Saturday, April 30, 2011

Quote: Marquis de Flers Robert and Arman de Caillavet

Marquis de Flers Robert and Arman de Caillavet

"Democracy is the name we give the people whenever we need them."


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Friday, April 29, 2011

Shaking up politics - Dal News - Dalhousie University

Dal News student writer Katherine Wooler discovers students aren't apathetic at all about the federal election. They're interested and informed and planning to vote if they haven't already.
- View Article

http://www.dal.ca/news/2011/04/28/shaking_up_politics.html?utm_source=NoticeDigest&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dalnews

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Website helps people access government info

 
 

Sent to you by Greg via Google Reader:

 
 

via Google Alerts - "freedom of information request" canada by Burnaby Now on 4/27/11

An example letter is featured, providing a template for a typical Freedom of Information request. It outlines the requirements of sending in a request, ...

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Greens: FoI laws too easily abused


 

Greens: FoI laws too easily abused
Published on Google Alerts - "foi" -"ma foi" | shared via feedly
Scottish freedom of information legislation is riddled with weaknesses and loopholes, the Greens have said. The party has pledged to extend the law to cover bodies which are exempt, such as the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, the Association ...
See all stories on this topic »

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Centre for Law and Democracy: Note on draft Iraqi Journalist Protection Law


From: CLD Info <info@law-democracy.org>
Date: April 26, 2011 3:12:47 PM ADT
To: Toby Mendel <info@law-democracy.org>
Subject: Note on draft Iraqi Journalist Protection Law



26 April 2011: For immediate release

Iraq: Journalist Protection Law Needs to be Reviewed

A Journalist Protection Law, prepared by the Iraqi Syndicate of Journalists and endorsed by the government of Iraq, has been laid before the Iraqi Parliament for its consideration. A Note on the draft Law prepared by CLD highlights the important protections for journalists included in the draft Law. But the draft also defines a journalist as a member of the statutory Syndicate of Journalists, the same body which drafted the law, and grants a number of powers exclusively to the Syndicate.

"CLD supports this effort to protect the rights of journalists and to provide them with support," said Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD. "But by vesting exclusive powers in the Syndicate of Journalists, it breaches international human rights, including to freedom of association and expression. Other countries provide similar protection without effectively forcing journalists to become members of certain associations."

CLD recommends that the whole approach of the draft Law be reconsidered, in favour of a system that provides these benefits to anyone who regularly publishes information in the public interest, regardless of their organisational or institutional affiliations.

Some of the other problems with the draft Law are:

·    It appears to allow the Syndicate of Journalists to dictate employment rules for the industry.

·    It seeks to impose rigid strategies for dealing with crimes against journalists.

·    It puts in place a limited regime for access to information with unduly broad grounds for refusing access, when what is really needed is a fully-fledged access to information law.

CLD calls on the Iraqi authorities to reconsider the approach adopted in the draft Law and to explore more democratic ways of providing similar benefits to journalists.

The full Note, along with an English translation of the draft Law, are available at: http://www.law-democracy.org/?page_id=77.

For further information, please contact:

Toby Mendel

Executive Director

___________________________________

Centre for Law and Democracy
Tel:  +1 902 431-3688
Fax: +1 902 431-3689





Green Party candidate response on openness and accountability (Dr. Thomas Trappenberg)

Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 12:20 PM
Subject: Re: Openness and accountability

Dear Darce,

I fully agree an applaud your effort. We address accountability in our platform in section 6.2. I try to copy it below, but the full version is at http://greenparty.ca/files/attachments/vision_green_2011en_0.pdf. The current state of of governance is very worrying. Voting Green makes a clear statement for this, and we must also learn to vote for our positive vision and not just so called strategically. 

