FOI request: When the bill hits six figures - canada.com network

FOI request

When the bill hits six figures

Windsor Star

Saturday, September 06, 2008

We would have more faith in the city's ability to accurately interpret the Municipal Freedom of Information Act -- which emphasizes open government -- if it hadn't previously fought and lost a battle to keep information from local taxpayers. As it is, the city's insistence a private citizen pay $354,650 for the processing of an information request seems excessive and designed to discourage informed debate and public scrutiny.

Local blogger Chris Schnurr, who ran unsuccessfully in the municipal election and who serves as president of WeACT, the Windsor Association of Concerned Taxpayers, filed an information request July 3 seeking the draft audit of the 400 building in City Hall Square and a raft of documents related to the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel.

The city responded it would require an extension of 500 business days and $354,650 to process his request, based on the estimated 10,966 hours it would take to sift through an estimated 128,000 pages of information from various city departments.

That tally, deemed "absolutely outrageous" by Hamilton NDP MP Andrea Horwath, a freedom of information watchdog, was arrived at by figuring $30 per hour of search time and 20 cents per photocopied page. Schnurr is required to pay a 50 per cent deposit or $177,325 for the city to proceed, but even that substantial sum doesn't guarantee the release of any information, not even a single page.

"This seems to be a stalling effort to keep information from coming out," said Horwath. "It certainly does not look good for municipal officials to respond this way to a request for information."

It is fair to say Schnurr's request was overly broad. Some might suggest it was crafted that way deliberately so the city would respond as it did, allowing Schnurr and WeACT to portray officials as unco-operative and secretive. A more charitable interpretation is his request had to be broad given taxpayers know next to nothing about negotiations for control of the U.S. side of the tunnel.

Schnurr's seven-part request sought several specific documents that should be easy to find and should be released, though, including the draft 400 audit and loan applications and appraisal reports related to the tunnel deal.

 

Full Article: <http://www.canada.com/components/print.aspx?id=38f4ea9f-afe7-4c3b-a73c-30d1f611089d&sponsor=>