Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia: December 2009

The BBC's Martin Rosenbaum, who submitted the FOI request in 2005, told Radio 4's Today programme: "The freedom of information rule does overrule the ...

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Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Citizens need to make good use of amended FOIA - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register

http://www.sj-r.com/opinions/x370503521/Citizens-need-to-make-good-use-of-amended-FOIA

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Culture of secretiveness | The Australian

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/opinion/culture-of-secretiveness/story-e6frg6zo-1225814517393

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Freedom of information costs probed

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Freedom of information costs probed

Norfolk County Council has a dedicated FOI and data protection unit which has a £143000 budget. But councillors are becoming concerned at the rising costs ...

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Monday, December 28, 2009

Redmond wants more transparency

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Redmond wants more transparency

As part of a campaign for government transparency, Ms Redmond would waive the cost of processing FoI applications for the first five hours. ...

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Reach of Pa. FOI law gets tested in first year - The Mercury News ...

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Reach of Pa. FOI law gets tested in first year - The Mercury News ...

Montgomery County Pennsylvania daily newspaper covering local, regional, and national news including local sports, video and multimedia coverage, ...

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Council criticised for FOI delays

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Council criticised for FOI delays

CARDIFF council has been rebuked by the man responsible for ensuring freedom of access to information held by public bodies in the UK. ...

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Geneva set for new FOIA law

As part of the law, the city must designate a Freedom of Information officer or officers whose job it will be to accept FOI requests and begin the process ...

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Hello, press office? What's that? The information has to come via ...

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Hello, press office? What's that? The information has to come via ...

The other week I blogged on the rather surreal case of the council which was complaining about too many FOI requests – only to insist on an FOI request if people wanted details about the types of FOI requests they were receiving. ...

David Higgerson - http://davidhiggerson.wordpress.com/

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Government FOI gag 'a mockery'

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Government FOI gag 'a mockery'

The Federal Opposition says the Government is breaking its promise to make more information freely available to the public. The latest figures on freedom of ...

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Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Freedom of Information (FOI) & Women's Rights in Africa - Zunia.org

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Freedom of Information (FOI) & Women's Rights in Africa - Zunia.org

The resource book represents a key contribution not only in light of the early stage of FOI development in the region, but particularly considering the very ...

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Waterloo continues fight to hide costs in RIM Park lawsuits - Waterloo Record

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Waterloo continues fight to hide costs in RIM Park lawsuits - Waterloo Record

Waterloo continues fight to hide costs in RIM Park lawsuits
Waterloo Record
Waterloo has maintained since the original freedom-of-information request was made that disclosing its legal costs would arm defendants with valuable ...

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Independent scores success in three-year FOI battle for Queen's ...

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Independent scores success in three-year FOI battle for Queen's ...

Fight for letters between Royal Household and government is not over, says home affairs editor.

Get a News Job dot com - http://www.getanewsjob.com/

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Ironies Beset Our First Freedoms

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Ironies Beset Our First Freedoms

Freedom-of-information advocates had hoped for a bulk release similar to a previous approach to a huge backlog of classified World War II materials. ...

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Gov't. groups keep quiet on closed-door meetings - Modern Healthcare Mobile

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20091223/REG/312239986/1153&template=mobile
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County taking information agency to court

http://m.theenterprisebulletin.com/article.aspx?a=2233702
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Monday, December 21, 2009

Special report: FoI requests show extent of Section 44 use

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Special report: FoI requests show extent of Section 44 use

BJP's FoI requests to all 46 chief constabularies asked if they had received the circular, and if they had communicated the information to their officers. ...

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Queen's finances to be made public following landmark ruling

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Queen's finances to be made public following landmark ruling

Daily Mail

Following a ruling under Freedom of Information (FoI) laws, the Government must release more than 100 letters and memos written by MPs and members of the ...

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Sunday, December 20, 2009

Attorney general names FOIA enforcer

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Attorney general names FOIA enforcer

1, revisions to the Freedom of Information Act aimed at making government more transparent will take effect. That's just two weeks away, ...

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Commissioner to be questioned by MPs over poor FOI performance ...

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Commissioner to be questioned by MPs over poor FOI performance ...

