Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner – Report A-2019-031 Released

  • Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner

December 4, 2019

The Information and Privacy Commissioner, Michael Harvey, has released his Report A-2019-031 under authority of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015. A summary of the Report is included below.

To view the Report in its entirety, please go to www.oipc.nl.ca/reports/commissioner

Report: A-2019-031
Report Date: December 3, 2019
Public Body: Town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay
Summary: The Complainant wrote to the Town in 2016 requesting approval for a business. Over three years the Complainant had meetings and other conversations with the Mayor, Councillors and Town Manager, with no response. The Complainant made an access request for records related to the application, and filed a complaint with this Office when the Town did not respond. The Town also did not initially respond to the complaint notification, but after several weeks began a search for responsive records. Ultimately the Town stated that no records could be found. The Commissioner found that the Town had failed in its duty to assist the Complainant under section 13, had failed to comply with the time limits for responding to an access request under section 16, and had failed to respond adequately to the complaint under section 44 of the Act. The Commissioner recommended that the Town review its access to information policies and practices and implement measures to reduce or eliminate future delays; review its information management and documentation policies and practices; and comply in future with statutory duties and requirements, including the requirement to cooperate in a timely manner with this Office.

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Media contact
Sean Murray
Director of Research & Quality Assurance
709-729-6309

2019 12 04 9:25 am