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Annual Report 2006/2007

Table of Contents

Preface

Part I: Background

  1. Public Works and Government Services Canada

Part II: Report on the Access to Information Act

  1. Organization of the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Directorate Part II
  2. Processing of Formal Requests
  3. Statistical Report - Interpretation and Explanation of Trends Part II
  4. Complaints and Requests for Judicial Review Part II
  5. Reading Rooms

Part III: Report on the Privacy Act

  1. Organization of the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Directorate Part III
  2. Summary of Activities and Highlights
  3. Privacy Impact Assessments
  4. Statistical Report - Interpretation and Explanation of Trends Part III
  5. Complaints and Requests for Judicial Review Part III

Annex A: Delegation of Authority (Excerpt)

Annex B: Statistical Report - Access To Information Act

Annex C: Statistical Report - Privacy Act


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Preface

The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act (Revised Statutes of Canada, Chapter A-1, 1985) were proclaimed on July 1, 1983. The Acts have been amended as a result of the royal assent of the Federal Accountability Act on December 12, 2006. Certain provisions came into force on December 12, 2006, and others took effect on April 1, 2007 and September 1, 2007.

The Access to Information Act gives Canadian citizens and individuals present in Canada a broad right of access to information contained in government records subject to certain specific and limited exceptions.

The Privacy Act extends to individuals the right of access to information about themselves held by the government, again subject to specific and limited exceptions. The law also provides individuals the right to a reasonable expectation of privacy, including a basic right to exercise control over its collection, use and disclosure.

Section 72 of the Access to Information Act and section 72 of the Privacy Act require that the head of every federal government institution shall prepare for submission to Parliament an annual report on the administration of the Acts within the institution during each fiscal year.

These Annual Reports provide a summary of the management and administration of the Access to Information and the Privacy Act within Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) for the fiscal year 2006-2007.

Additional Copies

Additional copies of these reports can be obtained by contacting:

  • Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Directorate
    Public Works and Government Services Canada
    Place du Portage, Phase III, 5C1
    11 Laurier Street
    Gatineau, Quebec
    K1A 0S5
    Telephone: 819-956-1820
    Fax: 819-994-2119

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PART I: Background

1. Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC)

The mandate of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is to ensure optimum value to Canadians and the government in the provision of common, central andshared services. Through the delivery of our services, we enable other government departments and agencies to provide their programs and services to Canadians.

PWGSC is the government's manager of office space and provider of real estate services. We are its central purchasing agent, banker and accountant. We provide services in the areas of payroll and pensions, information technology, linguistic services, audit, communications and consulting. In addition, we lead e-Government and greening of government initiatives. We directly service Canadians as the Receiver General, sending Universal Child Care Benefit cheques and Goods and Services Tax (GST) refunds to citizens.

Canadians, in Canada and abroad, benefit directly and indirectly from our services. PWGSC has two strategic outcomes, Quality Services and Sound Stewardship, with 28 program activities. Our ongoing operations support the Government of Canada's outcomes related to Economic, Social, International, and Government Affairs spending areas. Under the Treasury Board Secretariat's (TBS) whole-of-government framework, PWGSC contributes to all of the Government of Canada's outcomes by providing services to government departments and agencies.

To better reflect the PWGSC approach to service delivery and organizational structure, our program activities have been grouped to highlight our key service areas:

  • Real Property;
  • Acquisitions;
  • Information Technology;
  • Receiver General and Public Service Compensation;
  • Consulting, Information and Shared Services;
  • Business Integration;
  • Special Operating Agencies
    • Consulting and Audit Canada
    • Translation Bureau;
  • Greening Government Operations; and
  • Corporate Management.

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Part II: Report on the Access to Information Act

1. Organization of the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Directorate Part II

The ATIP Directorate administers the provisions of the Access to Information Act for PWGSC, including the two Special Operating Agencies.