Regards, Thomas
---------
Dr. Thomas Trappenberg
Green Candidate Halifax West

6.2 Increasing government accountability and ethical conduct

The Conservative government has been the most centralized and secretive government in recent history. It brought in legislation to ostensibly clean up "Liberal corruption." Remarkably, it has actually made things worse, as it abandoned numerous promises it made while in opposition regarding transparency and accountability. Its ironically named Accountability Act has twelve new blanket exemptions and exclusions preventing certain kinds of government documents from being released, and provides for the possibility that wrongdoing exposed by whistle-blowers could be sealed for up to fifteen years. The Conservative government "reform" has removed the "duty to act honestly" from the code of ethics governing the Cabinet and senior civil service.

The Green Party believes in the decentralization of decision making powers and in open, honest government.
Green Party MPs will:

•    Amend the Accountability Act to ensure that all those who monitor government are selected at arm's length from those they monitor, to eliminate the blanket exemptions on public release of government documents and to guarantee transparency and openness for all government activities.
•    Restore Parliamentary Committees as a vehicle for non-partisan, constructive improvement of legislation and require that the improved version of such legislation be the version put to parliament for vote.
•    Enact effective whistle-blower protection for public and private sector employees. 
 •    Institute a code of conduct and an independent complaints process to ensure that tax dollars are not used for pre-election partisan purposes. 
•    Institute mandatory training in ethics for MPs and their staffs, requiring all MPs and staff to take in-house training on the basics of good management and ethics in parliament.
•    Reform the appointments system to discourage patronage by establishing an independent agency for ensuring that appointments to government tribunals, boards and senior positions are done through a qualification-based process and are not politically motivated patronage appointments
•    Strengthen the mandates of Independent Officers of Parliament, including the Auditor General and the Information Commissioner. Implement stand-alone legislation to create an independent Commissioner on the Environment and Sustainable Development, removing the office from that of subservience to the Auditor General.

Replace the current Ethics Commissioner, who reports privately to the Prime Minister, with an independent Ethics Commission reporting to Parliament and appointed through a merit-based process with strong powers to investigate government officials and lobbyists.

Provide Parliamentarians with independent regulatory audits through the Auditor General's office on the effectiveness of government regulations in meeting their stated public purposes. Make service improvements a higher priority for all agencies and departments, with systematic citizen feedback and a schedule for periodic program review.

Require the independence of public sector employees who oversee industry, such as those responsible for such areas as fisheries, science and drug licensing, from those industries. Require long-term public departmental service plans to report on government program purposes, costs, reforms and performance.

Strengthen the rules of conduct for lobbying. All lobbyists' contacts with politicians and government bureaucrats both formal and informal must be reported and made public.


==============

On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 9:57 AM, Darce Fardy <darce@eastlink.ca> wrote:

The Nova Scotia Right to Know Coalition is appealing to all Nova Scotia Candidates to address government's responsibility to be open and accountable.

 

We members of the coalition are convinced that at least one of the major causes of low voter turnouts is because citizens don't feel engaged in the process.

 

Your reaction to this would be appreciated.


 

Darce Fardy

President

NS Right to Know Coalition



Green Party Candidate response on openness and accountability (Ross Johnson)

Sent: Friday, April 22, 2011 11:07 AM
Subject: RE: Openness and accountability

I agree with you that the government has not been very accountable on many, many matters, This most recent Government seems to be very un-accountable. Low voter turnout has multiple reasons but general dissasifation with politics in general I have found alot of Same old, same old comments. Our elected representatives seem to have forgotten they represent the people not the party, our government derives its power from the cosent of the people who they are suppose to represent, not big bussines, not the banks, the people. It seems once the election is over the people are forgotten about.

Ross Johnson
Green Party of Canada - West Nova Riding. 



 
========

Subject: Openness and accountability
Date: Fri, 22 Apr 2011 10:02:41 -0300

The Nova Scotia Right to Know Coalition is appealing to all Nova Scotia Candidates to address government's responsibility to be open and accountable.

We members of the coalition are convinced that at least one of the major causes of low voter turnouts is because citizens don't feel engaged in the process.

