
16.4(1)(a)	0
16.4(1)(b)	0
16.5	0
17	0
18(a)	0
18(b)	0
18(c)	0
18(d)	0
18.1(1)(a)	0
18.1(1)(b)	0
18.1(1)(c)	0
18.1(1)(d)	0
19(1)	0
20(1)(a)	0
20(1)(b)	0
20(1)(b.1)	0
20(1)(c)	0
20(1)(d)	0
20.1	0
20.2	0
20.4	0
21(1)(a)	0
21(1)(b)	0
21(1)(c)	0
21(1)(d)	0
22	0
22.1(1)	0
23	0
24(1)	0
26	0
Footnotes Footnote *I.A.: International Affairs (Return to footnote * referrer) Footnote * Def.: Defence of Canada (Return to footnote * referrer) Footnote * S.A.: Subversive Activities (Return to footnote * referrer)

2.3 Exclusions

Section	Number of requests
68(a)	0
68(b)	0
68(c)	0
68.1	0
68.2(a)	0
68.2(b)	0
69(1)(a)	0
69(1)(b)	0
69(1)(c)	0
69(1)(d)	0
69(1)(e)	0
69(1)(f)	0
69(1)(g) re (a)	0
69(1)(g) re (b)	0
69(1)(g) re (c)	0
69(1)(g) re (d)	0
69(1)(g) re (e)	0
69.1(1)	0

2.4 Format of information released

Disposition	Paper	Electronic	Other formats
All disclosed	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0

2.5 Complexity

2.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed

Disposition of requests	Number of pages processed	Number of pages disclosed	Number of requests
All disclosed	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0

2.5.2 Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of request

Disposition	Less than 100 pages processed		101–500 pages processed		501–1,000 pages processed		1,001–5,000 pages processed		More than 5,000 pages processed
	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

2.5.3 Other complexities

Disposition	Consultation required	Assessment of fees	Legal advice sought	Other	Total
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0

2.6 Deemed refusals

2.6.1 Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline

Number of requests closed past the statutory deadline	Principal Reason
	Workload	External consultation	Internal consultation	Other
0	0	0	0	0

2.6.2 Number of days past deadline

Number of days past deadline	Number of requests past deadline where no extension was taken	Number of requests past deadline where an extension was taken	Total
1 to 15 days	0	0	0
16 to 30 days	0	0	0
31 to 60 days	0	0	0
61 to 120 days	0	0	0
121 to 180 days	0	0	0
181 to 365 days	0	0	0
More than 365 days	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0

2.7 Requests for translation

Translation Requests	Accepted	Refused	Total
English to French	0	0	0
French to English	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0

Part 3 – Extensions

3.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

Disposition of requests where an extension was taken	9(1)(a) Interference with operations	9(1)(b) Consultation		9(1)(c) Third party notice
		Section 69	Other
All disclosed	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0
No records exist	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0

3.2 Length of extensions

Length of extensions	9(1)(a) Interference with operations	9(1)(b) Consultation		9(1)(c) Third party notice
		Section 69	Other
30 days or less	0	0	0	0
31 to 60 days	0	0	0	0
61 to 120 days	0	0	0	0
121 to 180 days	0	0	0	0
181 to 365 days	0	0	0	0
365 days or more	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0

Part 4 – Fees

Fee Type	Fee Collected		Fee Waived or Refunded
	Number of requests	Amount	Number of requests	Amount
Application	2	$10	0	$0
Search	0	$0	0	$0
Production	0	$0	0	$0
Programming	0	$0	0	$0
Preparation	0	$0	0	$0
Alternative format	0	$0	0	$0
Reproduction	0	$0	0	$0
Total	2	$10	0	$0

Part 5 – Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

5.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations

Consultations	Other Government of Canada institutions	Number of pages to review	Other organizations	Number of pages to review
Received during reporting period	7	55	0	0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period	0	0	0	0
Total	7	55	0	0
Closed during the reporting period	7	55	0	0
Pending at the end of the reporting period	0	0	0	0

5.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

Recommendation	Number of days required to complete consultation requests
	1 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
All disclosed	3	1	0	0	0	0	0	4
Disclose in part	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	3
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Consult other institution	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	5	2	0	0	0	0	0	7

5.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations

Recommendation	Number of days required to complete consultation requests
	1 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclose in part	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Consult other institution	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Part 6 – Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

6.1 Requests with Legal Services

Number of Days	Less than 100 pages processed		101–500 pages processed		501–1,000 pages processed		1,001–5,000 pages processed		More than 5,000 pages processed
	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed
1 to 15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

6.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Number of Days	Less than 100 pages processed		101–500 pages processed		501–1,000 pages processed		1,001–5,000 pages processed		More than 5,000 pages processed
	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages disclosed
1 to 15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Part 7 – Complaints and Investigations

Section 32	Section 35	Section 37	Total
0	0	0	0

Part 8 – Court Action

Section 41	Section 42	Section 44	Total
0	0	0	0

Part 9 – Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

9.1 Costs

Expenditures		Amount
Salaries		$5,710
Overtime		$0
Goods and Services		$15,212
Professional services contracts	$14,812
Other	$400
Total		$20,922

9.2 Human Resources

Resources	Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities
Full-time employees	0.02
Part-time and casual employees	0.00
Regional staff	0.00
Consultants and agency personnel	0.08
Students	0.00
Total	0.10