Are you interested in Parliamentary blood sports? This happens when a hapless witness is given the "once-over" by a Select Committee seeking answers to basic questions. If the answer is "yes", put Tuesday 5 January (4.45pm) down in your ...

Hawk Talk - http://amberhawk.typepad.com/amberhawk/

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The FOI Advocate: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Journalism ...

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The FOI Advocate: University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Journalism ...

In April, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee journalism students filed a request with Attorney General JB Van Hollen regarding the applicability of the public records and open meetings law to student governments in the University of ...

Journalism - http://journalism.netne.net/

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Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Staff Attorney/ FOI ...

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Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press Staff Attorney/ FOI ...

The ideal candidate is a an expert on state and federal FOI issues, is a current or former journalist, has experience managing interns and junior attorneys, ...

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Information Commissioner pledges 'fierce' approach to 'slowcoach' public officials

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Information Commissioner pledges 'fierce' approach to 'slowcoach' public officials

Telegraph.co.uk

"The point is that the [FOI] act does not say that all Cabinet papers should be vetoed. The veto is there only for exceptional circumstances," Mr Graham ...

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Reach of new Pa. FOI law gets tested in first year

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Reach of new Pa. FOI law gets tested in first year

AP - December 20, 2009 1:45 PM ET HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - A wealth of information about the actions and decisions of Pennsylvania public officials has been ...

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Can online voting save Canadian democracy?

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Can online voting save Canadian democracy?

Examiner.com

There are dangers of electronic malfunctions or the lack of secrecy that a voter would have at a polling station. Fraud is also a possible problem with ...

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Travers: The year of governing secretly

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Travers: The year of governing secretly

It's in Harper's interest to take to the streets a message shaped by control and insulated by secrecy. Beyond Parliament Hill there are fewer annoying ...

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Friday, December 18, 2009

Extending the Cover of the FOI Act in Scotland

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Extending the Cover of the FOI Act in Scotland

"The Scottish Government is committed to the principles that underpin Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation. These principles of openness and transparency are essential parts of open democratic government. ...

SourceUK.Net - Public Sector... - http://www.sourceuk.net/

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Straw 'wrong' to block FoI request - Public Service

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Straw 'wrong' to block FoI request - Public Service

Information commissioner is worried that this will not be the last time veto is used.

Public Servant Daily - Latest... - http://www.publicservice.co.uk/archive_news.asp

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News Republic Editorial: Officials give FOI Act lip service

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News Republic Editorial: Officials give FOI Act lip service

The subject: Freedom of Information Act. The new president's message was this: A democracy requires accountability, and accountability requires transparency ...

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The fight for WaMu documents

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The fight for WaMu documents

Puget Sound Business Journal (blog)

The newspaper made its requests under the US Freedom of Information Act, the decades-old law that requires federal agencies to disclose public documents. ...

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O'Shea, advocate of open public records, dies at 75

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O'Shea, advocate of open public records, dies at 75

Thomas Cafferty, general counsel for the New Jersey Press Association, said, "I've never met a more tireless advocate for freedom of information than Martin ...

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Center for Community Journalism and Development » Blog Archive ...

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Center for Community Journalism and Development » Blog Archive ...

Finally, the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act passed Third Reading in the Senate today, (December 14) after three Congresses marked by hard lobbying by various interest groups led by the Access to Information Network (ATIN). ...

Center for Community Journalism... - http://ccjd.org/main/

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Automating FOIA Processes no Longer a Luxury for Government (Analysis)

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Automating FOIA Processes no Longer a Luxury for Government (Analysis)

"In 2001, we received 3800 FOI requests and our compliance rate was just 13 percent. Our system wasn't designed to handle the volume we were receiving. ...

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Gene Policinski: Obama still has long way to go on transparent federal records

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Gene Policinski: Obama still has long way to go on transparent federal records

The plan — if carried out — will go a long way toward improving the thus-far lukewarm rating Obama has gotten from freedom of information advocates. ...

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Commissioner to be questioned by MPs over poor FOI performance ...

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Commissioner to be questioned by MPs over poor FOI performance ...