Your reaction to this would be appreciated.

Darce Fardy

President

NS Right to Know Coalition


Green Party candidate response on openness and accountability (Michael Dewar)

Sent: Saturday, April 23, 2011 3:58 AM
Subject: Re: openness and accountability

I agree. Citizens must feel engaged. In fact, it was realizing my own disconnect from the governance of our country that led me to want to enter politics in the first place. My belief is that citizens must get more involved, and demand that their leaders interact with them, in a way which is open and accountable!  

Thanks for broaching this subject with me. 

-Mike

-- 
Michael William Dewar,
Male Co-Chair, YGC 2010/11
BSc Geology, BA Philosophy, LLB Candidate 2012.


====
On Fri, Apr 22, 2011 at 9:56 AM, Darce Fardy <darce@eastlink.ca> wrote:

The Nova Scotia Right to Know Coalition is appealing to all Nova Scotia Candidates to address government's responsibility to be open and accountable.

 

We members of the coalition are convinced that at least one of the major causes of low voter turnouts is because citizens don't feel engaged in the process.

 

Your reaction to this would be appreciated.

Darce Fardy

President

NS Right to Know Coalition




A step towards greater transparency of information

Saturday, April 23, 2011

No purging of records at WRH

Tools for Transparency: Google Reader is Still Relevant, Part II

This pretty much covers how we do our news hunting&gathering at the Coalition too. 


Tools for Transparency: Google Reader is Still Relevant, Part II

In last week's Tools for Transparency post I broke down how I use Google Reader to stay on top of the news. In this post, I'd like to take a look at how to use higher quality links with Reader to help separate the wheat from the chaff. ...


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Friday, April 22, 2011

Transparency Is A Two-Way Street

Transparency Is A Two-Way Street

We welcome today's guest blogger Matt Rosenberg. Matt is the founder of the non profit Public Eye Northwest and the news knowledge base site Public Data Ferret,a Seattle Times local news partner. You can email him at: matt@publiceyenorthwest.org ...


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McGuinty responds to law firm's controversial advice - CNEWS

McGuinty responds to law firm's controversial advice - CNEWS

Hospitals have for 20 years been exempt from Ontario's Freedom of Information legislation, which gives citizens the power to request information held by government and public agencies. The legislation also gives the public the right to appeal when ...


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Ex-Seymour Official Says He's Being Harassed

Ex-Seymour Official Says He's Being Harassed

"I believe it is wrong for staff to FOI request any member of a board or commission in the town, particularly that board which has an oversight over that department," Thompson said to the Board of Selectmen Tuesday. Seymour Finance Director Doug Thomas ...


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Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Analysis of Chief FOIA Officer Reports

Analysis of Chief FOIA Officer Reports

OMB Watch has this analysis of the most recent Chief FOIA Officer reports.  These reports provide discussions of agency efforts to improve FOIA implementation.


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McGuinty warns Ontario hospitals not to shred files before FOI legislation - Brandon Sun

McGuinty warns Ontario hospitals not to shred files before FOI legislation - Brandon Sun

TORONTO - Staff at Ontario hospitals are being warned not to start shredding documents before they become subject to freedom of information legislation next year. A Toronto law firm is advising hospitals to cleanse their files before the institutions have ...


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Open and accountable government - NS Liberal Party Response

Dear Mr. Fardy:
 
Thank you for your e-mail.
 
I agree that transparency and accountability are essential to increasing citizen engagement and improving our democracy. 

Liberals will launch the single largest effort of openness and transparency in Canadian history. A Liberal government will adopt a new approach to information, starting with a government-wide directive that the default position for all departments and agencies will be to release information to the public, both proactively and responsively, after privacy and other legal requirements are met.

