Western Canada: Alberta only province to not share FOI data, according to Secret Canada project

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Western Canada: Alberta only province to not share FOI data, according to Secret Canada project
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Unlike every other jurisdiction in Canada, all 22 ministries in Alberta denied The Globe’s FOI requests, claiming “no records” existed – even though the province has a tracking system

for journalists, researchers, academics, activists and citizens, all of whom use FOI requests to learn about how their governments and public bodies function. Across the country, FOI units have limited resources and staff, making statutory deadlines tough to meet. The laws themselves are outdated, and institutions often refuse to release records that judges and adjudicators have repeatedly said are public, such as government contracts.

The government’s excuse? Provincial officials said that the information exists, but producing it would require them to “create a record,” which they argued is outside the scope of their obligations. However, the province’sstates that public institutions “must create a record,” provided it’s easily done and that the original exists in electronic format.

Alberta’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Diane McLeod, who oversees the office that handles FOI appeals, would not comment on the specifics of the province’s decision, but said it was certainly “very unfortunate.”

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