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Open and Shut: Tale of two cities when it comes to FOIing ministers

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Open and Shut: Tale of two cities when it comes to FOIing ministers

This blog takes an interest in all issues associated with Freedom of Information (FOI) and privacy legislation in Australia. It also includes comment about open transparent and accountable government and privacy issues generally drawing ...

Open and Shut - http://foi-privacy.blogspot.com/

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Redaction time cannot contribute to FOI cost capping, rules Tribunal

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Redaction time cannot contribute to FOI cost capping, rules Tribunal

Redaction time cannot contribute to FOI cost capping, rules Tribunal · Original article. Organisations cannot count the hours they spend blanking out parts of documents when calculating whether a freedom of information request is too ...

LibertyVoice - http://www.libertyvoice.net/

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FOI Friday: 10 things we've learnt thanks to the Freedom of ...

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FOI Friday: 10 things we've learnt thanks to the Freedom of ...

This week, the Lancashire Evening Post successfully used FOI to get hold of documents and emails which showed that the Football Museum bosses, who had made many big promises about staying in Preston, had been holding discussions about ...

David Higgerson - http://davidhiggerson.wordpress.com/

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Thursday, December 17, 2009

Delaware legislature posts finances online | WHYY News and Information | WHYY

http://whyy.org/cms/news/government-politics/2009/12/17/delaware-legislature-posts-finances-online/25809
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The First Stage of an Open Government Revolution

The First Stage of an Open Government Revolution: "

Obama's Open Government Directive is a potentially groundbreaking development, but the administration must clarify responsibilities or risk poor execution, writes Ian Millhiser.

Your Right To Know: Bring Transparency To State Spending

Your Right To Know: Bring Transparency To State Spending: "And in a traditional home of open government like Wisconsin, one would think transparency in government spending here would be a no-brainer, right? ...

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FOI bill is not the answer – Eseme Eyiboh, House spokesman

FOI bill is not the answer – Eseme Eyiboh, House spokesman: "

Nigerian Compass Newspaper - ...all the news. all the time

The FOI bill does not hold the key to the transformation of this country in terms of good governance and everybody knows it. The key is with attitudinal ...

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Gov Amaechi Wants Immediate Passage of FOI Bill | :::…The Tide ...

Gov Amaechi Wants Immediate Passage of FOI Bill | :::…The Tide ...: "The Rivers State Governor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has called on the National Assembly to hasten the passage of the Freedom of Information (FOI) Bill. Governor Amaechi who made the call as a Special Guest of Honour at the Forth ...

:::...The Tide News Online:::... - http://www.thetidenewsonline.com/"

Harper needs new stand-up routine

Harper needs new stand-up routine: "Instead, two information commissioners in three years have savaged the Harper government's devotion to secrecy and censorship. ...

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The FOI Advocate: NJ School Board Members Need to Take it Outside

The FOI Advocate: NJ School Board Members Need to Take it Outside: "The official blog of the National Freedom of Information Coalition and the FOI ADVOCATE, in which we bring news of freedom of information developments far and wide... NFOIC is a coalition of state groups dedicated to open government, ...

The FOI Advocate - http://foiadvocate.blogspot.com/"

Are Freedom of Information 'fishing trips' acceptable? « David ...

Are Freedom of Information 'fishing trips' acceptable? « David ...: "Greenslade, reasonably, that the Mail on Sunday would have asked this question of every Trust in the country – and posed the question whether the FOI request was just a fishing trip, or did it have evidence of illegal immigrants being ...

David Higgerson - http://davidhiggerson.wordpress.com/"

A closed door is not transparent

A closed door is not transparent: "Mr. Senat, an expert on open government, has posted his findings and opinions on this matter for those who wish to know more at foioklahoma.blogspot.com. ...

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Expert says city council meeting was illegal

Expert says city council meeting was illegal: "... School of Journalism and Broadcasting and a member of the board of directors of FOI Oklahoma, Inc., an organization committed to freedom of information. ...

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'Non-passage of FOI bill will lead to distortions'

'Non-passage of FOI bill will lead to distortions': "“The bill is supposed to equip them with the right to seek information at any level in order to contribute to the development of the society. ...