For most of the 2006-2007 fiscal year, the ATIP Directorate has operated with six teams in order to better manage the types of requests received within the Department. Overseeing these teams and reporting to the Director, ATIP, is the Manager, Risk and Quality Management. Three of the teams are responsible for processing ATIP requests, complaints, and court cases received by the Department. One team is committed to dealing with privacy and policy, and another team is responsible for training ofnew recruits to the ATIP Directorate in the processing of ATIP requests. Finally, one team is involved with all of the administrative functions conducted by the ATIP Directorate.

1.1 Delegation Instruments

Under Section 3 of the Access to Information Act, the Minister of the Department is designated as the head of the government institution for the purposes of the administration of the Act.

The delegation instrument continued to be based on a centralized process with both the Director, ATIP and the Manager, Risk and Quality Management having full delegated authority under the Access to Information Act.

Certain administrative functions are delegated to the ATIP Chiefs, and are limited to the following provisions:

  • Paragraph 7(a) - Respond to request for access (nil reply only)
  • Subsection 8(1) - Transfer to and from other government institutions
  • Section 9 - Extension of time limits
  • Subsections 11(2) to 11(6) - Additional fees and fee waiver
  • Section 27 - Notification to third parties

An excerpt of the Delegation of Authorities approved by the Minister of PWGSC is enclosed at Annex A: Delegation of Authority (Excerpt).

1.2 Responsibilities of the ATIP Directorate

The Director, ATIP, reports to the Director General of Executive Secretariat, who, in turn, reports to the Assistant Deputy Minister of the Corporate Services, Policy and Communications Branch.

The responsibilities of the ATIP Directorate include the following:

  • managing all activities within PWGSC relating to the operation of the Act, as well as the regulations, directives and guidelines pursuant to them;
  • developing, producing and promulgating departmental ATI policies, procedures, standards and guidelines;
  • developing and delivering awareness training to PWGSC managers and employees to ensure departmental responsiveness to the legal obligations imposed on them by the Act and Regulations;
  • reviewing departmental policies, procedures and agreements to ensure that they are in compliance with the provisions of the Act and making recommendations for amendments;
  • defending institutional decisions on the administration of the Act during investigations conducted by the Information Commissioner and during judicial proceedings at the Federal Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada;
  • coordinating and approving the annual update of the PWGSC's descriptions of its organization and its record holdings for inclusion in the Treasury Board publication Info Source;
  • reporting annually to Parliament in accordance with section 72 of the Act and any instructions issued pursuant to paragraph 70(1)(d) of the Act;
  • acting as spokesperson for the Department in dealings with the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Information Commissioner of Canada and other government departments and agencies.

The administration of the legislation by the ATIP Directorate is also facilitated at the branch, sector, and regional office levels. Each organizational sector has an ATIP Liaison Officer (normally reporting to an Assistant Deputy Minister, a Director General, or a Regional Director General) who coordinates the collection of information and provides guidance to branch managers on the operation of the Act, departmental directives andprocedures.


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1.3 Policies and Procedures
1.3.1 Departmental Policy on ATIP

Departmental Policy 002 links to the ATI delegation of authority and sets out the definitions, and the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders within PWGSC.

1.3.2 ATIP Liaison Officers' Handbook

The ATIP Liaison Officers' Handbook is produced by the ATIP Directorate and used as a guide to:

  • introduce the ATIP Liaison Officers across the Department to the Access to Information Act legislation and regulations;
  • outline the roles and responsibilities of each PWGSC ATIP stakeholder; and
  • provide national processing standards and guidelines for the local handling of requests.
1.3.3 ATIP Directorate Desk Procedures

The ATIP Directorate has developed and regularly updates its ATIP Officer Desk Procedures manual, to standardize the work procedures used by office staff, facilitate the training of new staff and complement the processes of the electronic ATIP tracking system.