Liberals will:

- Post all Access to Information requests, responses, and response times online at accesstoinformation.gc.ca;

- Immediately restore the long-form census;

- Make as many government datasets as possible available to the public online free of charge at opendata.gc.ca in an open and searchable format, starting with Statistics Canada data, including data from the long-form census; and

- Make information on government grants, contributions and contracts available through a searchable, online database at accountablespending.gc.ca.

The Liberal Party has committed to following up on all of the Information Commissioner's recommendations to improve the Access to Information regime once in government.

We will also lead a democratic renewal with a wide-ranging, three-part plan designed to:

- Create an "Open Government";

- Work with all parties to fix our hyper-partisan Parliament; and

- Modernize our voting system with internet voting.

Under a Liberal government, new restrictions will be placed on prime ministerial power, particularly by placing procedural limitations on the prime minister's power to prorogue. In addition, under a Liberal government, all Canadians will be able to participate in People's Question Period, where the Prime Minister and Ministers will respond directly to unscripted, user-generated questions online. Ministers' participation in the weekly online question and answer session will be rotated and as Prime Minister, Michael Ignatieff would participate at least monthly in the online People's Question Period to answer citizens' questions unfiltered by political parties or the media.

 

Canada's democracy is in poor health right now.  We had an all-time low in voter turnout in 2008, the Conservative government was the first in the history of any Commonwealth country to be found in contempt of Parliament and Stephen Harper has twice shut down Parliament when he faced tough opposition.  But I believe with this plan and by engaging with all parties and Canadians, we can rebuild trust, respect and a meaningful connection between our democratic institutions and the people they serve.

 

Yours truly,

 

Geoff Regan

 

From: Darce Fardy [mailto:darce@eastlink.ca]
Sent: April-09-11 12:14 PM
Subject: Open and accountable government

 

The Nova Scotia Right to Know Coalition is appealing to all Nova Scotia Candidates to address government's responsibility to be open and accountable.

 

We members of the coalition are convinced that at least one of the major causes of low voter turnouts is because citizens don't feel engaged in the process.

 

Darce Fardy

President

NS Right to Know Coalition

 


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Military bio request shows access to government info 'has broken down': critic


 

Military bio request shows access to government info 'has broken down': critic
Published on Google Alerts - privacy canada | shared via feedly
In some cases the Defence Department claimed the information it was withholding could harm Canada's security. In other cases it claimed it had to protect the privacy of individuals. The complaint was worked on by the information commissioner's office ...
See all stories on this topic »

Poll: Should councils be making more of an effort to be open?


 

Poll: Should councils be making more of an effort to be open?
Published on Google Alerts - "foi" -"ma foi" | shared via feedly
But it's no wonder that some councils are wary, not a week goes by without a story about council spending hitting the headlines, with most being generated by FOI requests. This week, Suffolk county council has been criticised for spending £60000 on tea ...
See all stories on this topic »

The Guardian

Too much information — Perth and Kinross Council faces surge in ...


 

Too much information — Perth and Kinross Council faces surge in ...
Published on Google Alerts - "foi" -"ma foi" | shared via feedly
By Mark Mackay During 2010 the council received 871 FOI requests — an ... The decrease in cost reflects a reduction in the number of FOI staff and also a ...
www.thecourier.co.uk/.../too-much-information-perth-and-kin...

Public-sector's $100k-plus salaries will soon be online - TheChronicleHerald.ca


 

Public-sector's $100k-plus salaries will soon be online - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Public-sector's $100k-plus salaries will soon be online
TheChronicleHerald.ca
Last week, The Chronicle Herald revealed increases to Dalhousie University senior administrators by as much as 37 per cent over the past five years, numbers obtained through a freedom of information request. The Public Sector Compensation Disclosure ...