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Departing head of MPCC says government secrecy means watchdog can't do its job

Departing head of MPCC says government secrecy means watchdog can't do its job: "

The Canadian Press

Walt Natynczyk - Canada's top military commander - conceded that a Canadian-detained prisoner had been beaten by the Afghan National Police, prompting the ...

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OMB directs agencies to post more data online

OMB directs agencies to post more data online: "Experts say publishing the data sets could also help agencies reduce their Freedom of Information Act processing requests: If data is publicly available, ...

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Freedom of Information report online

Freedom of Information report online: "Click on the "Setting a Transparency Precedent" link on the home page. Or go directly to www.justice.gov/oip/fy08.html.

See all stories on this topic"

FOI FYI » Blog Archive » Supreme Court to decide whether cop ...

FOI FYI » Blog Archive » Supreme Court to decide whether cop ...: "While the issue focuses on whether a government employer has the right to see private messages sent by employees, this also has FOI implications. If those text messages are deemed public records, which they should be, then they should ...

FOI FYI - http://blogs.spjnetwork.org/foi/"

Simcoe County given information ultimatum - Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin

Simcoe County given information ultimatum - Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin: "

Simcoe County given information ultimatum
Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin
Steve Ogden, a longtime dump Site 41 critic who launched a freedom of information request for the calibrated model on behalf of the Site 41 community ...
Privacy Commissioner calls county to actMidland Free Press

all 2 news articles »

UK Freedom of Information Blog: FOI statistics July-Sept 2009

UK Freedom of Information Blog: FOI statistics July-Sept 2009: "FOI statistics July-Sept 2009. The quarterly statistics bulletin on FOI implementation within central government have been published for the period July to September 2009. Executive summary. Departments of State reported receiving 6208 ...

UK Freedom of Information Blog - http://foia.blogspot.com/"

Getting public records is about to get easier

Getting public records is about to get easier: "Seneca's proposed ordinance designates the village clerk and the police chief as FOI officers. They are to comply with all requests and maintain a record on ...

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Government's secrecy over ACTA anti-democratic lobbyists say

Government's secrecy over ACTA anti-democratic lobbyists say: "The agreement is being drafted between the US, Australia, Canada and the European Union. There have been rumours that some industry insiders in the US have ...

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UK Freedom of Information Blog: New ICO FOI guidance on publicly ...

UK Freedom of Information Blog: New ICO FOI guidance on publicly ...: "Dec 17, 2009 ... New ICO FOI guidance on publicly-owned companies and s.36 ... Posted by Katherine Gundersen at 11:09 AM. Labels: FOI guidance ...
"

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Comment on Graham Steele's recent interview in Allnovascotia.com

On behalf of the Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia Darce Fardy, the President, commended the Minister of Finance, Graham Steele, for his recent public support for the Nova Scotia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

In an interview with allnovascotia.com, the senior cabinet minister advised all public bodies they must provide records requested under the FOIPOP Act unless they can prove that the information sought falls under one of the Act's exemptions to disclosure.

The Act itself says that exemptions should be "rare and specific" and that public bodies must be "fully accountable" to the public.

Darce Fardy
President
Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The News Serving Pictou County Nova Scotia: Regional News | P.E.I. information commissioner calls for better design of government websites

http://www.ngnews.ca/index.cfm?sid=310815&sc=516
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Another example of administration's cloudy stance on transparency

http://www.tdn.com/news/opinion/article_0732504e-e913-11de-b9d0-001cc4c002e0.html
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The Associated Press: Obama panel urges single system for secrets

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jWG2W9t51hlMyeLqB5DV2eTjI5UwD9CJT1KG0
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FOI, open access rules need reversing - Civil Liberties Australia

http://www.cla.asn.au/0805/index.php/articles/2009/foi-open-access-rules-need-reversing
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FW: Recent NS Review Report FI-08-12

From: Mary Kennedy [mailto:kennemg@gov.ns.ca]

Good Morning,

On December 2, 2009, Nova Scotia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Review Officer Dulcie McCallum issued the following Review Report. The complete Report is attached and a copy can also be found on our website at http://www.foipop.ns.ca/rep_recent.html

FI-08-12

Report Release Date: December 2, 2009

Public Body: Atlantic Lottery Corporation

Issues: Whether the Atlantic Lottery Corporation ["ALC"] appropriately applied the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act["Act"] and, in particular:

1. Whether the ALC properly exercised its discretion in severing information under s. 15(1)(a), 15(1)(c) or 15(1)(k).
2. Whether the release of the personal information contained in the Record would constitute an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy pursuant to s. 20(1).
3. Whether the information included in the disclosure decision was open, accurate and complete in accordance with the duty to assist [s. 7].