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1.4. Summary of Activities and Highlights
1.4.1 Information Sessions

Given the complex character of the Access to Information Act and the need tobalance the public's right to access information with the need to protect the legitimate interests of other parties, the ATIP Directorate provides guidance aswell as information sessions, on an "as required" basis. During the fiscal year, seven information sessions were delivered to 73 managers and employees in the National Capital Area.

1.4.2 Briefings

Three briefings were given to new senior management, ministerial exempt staff and one new branch ATIP Liaison Officer to inform them on their roles and responsibilities under the Act. Additional briefings were conducted on an "as required" basis.

1.4.3 Credit/Debit Card

The ATIP Credit/Debit Card System continues to be used tofacilitate the payment of fees by credit cards and debit cards, including Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners/Enroute and Interac.

1.4.4 Imaging Software Solution and Secret LAN

In June 2006, the ATIP Directorate implemented a new imaging software solution on a Secret LAN. The system rapidly copies and severs an increasingly larger volume of records.

1.4.5 Upgrade of ATIPflow Tracking System

In March 2007, the ATIP Directorate replaced the ATIPflow tracking system withthe new AccessPro Case Management (APCM) software. The software application and data now reside on a more stable server.

1.4.6 ATIP Officer Development Program

The Human Resources Branch and ATIP Directorate have collaborated to design an ATIP Officer Development Program. The program is intended to address the department's mid and long-term shortages of ATIP professionals by recruiting new and existing employees at the junior level, fostering their loyalty to PWGSC, and preparing them to fill senior ATIP Officer positions within a three year horizon. This program would also serve to reduce the costs associated with thecompetitive staffing process and, in the long-term, the use of consultants.

The program was approved by the Deputy Minister, and a first candidate was hired in the fall of 2006 through the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP) bridging mechanism.

1.4.7 Regional Master Standing Offer for ATIP Consultants

The ATIP Community has a continuous need for the services of qualified ATIP professionals who can assist in meeting the legislative requirements imposed by the Acts on an "as required" basis.

The ATIP Directorate continued to use ATIP professional services under the terms of the 3-year competitive contract awarded to Artan Enterprises Ltd. and ExcelHR/Altis in 2004. The ATIP Directorate will likely exercise itsoption to extend thecontract period until a Regional Master Standing Offer (RMSO) is in place.

To that end, the ATIP Directorate has initiated discussions with the PWGSC Acquisitions Branch in order to establish a RMSO for qualified ATIP professionals that can be used by core federal institutions falling under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

1.4.8 Special Studies

Information Commissioner of Canada's Report Card

Each year, the Information Commissioner conducts a review of selected federal institutions subject to the Access to Information Act and makes recommendations to help them complete at least 95 per cent of their ATI requests within their legislated timelines. Each review results in a grading of the institution's timeline performance for the previous fiscal year as well as for the April to November 30th period of the current fiscal year.

Since the Information Commissioner's first report card on PWGSC, the Department had progressively improved the timely delivery of information to the public. PWGSC's performance received an "F" grade in 2002-2003 as it had only completed 71.1 per cent of the requests on time. An "F" grade is given when institutions complete less than 80‰ of their ATI requests on time. Through continuous reviews of its systems and procedures, the department completed 92.3 per cent of ATI requests on time for the fiscal year 2005-2006, attaining a "B" grade. A "B" grade is given when institutions complete between 90‰ and 94‰ of their requests on time.

From April to November 30, 2006, PWGSC maintained its "B" grade. In his 2006-07 report card for PWGSC, the Information Commissioner recommended that PWGSC re-visit the recommendations made in his previous report cards to ensure that PWGSC attains an "A" grade in fiscal year 2007-2008. In response, the Deputy Minister agreed to make every effort to work towards meeting this goal. However, PWGSC anticipates a reduced performance for 2007-2008, attributable in part to the continuing challenge across government, to recruit, train, and retain ATIP professionals. A robust action plan to achieve an ideal compliance rate is being developed, and implemented.