DND gives up censorship fight - Ottawa Citizen


 

DND gives up censorship fight - Ottawa Citizen

DND gives up censorship fight
Ottawa Citizen
It proposed the newspaper file a new information request. The Citizen declined. Less than two weeks later, DND released the original information being requested. Some Access users have complained they have been pressured by the Information ...

and more »

Monday, April 18, 2011

Council's responses to Freedom Of Information requests under fire - Grimsby Telegraph

Council's responses to Freedom Of Information requests under fire - Grimsby Telegraph

NORTH East Lincolnshire Council is among a small number of authorities failing to meet standards of responses to Freedom Of Information requests. A report from the Government's information commissioner Christopher Graham revealed the council had failed to ...


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Transparency Funds Cut

Transparency Funds Cut

The Washington Post is reporting that the budget deal for FY2011 will impact government transparency.  As FOIA professionals and requesters already know, FOIA is not a congressional line item on the budget, so isn't something subject to cuts at the congressional level.  However, as the money comes from agency funds, any agencies looking to make cuts in its programs may very well look at their FOIA programs for ...


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Sunday, April 17, 2011

Let There Be ‘Sunshine’ in Texas

Let There Be 'Sunshine' in Texas

Published on Amarillo Globe-News (http://amarillo.com)

By Lee Wolverton

Created Apr 17 2011 – 2:00am

A perception prevails in some corners of Amarillo that city government prefers to function behind doors slammed ...


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Saturday, April 16, 2011

thestar.com iPhone : Hume: Decision to eliminate citizen input at City Hall makes sense — if you’re Rob Ford

Have your say… FOI review under way

Have your say… FOI review under way

The FOI law Review Committee is seeking public input on how the law can be improved. Information Commissioner Jennifer Dilbert says while she can make recommendations, any changes will ultimately be made by MLA's. She says that's why it's important for ...


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Powerful New Video Demonstrates the Power of Open Government Data…

Powerful New Video Demonstrates the Power of Open Government Data…

Need a quick primer on the importance of open government data? Grab a copy of this great new video at Open Government Data.org and you'll soon have a new convert!

Filed under: 2. Doc state of mind, 7. Electronic records Tagged: databases, Open ...


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FreedomInfo | Passage of FOI Bill in Sierra Leone May Be Problematical

Burying gambling report only reveals hypocrisy - Opinion - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Ex-FOI officer joins call for gambling report - NovaScotia - TheChronicleHerald.ca

Tables turned on Freedom of Information | Herald Sun

‘Seeing like a Citizen’: Power, Participation, and Strategies for Citizen Engagement - Ash Center

http://ash.harvard.edu/ash/Home/News-Events/Events/Seeing-like-a-Citizen-Power-Participation-and-Strategies-for-Citizen-Engagement

Friday, April 15, 2011

NS VLT Report Focus of FOI Issue -News release


Former Freedom of Information Review Officer Darce Fardy warned the government that precedent suggests they would lose a Court challenge on the release of a VLT gambling report. Fardy, who is now the President of Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia, urged the government to release the report, as recommended by FOI review officer Dulcie MacCallum.

"Over the years, we've seen that the courts in Nova Scotia have come down firmly on the side of openness and accountability, and, in most cases, have issued decisions that have expanded the requirement for openness," he said. "In fact, I think members of this Government may have been involved in some of these cases while in opposition."

The Review Officer recently reported that she did not accept the government's argument that the report should be protected as advice to Cabinet.

"Too often, applicants have been forced to use their own resources for a court action. And, we have to question whether restricting citizen access to publicly owned information is the best use of government resources. Why not save everyone's resources and release the document?" Fardy said.

-30-

Request for input re: New Brunswick's decision to remove fees for information requests under the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act


The provincial government of New Brunswick is accepting statements concerning its decision to remove all regulations concerning the collection of fees for right to information requests until April 29th, 2011.