Record at Issue: Pursuant to s. 38 of the Act, ALC has provided the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy ["FOIPOP"] Review Office with a copy of the complete Record including the information withheld from the Applicant. At no time are the contents of the Recorddisclosed or the Record itself released to the Applicant by the FOIPOP Review Officer or her delegated staff.

Part 1 and 4 of the Record - the ALC Investigation Reports

Reports from the investigations into retailer/ticket seller and ALC employee wins launched by the ALC during 2005. Note the Parts of the Record in this list for #1 and #4 are the same documents. The reports from the ALC investigations for the provinces of Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have been released, with severances pursuant to s. 15 and 20. The ALC has not released any of its 83 investigations for the province of Nova Scotia that are still under investigation by the RCMP.

9 documents (encompassing 25 pages) are emails that are responsive.
56 documents (encompassing 510 pages) are "investigation records."

Part 2 of the Record - the ALC Press Releases of Big Winners
All press releases about winners of $25,000 or more in any game sponsored by the ALC since January 1, 2001, for all four Atlantic Provinces but excluding news releases currently available at www.alc.ca.

838 documents (encompassing 867 pages) are "winners media releases."

Part 3 of the Record - the ALC Verification for Retailers' Wins

Files, including but not limited to, the documents related to verifying the wins of the 44 retailers who claimed prizes of at least $25,000 between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2006, for Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick (except 4). The ALC has not released any of the verification for Retailers' Wins for the province of Nova Scotia that are still under investigation by the RCMP.

48 documents (encompassing 450 pages) are "win verification" files.

Part 4 of the Record - see Part 1 above
Documents related to the 25 investigations the ALC conducted between January 1, 2001 and December 31, 2006. ALC acknowledged in its December 14, 2007 decision that a consultant study identified further investigation documents that were responsive to the Applicant's Application for Access to a Record, and so expanded the scope of this last item. These documents appear to be identical to the documents in Part 1, and for ease of reference, I will address both as Part 1 in the remainder of this Review Report.

Findings: 1.The ALC provided a copy of the part of the Record related to the New Brunswick investigations during the final stage of the formal Review. On the Record, the ALC claims a new exemption, under s. 14 "advice", though there is no reference to it in its decision letter to the Applicant. This late exemption is being made over two years since the original Application for Access to a Record and is well beyond the policy of the Review Officer for the time in which a late exemption can be claimed. In any event, based on s. 14(3) of the Act, the exemption in s. 14(1) cannot apply to a record that has been in existence for over five years, which this Record has been.
2. The ALC's internal investigation information, which was handed over to the RCMP for its investigation, does not fall within the definition of law enforcement information as defined by the Act. The ALC has the ability to investigate under s. 30 of the Gaming Control Act but that legislation does not provide for a penalty or sanction being imposed at the conclusion of the investigation. The information held by the ALC in relation to its internal investigation does not fit within the definition of law enforcement and therefore neither s. 15(1)(a) nor s. 15(1)(c) exemptions of the Act apply.
3.The ALC failed to demonstrate there would be any harm to the security of property or system if the information was released and therefore the exemption in s. 15(1)(k) of the Act does not apply.
4.The ALC has recently produced the New Brunswick investigation reports' portion of the Record because the RCMP investigation in New Brunswick is now complete. The portion of the Record that is outstanding is all 83 ALC internal investigation reports in Nova Scotia. The RCMP advised the ALC not to release the Nova Scotia portion of the Record. No affidavit was provided by the RCMP. The RCMP do not have the authority to determine if something is available from the ALC under the provincial access to information legislation. That decision rests solely with the ALC and is subject to a Request for Review to the Review Officer. A policing body's reluctance for a public body to release what it may consider relevant documentation to one of the policing body's ongoing investigations is not the test for a public body to apply to its own Record.
5. While records related to Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick were part of the Application for Access to a Record and have been provided to the Applicant, the ALC has claimed a blanket exemption of all 83 Nova Scotia ALC internal investigations and, as such, is more comparable to the Ontario case where the Ontario lottery corporation had refused all of its record and the Commissioner ordered its release.
6. The Applicant focused his/her concerns regarding the s. 20 exemptions to the information severed in the winners media releases, as such, the other severances were not examined.
7. The ALC's Policy states that it does not supersede access to information legislation. That is correct and in the case of at least Nova Scotia, the right of access to information under the Act supersedes the ALC Policy.
8. The ALC's Policy governs how long the personal information the ALC collects from winners at the time of win verification can be released publicly by the corporation: one year without further consent being obtained. The Policy dictates how long the ALC can use the personal information. It does not determine if someone has a right to access a record from a public body, the ALC, under the Act.
9. The information in the Record, severed by the ALC under s. 20 of the Act did fall within the definition of personal information of the winners.
10. Because the third party winner's personal information has already been in the public domain in the same format [media release], release of the information is presumed not to constitute an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy and, therefore, the ALC is not required to withhold the information requested.
11. In this age of information, if the ALC believes that its Prize Claim Form leads winners to believe that after the passage of one year, their personal information would obscure over time, it is mistaken as most of the information is available on the internet. The Prize Claim Form makes no reference to the Act.