In 2006-2007, the following improvement activities were completed:

  • Implementation of an Imaging software and Secret LAN;
  • Launch of the new ATIP Officer Development Program; and
  • Implementation of a new ATIP request Tracking System.

The following activities continued:

  • Senior management support for the ATI program;
  • Reporting of branch timeline compliance rates to senior management; and
  • Active recruiting and on the-job training of ATIP professionals.

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2. Processing of Formal Requests

2.1 Summary

All formal access requests are forwarded to the ATIP Directorate where they are reviewed for clarity and processed in conformity with the legislation. Each request is then assigned to an organizational branch of the Department, which becomes responsible for locating and retrieving the records containing the information sought, and assisting in determining the costs and fees for processing the request.

After a review of the relevant records, the organizational branch is responsible for formulating recommendations on the disclosure of the information. Before a final decision is reached, they are evaluated by the ATIP Directorate and any necessary consultations with other organizations are undertaken. This review process is intended toensure consistency in the treatment of Access to Information Act requests. Once a decision has been rendered, the ATIP Directorate notifies the requester and arranges toprovide access to all of the records that can be disclosed.

2.2 External Clientele

Table I provides an overview of the trends and volume of access requests received by PWGSC, by type of originator, over the past three years.

Table I
ATI Requests by Type of Originator
Type of Originator 2004-2005 2005-2006 2006-2007
Business 353 331 380
Public 290 335 311
Media 133 99 138
Organizations 95 64 39
Academic 2 3 1
Total 873 832 869

In the 2006-2007 fiscal year, requests from the business community accounted for the highest percentage of users of the Act with 43.7 per cent of the requests received by PWGSC. Requests from the public represented the second largest source of requests, constituting 35.8 per cent of those received. The media accounted for 15.9 per cent of the requests, while the remaining 4.6 per cent came from organizations and the academic community.


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3. Statistical Report - Interpretation and Explanation of Trends Part II

PWGSC is the recipient of a considerable amount of commercial, technical and financial third party information and, as in past years, the majority of the requests received were for records containing third party information. While most third party information is of a sensitive nature, PWGSC has endeavoured to release as much information as possible, consistent with the spirit of the Act and the severability provisions of section 25 of the Act.

3.1 Requests under the Access To Information Act

The 1,080 requests processed during this reporting period represented a six per cent increase in the volume of requests processed compared with the previous fiscal year. Of them, 869 requests (80 per cent) were new requests, while 211 requests (20 per cent) were carried over to the new year for processing. Table II provides the related detail.

Table II
Processing Trends for Access Requests
Reporting Period Outstanding Received Completed Carried Forward
2004-2005 262 873 948 187
2005-2006 187 833 809 211
2006-2007 211 869 815 265
3.2 Departmental Overview of Requests Received

The majority of requests received by the ATIP Directorate continue to be related to thecontracting services provided by PWGSC in the domain of supply related records (i.e., contracts for goods and services, public opinion research, military procurement). The Acquisitions Branch is the chief recipient of requests received.

A significant volume of requests was received pertaining to briefing notes to the Minister, documents concerning Integrated Relocation Program, and records relative to real property.

3.2.1 Interdepartmental Consultations

In addition to the large volume of requests received by PWGSC, the Department was consulted by other government institutions in 275 different cases. These consultation requests are not reflected in the annual report's statistical tables butaccount for a significant portion (24 per cent) of the ATIP Directorate's totalcaseload. Table III outlines the Departments that consulted PWGSC most frequently in 2006-2007.

Table III
Interdepartmental Consultations
Originating Department Received % Pages Reviewed
National Defence 61 22 2,629
Treasury Board Secretariat 27 10 2,371
Environment Canada 22 8 694
Health Canada 17 6 626
Justice Canada 14 5 476
Privy Council Office 13 5 346
Other Government Institutions 121 44 6,810
Total 275 100% 13,952
3.2.2 Informal Review of Records

To assist departmental managers proactively release information to the public, the ATIP Directorate provides an informal review service. This service is most frequently provided to the Human Resources Branch, Audit and Evaluation Branch and the Real Property Branch. Internal audit reports comprise the majority of the requests received.

