The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ed Ring, has released his Report A-2008-012 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/reports-access.htm

Report: A-2008-012

Report Date: July 21, 2008

Public Body: Department of Municipal Affairs

Summary: The Applicant on 10 January 2008 filed a request under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the "ATIPPA") with the Department of Municipal Affairs for records for the period 1 September 2007 to 7 January 2008 relating to a former employee of the Town of St. George�s. The Department on 8 February 2008 granted access to the records in part. A great deal of information was withheld on the basis of section 21 of the ATIPPA (legal advice), section 23 (disclosure harmful to intergovernmental relations) and section 30 (personal information). On 26 February 2008 the Applicant filed a Request for Review with this office objecting to the severing of the withheld information. The Commissioner determined that the Department had not attempted to make a case for the application of section 23, and recommended that all of the information withheld on that basis should be disclosed. The Commissioner found that some material had been appropriately withheld on the basis of sections 21 and 30. The Commissioner recommended the disclosure of the rest.

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Media contact:
Ed Ring
Information and Privacy Commissioner
709-729-6309