Recommendations: The Review Officer recommends that:
1. The ALC release:
a. Any information previously withheld under s. 15.
b. All information that was severed from the winners media releases.
2. The ALC re-affirm its decision to withhold personal information from the following documents, the severances which were not under Review:
a. The investigation Record and all related documents.
b. The win verifications.
3. The ALC reconsider its decision to apply the discretionary exemption at s. 14 in the closing stages of this Review, and release the information severed pursuant to s. 14 in the New Brunswick investigation Record.
4. The ALC amend its Prize Claim Form to make it clear that the personal information provided to the ALC as part of the win verification process is subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
5. For greater clarity, the ALC amend its Winners Information Publicity Policy to make it clear that its agreement with winners regarding the collection and use of their personal information is subject to the Nova Scotia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and amend its consent forms to make reference to and subject to the provisions of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
6. The ALC make it clear in all documentation with winners that the ALC's promise to contain the use it makes of personal information gathered during the win verification process, is distinct from someone making an application for information, which will be governed as an access to information matter [disclosure] under the Act.

Key Words: access, balance, burden, disclosure, discretion, duty to assist, harm, indemnity, investigation, law enforcement, lottery, media, personal information, PIA, Privacy Impact Assessment, policy, privacy, reasons, release, representation, security, Wayback Machine, winners.

Statutes Considered: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, ss. 2, 3(1)(e), 3(1)(i), 4(2)(b), 5, 7, 15(1)(a),(c),(k), 20(1), 20(3)(f), 20(4)(a), 26, 27, 45, 45(1), 45(2); Canada Business Corporations Act; Gaming Control Act, ss. 10(c), 35; Prince Edward Island Lotteries Commission Act; Newfoundland and Labrador Lotteries Act; New Brunswick Gaming Control Act; Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, s. 1(h).

Case Authorities Cited: FI-07-58, FI-07-62, FI-08-66, Ontario Order P-1833, Ontario Order P-352, FI-02-53, Ontario Order PO-2657, British Columbia Order F06-18, Ontario Order PO-1799, Re House, [2000] N.S.J. No 473,(S.C.).

Other Cited: "Citing Late Exemptions," Nova Scotia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Review Office; IPC Practices, Number 9, Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner; Atlantic Lottery Corporation Prize Claim Form; ALC Winners Information Publicity Policy.

Cheers,

Mary Kennedy
Intake/Administration
Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Review Office
Tel: (902) 424-4684
Fax: (902) 424-8303
Web: www.foipop.ns.ca

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Six Files the US Government Keeps on You, and How to Obtain a Copy - Forensic Science Technician : Online Schools Guide

http://www.forensicsciencetechnician.org/?page_id=84
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Friday, December 11, 2009

Liberals must divulge contents of lucrative contract awarded to ...