Although they are not reflected in PWGSC's annual report statistical tables, in 2006-2007, the ATIP Directorate received 36 requests for the informal review of records, reviewing a total of 1,238 pages on an informal basis.

3.2.3 Document Collection

The Parliamentary Affairs Directorate of PWGSC coordinates the department's responses to both Motions for the Production of Papers from members of Parliament as well as Order Paper Questions from the House of Commons and the Senate. The ATIP Directorate facilitates the work of the Parliamentary Affairs Directorate by conducting the review of all records collected to ensure that information that could be expected to cause an injury to an interest that is identified in either the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act is protected from disclosure.

While this service is also not reflected in PWGSC's annual report statistical tables, in 2006-2007, the ATIP Directorate received 5 requests from Parliamentary Affairs Directorate, reviewing 431 pages on an informal basis.


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3.3 Disposition of Completed Requests

Of the 1,080 requests processed, 815 (75 per cent) were completed during the 2006-2007 reporting period. The remaining 265 requests (25 per cent) were carried forward to the next fiscal year.

Of the 815 cases where the Department completed the request, information was released either in whole or in part in 569 requests (70 per cent).

3.3.1 All Disclosed

In 119 of the 815 completed cases (15 per cent), the requesters were provided withfull access to the relevant records. This figure is up by two per cent from last fiscal year.

3.3.2 Disclosed in Part

In an additional 450 of the 815 completed cases (55 per cent), PWGSC granted the requesters partial access. This represents a four per cent increase from last fiscal year. In most instances, the information withheld related to third party information.

3.3.3 Nothing Disclosed (All Exempted; All Excluded)

In 6 of the 815 completed requests (0.7 per cent), there was no information released.

3.3.4 Transferred

Of the 815 requests completed, 44 (five per cent) concerned records not under thecontrol of the Department. After initial processing, these requests were transferred to the appropriate government institution in accordance with section 8 of the Act.

3.3.5 Unable to Process

After initial review, the Department was unable to process 71 requests (nine per cent). Inmost instances, this was because the Department did not have any records relating to the request.

3.3.6 Abandoned by Applicant

Of the completed access requests, 71 (nine per cent) were eventually considered tobe abandoned. Such an action may occur at any stage of request processing.

3.3.7 Treated Informally

There were two cases (0.3 per cent) where it was determined that the information could be released informally rather than through the formal procedures of the Act.

3.4 Exemptions Invoked

Sections 13 through 24 of the Act set out the exemptions intended to protect information pertaining to a particular public or private interest, and section 26 of the Act is an administrative exception relating to the publication of information.

Annex B is intended to show the types of exemptions invoked to deny access. For example, if in one request five different exemptions were used, one exemption under each relevant section would be reported for a total of five exemptions. If the same exemption was used several times for the same request, it would be reported only once.

As noted in Annex B, subsections 19(1) and 24(1), and paragraphs 20(1)(b) and(c) of the Act continue to account for the great majority of the exemptions claimed by the Department to withhold information.

3.5 Exclusions Invoked

The Act does not apply to published material or material available for purchase by the public, library or museum material preserved solely for public record, material placed in the Library and Archives Canada, as well as records considered to be confidences of the Queen's Privy Council, pursuant to sections 68 and 69 of the Act respectively.

As in the case of exemptions, Annex B is intended to show the types of exclusions invoked to deny access. For example, if in one request five different exclusions are cited, one exclusion under each relevant section would be reported for a total of five. If the same exclusion was used several times for the same request, it would be reported only once.

In the 2006-2007 fiscal period, exclusions were applied pursuant to sections 68 and 69 of the Act on 59 (seven per cent) of the total number of requests completed.