 

The New Brunswick Regulation 2010-111 under the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act and details of the amendments can be found at:

 

Regulations

http://www.gnb.ca/0062/PDF-regs/2010-111.pdf

 

Amendments

http://www1.gnb.ca/cnb/publicreview/pdf/10-168Bil.pdf

 

If members in New Brunswick have comments or concerns, they may send them to:

 

Joanne Fletcher

Supply & Services

joanne.fletcher@gnb.ca

(506) 457-6822

http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/corporate/public_review_ofdraftregulations.html

 

The University of New Brunswick has limited experience with access to information requests as New Brunswick universities are only to be subject to the Act as of September 1st 2011. The University Secretariat at UNB is concerned about the government's decision as it would prevent the University from recovering costs associated with the search and production of records.

 

In hope of providing the provincial government with sufficient information about the impact that the removal of fees would have for NB universities, I am wondering whether members would be willing and able to share their experience or opinions concerning the consequences of the removal of fees.

 

What impact would the removal of fees have on the number of requests your institution receives? Are there grounds for expecting that there would be a greater number of requests without fees?

 

Are there any members at other universities who have statistics on the average cost of staff time spent on searches and the average cost for the printing/copying of records?

 

Any input is most welcome and can be provided offline by contacting me at:

 

Gavin Moore

Right to Information Coordinator

University Secretariat

University of New Brunswick

Tel: (506) 453-4710

gmoore@unb.ca

 

I will provide an update on this issue with an overview of any responses I receive.

 

Regards,

Gavin Moore


Opposition asks NDP to release gambling study - The Chronicle Herald

Opposition asks NDP to release gambling study - The Chronicle Herald

The province's freedom of information review officer, Dulcie McCallum, said in a decision this week that the government should release the document. Liberal gaming critic Leo Glavine noted during question period Thursday at Province House that Finance ...


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Information request leads to hefty bill - Charlottetown Guardian


 

Information request leads to hefty bill - Charlottetown Guardian

Information request leads to hefty bill
Charlottetown Guardian
She also asked questioned why Shoales was having such a hard time getting information through her freedom of information request. Agriculture Minister George Webster asked Crane to table her questions because he did not have the answers to her ...


Thursday, April 14, 2011

Cabinet Office and MoD rapped over knuckles for FOI failure

Cabinet Office and MoD rapped over knuckles for FOI failure

Christopher Graham said he had "particular concerns" about the departments, as well as Birmingham City Council, which was also failing to cut its FOI response times sufficiently. A number of local councils have also been told to sign undertakings to ...


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Councils named and shamed over FoI requests

Councils named and shamed over FoI requests

by Media Lawyer staff Local councils who fail to respond speedily enough to freedom of information requests have been named and shamed by a government watchdog. Information commissioner Christopher Graham singled out Birmingham City Council alongside ...


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Playing Games with the Gaming Report - Metro Canada - Halifax (blog)

Playing Games with the Gaming Report - Metro Canada - Halifax (blog)

Playing Games with the Gaming Report

Metro Canada - Halifax (blog)

But so the Canadian Press filed a Freedom of Information request to make the full document public. The Department of Labour and Advanced Education refused the request on the grounds that the parts withheld include advice to the minister (s. ...


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Thanks a heap, Rick Mercer – the students might actually vote : Campaign Notebook - The Globe and Mail

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/ottawa-notebook/thanks-a-heap-rick-mercer-the-students-might-actually-vote/article1985368/?service=mobile

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Harper called out on accountability


Sent to you via Google Reader

Harper called out on accountability

During round one of the election debate, opposition parties peppered Harper with questions on spending and secrecy but the Conservative leader concentrated on selling his economic record. Spending at the G8 summit, corporate tax cuts, and the cost of ...
See all stories on this topic »

Transparency websites hit by budget ax

Transparency websites hit by budget ax

The deal struck to avoid a shutdown would endanger sites as Data.gov, which have enjoyed bipartisan support.


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Dilbert says no to fees or ID

Dilbert says no to fees or ID

Following the invitation from the Legislative Assembly's office for public comment on the review of the current FOI law, Dilbert has also released her proposals for improving the law and is encouraging the people to join in the discussion by submitting ...