Liberals must divulge contents of lucrative contract awarded to ...: ""Governments should facilitate access, not obstruct it." Yet in office, the Liberals have acted deaf, dumb and blind when faced with freedom of information ...
"

Plans for FOI extension

Plans for FOI extension: "The Freedom of Information (FOI) Act could cover private firms working in the public sector under new proposals. The Scottish Government will consult on ...

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Scottish Government announces extension of FOI to private sector

Scottish Government announces extension of FOI to private sector: "The Scottish Government has plans to extend Freedom of Information (FOI) legislation to private bodies who carry out some of the functions of public bodies. This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 8th, 2009 at 5:48 pm and is filed ...

LibertyVoice - http://www.libertyvoice.net/"

The Magna Carta for Government Transparency?

The Magna Carta for Government Transparency?: "FOIA Backlog Reduction: "Each agency with a significant pending backlog of outstanding Freedom of Information requests shall take steps to reduce any such ...

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FOI - A Brave New World. - Free Online Library

FOI - A Brave New World. - Free Online Library: "Free Online Library: FOI - A Brave New World. by "Mondaq Business Briefing"; Business, international Bills, Legislative Financial disclosure Freedom of ...
"

Open and Shut: FOI Reform speeches

Open and Shut: FOI Reform speeches: "This blog takes an interest in all issues associated with Freedom of Information (FOI) and privacy legislation in Australia. It also includes comment about ...
"

FOI and the Gardai – The Story

FOI and the Gardai – The Story: "All that is needed for An Garda Síochána to come under FOI is the signature of Finance Minister Brian Lenihan. Then we can take our place among such nations as Moldova, Georgia and Azerbaijan as a country that allows citizens to request ...

The Story - http://thestory.ie/"

SPJ Applauds Obama Administration's Transparency Efforts

SPJ Applauds Obama Administration's Transparency Efforts: "

Fog City Journal

The directive comes at a good time, following a rocky first year of openness for the Obama administration, said SPJ Freedom of Information Committee ...

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Open government not an abstraction

Open government not an abstraction: "“The Freedom of Information Act should be administered with a clear presumption: In the face of doubt, openness prevails.” If there's a core value of ...

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Pioneer Editorial: Making the government transparent

Pioneer Editorial: Making the government transparent: "Until now, a request under the Freedom of Information Act was the usual route for securing meaningful government data, a process that can take many months. ...

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EXCLUSIVE: Let the sun shine in – the importance of the FOI Act ...

EXCLUSIVE: Let the sun shine in – the importance of the FOI Act ...: "The Freedom of Information Act was welcomed by many when it was introduced but the government needs to show total commitment to it if it is to convince people that it really wants full transparency, writes Matthew Elliott.

Latest Public Sector Features... - http://www.publicservice.co.uk/archive_features.asp"

Freedom of information – update on recent FoI cases – Law ...: "Freedom of information – update on recent FoI cases – Law Society's Gazette. Published December 10, 2009 news Leave a Comment. “The recent controversy over bonuses paid to civil servants employed by the Ministry of Defence highlights ...

Current Awareness - http://innertemplelibrary.wordpress.com/"

Documents' release threatens security, Tories say

Documents' release threatens security, Tories say: "NDP defence critic Jack Harris "the government has built up a wall of secrecy around this and it's unbelievable." Outside the House, NDP Leader Jack Layton ...

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White house announces 20 agency open government initiatives

White house announces 20 agency open government initiatives: "The White House categorized the new open government initiatives according to how they will increase transparency efforts. ...

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EXCLUSIVE: Just how important is transparency in restoring trust in politics?

EXCLUSIVE: Just how important is transparency in restoring trust in politics?: "

Public Service

Freedom of Information (foi) campaigners are rightly lauded for the tenacity of their efforts to uncover a political scandal involving the entire political ...

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FOI FYI » Blog Archive » Tips for tracking your FOIA requests

FOI FYI » Blog Archive » Tips for tracking your FOIA requests: "This entry was posted by David Cuillier on Thursday, December 10th, 2009 at 9:41 pm and is filed under FOI strategies and tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback ...

