Report Highlights B.C.’s Poor Performance in ‘Access to Information’ Responses

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

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A special report issued by the Information and Privacy Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham, has revealed that the B.C. government has decreased its performance in providing timely responses to access to information requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

The explanatory report by Denham stated that “this is my office’s fourth report examining government’s performance responding to access requests within the 30-business-day time limit set out in the legislation. In our last timeliness report card, government’s performance had improved to an average of 93% on time; over the past two years their performance has fallen to 74% on time.” It was added that the “government’s disappointing decline in timely responses to access to information requests frustrates individual applicants and erodes the public’s right to know.”

In addition to that, the Commissioner’s report has pointed out the substantial and systemic issues contributing to government’s lagging performance on timeliness, including a 24% increase in the number of requests since 2011, staffing challenges in the Information Access Operations (IAO) office of the Ministry of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services, and issues specific to the Ministry of Children and Family Development. It was mentioned that “calendar requests account for 75% of the increase in access requests over the past two fiscal years, and 18% of all access requests received by government. In past reports, I have recommended that government proactively release calendar details as part of their commitment to open government. This report makes it clear that proactive disclosure of routinely requested calendars would result in significant administrative efficiencies that would reduce pressure on IAO staff, who processed almost 2,000 calendar requests this past fiscal year.”