The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Ed Ring, has released his Report A-2010-016 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.nl.ca/accessreports.htm

Report: A-2010-016
Report Date: November 23, 2010
Public Body: Memorial University of Newfoundland

Summary:

The Applicant requested a copy of an internal investigation report from Memorial University of Newfoundland where she had been the originating complainant. This Office received a request to review the severing of the report by the university under section 30 (disclosure of personal information) of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The Commissioner determined that only just over half of the instances of severing were done properly and that the others, while meeting the definition of "personal information", were not actually being disclosed to the Applicant as there was objective, concrete and clear evidence that these facts were known to the Applicant already. For example, some of the severed information was made up of direct quotes from the Applicant. The absence of disclosure meant that these pieces of information did not need to be withheld from the Applicant under section 30. The Commissioner recommended the release of these items to the Applicant.

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