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Commissioner attacks Cabinet Office FOI delays

Commissioner attacks Cabinet Office FOI delays

The department which is heading the drive towards government openness is condemned today by the Information Commissioner for not having "a clear and credible plan" to speed up its unacceptably slow handling of freedom of information requests. ...


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Police and London authorities warned over FOI compliance

Police and London authorities warned over FOI compliance

Three London councils have been asked by the Information Commissioner's Office to sign formal undertakings to improve their response times to FOI request while four other London bodies, including the Metropolitan Police Service, have been warned of ...


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Tenants 'starving for information' - Prince Edward Island Guardian

Tenants 'starving for information' - Prince Edward Island Guardian

A meeting was held between the residents and members of the Department of Community Services, Seniors and Labour on Friday, after a Freedom Of Information and Privacy Protection (FOIPP) application was filed requesting to see the building's contract. ...


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B.C. government taking longer to process FOI requests by political parties: Commissioner - The Vancouver Sun

B.C. government taking longer to process FOI requests by political parties: Commissioner - The Vancouver Sun

The report, released today, is a six-month "check-up" of the timeliness of government response times for access to information requests by the media and political parties under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The report found that ...


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TEDTalks : Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy - Dave Meslin (2010)

 
 

Sent to you by Greg via Google Reader:

 
 

via TEDTalks (video) on 4/12/11

Local politics -- schools, zoning, council elections -- hit us where we live. So why don't more of us actually get involved? Is it apathy? Dave Meslin says no. He identifies 7 barriers that keep us from taking part in our communities, even when we truly care.

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

ICO releases FOI recommendations

 
 

Sent to you by Greg via Google Reader:

 
 

via Google Alerts - "foi" -"ma foi" by Cayman 27 on 11/04/11

Following the FOI Law Review Committee's invitation for public input last week, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has released two documents that outline the Office's recommendations and position on a number of issues relating to the Freedom ...
See all stories on this topic »

 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Because it works - Toronto Star Blogs (blog)

 
 

Sent to you by Greg via Google Reader:

 
 



Because it works
Toronto Star Blogs (blog)
One of my first reporting projects in Ottawa, more than 20 years ago, was an access-to-information request on where skills-training dollars were spent by Brian Mulroney's Conservative government. The government turned over computer printouts -- pages ...


 
 

Things you can do from here:

 
 

Open-record laws are for everyone — even conservatives - Detroit News

Freedom of all data - Times Union

Commissioner attacks Cabinet Office FOI delays

Friday, April 08, 2011

FreedomInfo | Canadian Political Parties Criticized for Silence on FOI

http://www.freedominfo.org/2011/04/canadian-political-parties-criticized-for-silence-on-foi/

And This Year's Inductees into the FOIA Hall of Shame Are...

Hon. Jamie Baillie's response my recent letter.


 
Dear Mr. Fardy:
 
Thank you for your recent letter.  I am delighted that you have been following my efforts to put people back on top of the political pyramid.
 
To me, this starts truly at the top, with a panel of citizens to oversee the pay, benefits and pension arrangements of our elected officials.  This panel would, of course, meet in an open and transparent manner, and would draw on whatever resources it needs to do its work.  In this way, we can begin to increase confidence in our system of government.
 
With this in place, I believe we can apply the same principle throughout government.  I agree that better decisions are made when they are determined in a transparent and acountable way.  This means engaging citizens directly on the many challenging issues we face, and giving them the information they need to do their job as engaged citizens. I know you have done some good advocacy work in this area over the past number of years.
 
I believe that new media technologies allow us to make much more information available publicly in a cost-efficient manner, and as a matter of routine disclosure.  For example, costing information on government programs could be openly provided, allowing for better tendering of work and an overall lower cost to government.
 
Thank you for your ongoing work in this area.  I am always open to discussng more specific ideas on how to create a more open, transparent and accountable government.
 
