The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Phil Wall, has released his Report 2006-011 under authority of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. A summary of the report is included below.

To view the report in its entirety, please go to //www.oipc.gov.nl.ca/

Report: 2006-011
Report Date: July 11, 2006
Public Body: Town of Stephenville

Summary: The applicant applied to the Town of Stephenville (the �Town�) under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the �ATIPPA�) for access to an environmental report completed in response to major flooding in the town that occurred in September of 2005. The town denied access to the report citing sections 20 (policy advice or recommendations) and 24 (disclosure harmful to the financial or economic interest of a public body) of the ATIPPA. The town also denied access to two sections of the report entitled �Recommendations� and �Costing,� claiming that the applicant had previously been given a copy of these sections. The commissioner concluded that neither of the exceptions applied and recommended that the report be disclosed, with the exception of Appendix D. Although not claimed by the town, Appendix D contains considerable personal information and the commissioner recommended that it not be disclosed. The commissioner also agreed that the town need not provide those sections already released to the applicant.

Media contact: Sandy Hounsell, Executive Director (709) 729-6309

2006 07 18                                  9:20 a.m.