FOI FYI - http://blogs.spjnetwork.org/foi/"

Niagara Parks Commission chairman resigns - Globe and Mail

Niagara Parks Commission chairman resigns - Globe and Mail: "

Niagara Parks Commission chairman resigns
Globe and Mail
The review by auditing firm KPMG, obtained in a freedom of information request, revealed ethical breaches, perceived conflicts of interest and a resulting ...

and more »

Release of Cabinet devolution minutes blocked by Straw

Release of Cabinet devolution minutes blocked by Straw: "“This completely undermines Labour's claims to be committed to open government. The veto is clearly a threat to freedom of information and should be ...

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Towns preparing for changes to FOIA law

Towns preparing for changes to FOIA law: "1 that aims to bolster the state's Freedom of Information Act, often described by open government advocates as one of the weakest such laws in the nation. ...

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Media Release 50/2009 - Government welcomes FOI Bills into Parliament (subscription)

Media Release 50/2009 - Government welcomes FOI Bills into Parliament: "'These are the most significant reforms to the handling of government information since the FOI Act was enacted in 1982.'. The Rudd Government today ...

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Political transparency is more important than Election Night ...

Political transparency is more important than Election Night ...: "The number of MPs signing Early Day Motion (EDM) 83, calling for the removal of the royal family's exemption from the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act, is continuing to rise. Today the total has broken through the 50 barrier to lie at ...

Suffolk Coastal Republic - http://suffolkcoastalrepublic.wordpress.com/"

The reform of MPs' expenses is mired in muddle | Heather Brooke - The Guardian

http://m.guardian.co.uk/?id=102202&story=http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/dec/10/expenses-kelly-report-ipsa-commons
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Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

UNISON Active: Other Taxpayers Alliance calls for FOI extension to ...: "Other Taxpayers Alliance calls for FOI extension to private contractors‏. Power2010, the campaign to revitalise democracy, has been asking supporters to send ideas for political reform. The TaxPayers' Alliance has sent two ideas, and, ...

UNISON Active - http://unisonactive.blogspot.com/"

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Blog

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Blog: "The web intervenes where FoI fails. Bloggers peer review a scientific 'consensus' By L. Gordon Crovitz ... Climategate began with the disclosure of emails and other documents showing how leading global-warming scientists had evaded peer ...

Freedom of Information (Scotland) Blog - http://foisa.blogspot.com/"

Challenge is for public servants to shrug off their instinct for secrecy

Challenge is for public servants to shrug off their instinct for secrecy: "Kevin Rudd was elected on a policy of making the public service more open and transparent and this report goes some way to demonstrate his Government is ...

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What is right vs. what is smart

What is right vs. what is smart: "The ACLU, backed by human-rights groups and news organizations, sued under the Freedom of Information Act to force disclosure, and last year a unanimous ...

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Authority struggling with FoI deluge

Authority struggling with FoI deluge: "NORTH Somerset Council has received so many requests under the Freedom of Information Act that it is struggling to deal with them all. ...

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Sunday, December 06, 2009

timestranscript.com - N.S. jail report under wraps - Breaking News, New Brunswick, Canada

http://timestranscript.canadaeast.com/news/article/879948
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Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Friday, December 04, 2009

Lawyer plans FOI appeal of Southington exec session on VIP - The Bristol Press

http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bristolpress.com%2Farticles%2F2009%2F12%2F02%2Fnews%2Fdoc4b172fc4b2e4b350307437.txt
Sent wirelessly from my BlackBerry device on the Bell network.
Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

timestranscript.com - New computer system sold to N.S. cost province millions in problems

http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http%3A%2F%2Ftimestranscript.canadaeast.com%2Fnews%2Farticle%2F877343
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Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

FOI rules PZC members met illegally - The Connecticut Post Online

http://www.google.com/gwt/n?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.connpost.com%2Fci_13918902
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Envoyé sans fil par mon terminal mobile BlackBerry sur le réseau de Bell.

Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Public Works secrecy 'raises flags,' MP says

Public Works secrecy 'raises flags,' MP says: "By Kathryn May, The Ottawa CitizenNovember 30, 2009 The secrecy shrouding the mystery investigation at Public Works and Government Services is waving red ...

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