Yours truly,
 
Hon. Jamie Baillie, MLA
Leader, Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia. 

Comment by CLD on draft Tunisian Press Law




8 April 2011: For immediate release

Draft Tunisian Press Law Falls Short

One of the first priorities of the new Tunisian High Commission for the Realisation of the Objectives of the Revolution and Democratic Transition has been to prepare a new press law to replace the repressive 1975 law that has been used for over 30 years as a mechanism of control. Unfortunately, despite its name, the draft Press Law released by the Commission late last month fails to deliver on the goals of the revolution, according to a Comment analysing its provisions, published today by CLD.

"CLD welcomes the initiative to replace the old, repressive 1975 Press Law," said Toby Mendel, Executive Director of CLD. "It is clear that an attempt has been made in the new draft to limit the extent of government control over the media. At the same time, much more needs to be done if the law is to meet the expectations of the people during this period of change, not to mention as well as international human rights guarantees."

Some of the main problems with the draft Press Law are:

·    It requires a very wide range of published products, including books, CDs and even digitally stored material, to be registered.

·    It provides for harsh punishments, including termination of a media outlet, for failing to register or to provide deposit copies to the prosecutor or ministry of culture.

·    Anyone who has been mentioned in a media report may claim a right of reply.

·    Nearly one-half of its 69 provisions are about criminal restrictions on what may be published in the media.

CLD calls on the Tunisian authorities to respond to the demands of the people and to put in place a democratic, rights-respecting framework for the media.

The full Comment is available at: http://www.law-democracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/11.04.Tunisia.Prs_.pdf. The draft Law is available at: http://www.law-democracy.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/Tunisia.Press_.Mar11.pdf.

For further information, please contact:

Toby Mendel

Executive Director

___________________________________

Centre for Law and Democracy
Tel:  +1 902 431-3688
Fax: +1 902 431-3689





Thursday, April 07, 2011

This sounds like an awesome job! RT @CenDemTech: Do you want to work at @cendemtech West? http://t.co/RnvzT9j

This sounds like an awesome job! RT @CenDemTech: Do you want to work at @cendemtech West? http://t.co/RnvzT9j

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Wednesday, April 06, 2011

Kelly McParland: Liberal 'open government' plan silent on MP spending

Kelly McParland: Liberal 'open government' plan silent on MP spending

The Harper government's alleged contempt for Parliament, and its obsessive need for secrecy and control, were the main reasons given for triggering the election. Yet the party platform doesn't get around to mentioning it until page 70 — after promises ...


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Reception to celebrate the life of Peter Forsskal

 
 

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via UK Freedom of Information Blog by Katherine Gundersen on 4/6/11

The Swedish and Finnish Embassies in London are jointly hosting a symposium and reception, on Thursday 7th April 2011 to celebrate the life of Peter Forsskal (1732 -1763).

He is the author of Thoughts on Civil Liberty (1759), which has recently been translated for the first-time ever into English (working from the uncensored manuscript). Forsskal advocated access to information and freedom of expression, writing
it must be possible for society's state of affairs to become known to everyone, and it must be possible for everyone to speak his mind freely about it… Matters of war and some foreign negotiations need to be concealed for some time and not become known by many, but not account of proper citizens however, but because of the enemies
His words were an intellectual catalyst for the Swedish Freedom of the Printing Press Act 1766, the world's first freedom-of-information law.

As well as being a social philosopher, Forsskal was a botanist and zoologist - a 'disciple' of Carl Linnaeus. He travelled to Egypt and (modern-day) Yemen 250 years ago as a member of an expedition organised by the King of Denmark. He died in Yemen in 1763, possibly from malaria.

Thoughts on Civil Liberty is available at http://www.peterforsskal.com (also in French, Spanish and Russian; the German version is from the censored manuscript. An Arabic translation is being launched on June 14th).

 
 

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