Report 2006-0015 Released

The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Phil Wall, has released his Report 2006-0015 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 2006-0015

Report Date: November 20, 2006

Public Body: College of the North Atlantic
Summary: The applicant applied to the College of the North Atlantic (�CNA� or the �College�) for all records comprised of communications to or from six individuals employed by CNA containing references to the Applicant�s name within a specified time period. The applicant specified that the records requested were those which form part of an electronic archive created by CNA in December 2003. The applicant also included a letter of consent from his spouse giving permission to disclose to him any references to his spouse within the responsive records. The College denied access to all records responsive to the applicant�s request, relying on sections 8, 10 and 13 of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The applicant subsequently filed a Request for Review with this office. The commissioner determined that CNA acted appropriately in refusing to respond to the Applicant�s request on the basis of section 10. The commissioner also determined that there was no basis for CNA to rely on section 8, and the commissioner further determined that he was not in a position to assess the College�s reliance on section 13 without having access to a complete working copy of the records, as well as the ability to compare those records to records previously disclosed to the applicant by CNA. The commissioner recommended that CNA take more care in the future to respond on a timely basis to questions and concerns raised by applicants during the process of responding to an access request.

-30-

Media Contact:
Sandy Hounsell
Executive Director
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
709-729-6309

2006 11 27                                                11:05 a.m.