Right to Know Coalition NS pleased with court decision

Right to Know pleased with court decision

By KELLY SHIERS Staff Reporter

Thu. Nov 27 - 5:53 AM

An advocacy group is heralding a Nova Scotia Supreme Court decision that the South West Shore Regional Development Authority [SWSDA] is a public body subject to the province's Freedom of Information Act.

"We're very pleased," said Darce Fardy

Darce Fardy RTKCNS President - Image via Wikipedia

, president of the Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia.

"It's important because regional development authorities have great influence on what's happening in their communities and they're publicly funded.

"To have them feel that they're unaccountable to the public that they're serving and using public funds to do it, that they're not going to be open and accountable, . . . for me, I'm not a lawyer, I just said that doesn't make sense."

The coalition became involved in the legal wrangling when the South West Shore Regional Development Authority turned down an individual's request for records, citing, among its reasons, that the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act doesn't apply to it, Mr. Fardy said.

When that person asked the court to review that finding, the Right to Know Coalition intervened.

An authority spokesman could not be reached Wednesday evening.

( kshiers@herald.ca)

Inserted from <http://thechronicleherald.ca/NovaScotia/1092836.html>