3.6 Extension of the Time Limits

The nature and source of information requested generally required extensive consultations and negotiations with third parties and other government institutions. In 552 of the 1081 requests processed (51 per cent), PWGSC extended the time limits pursuant to paragraphs 9(1)(b) and (c) of the Act in order toconduct such consultations.

In addition, extensions were undertaken in 36 of the requests processed (three per cent) pursuant to paragraph 9(1)(a) of the Act.

3.7 Completion Times

Despite the complexity of requests coupled with the steady volume of access and consultation requests received, 360 of the 815 formal requests (44 per cent) were completed within the initial 30-day period.

3.8 Translations

There were no requests for the translation of information from one official language to another.

3.9 Method of Access

The method by which requesters prefer to obtain access to information continues to be in the form of hard paper copies of documents. Electronic copies were also given on compact disk or sent by e-mail

Of all the requests in which information was released, the requesters received copies of the information they were seeking in 558 cases (98 per cent). In eight cases (1.5 per cent) access was provided by a combination of copies and in-person examination and, in three cases (0.5 per cent), access was provided solely through in-person examination. It should be noted that the data in this section reflect only those requests in which information was all disclosed or disclosed inpart.

3.10 Fees

The Access to Information Act authorizes fees for certain activities related to the processing of formal requests under the Act. In addition to the $5 application fee, other charges may also apply for search, preparation and reproduction of the various records, as specified in the Access to Information Regulations.

No fees are imposed for reviewing records or for overhead or shipping. Moreover, in accordance with section 11 of the Act, no fees are charged for the first five hours required to search for a record or prepare any part of it for disclosure.

There was a continued decrease in the amount of fees collected in relation to the search for and the reproduction of records. Given that 18 per cent fewer fees were waived by PWGSC than in 2005-2006, the decrease is attributed to the increase of information disclosures in electronic format. PWGSC assessed fees for information provided in paper format but did not charge reproduction fees if that same information was provided on CD or diskette. The decision to waive fees is made in accordance with the PWGSC Access to Information Request Fee Waiver Policy.

The fees collected during the reporting period totalled $11,749.35, while the fees waived in accordance with subsection 11(6) of the Act were $5,025.69. Fees collected for this reporting period are estimated to represent less than one per cent of the total cost of the administration of the Access to Information program.

3.11 Costs

Total salary costs associated with the program were $1,198,543.60 (54 per cent of the ATIP Directorate budget) for fiscal year 2006-2007.

Total operations and maintenance costs amounted to $1,005,852.80 and included the costs of consultants, the implementation of the Laserfiche imaging software, the Secret LAN, and the APCM system.

The associated full-time equivalent (FTE) resources utilized were estimated at 19.51 for fiscal year 2006-2007.

The three-year competitive contracts, which were awarded to ARTAN Enterprises Ltd. and Altis/Excel HR in October 2004, allowed the ATIP Directorate to process as many requests as in the last fiscal year.


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4. Complaints and Requests for Judicial Review Part II

Table IV provides the breakdown of complaints made to the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada and of requests for judicial review made to the Federal Court of Canada, over the past three year period.

Table IV
Access Complaints and Requests for Judicial Review
Reporting Period Access
Complaints		 Requests for
Judicial Review
2004-2005 96 5
2005-2006 72 4
2006-2007 44 6
4.1 Complaints to the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada

The number of new complaints filed with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada decreased significantly (39 per cent) from the previous fiscal year.

Fourteen (32 per cent) of the 44 new complaints concerned the time extensions taken, 13(30 per cent) related to missing records, and 12 (27 per cent) were about the information withheld. Of the remaining complaints, three (seven per cent) related to delays in responding to requests, and two (four per cent) concerned their processing.

Of the complaints received in this and previous fiscal years, 22 were resolved to the satisfaction of the requester, 12 were discontinued, seven were deemed not well founded/ unsubstantiated, and 88 complaint investigations were still ongoing at the end of the fiscalyear.

4.2 Requests for Judicial Review

Eight access to information requests resulted in six new applications for judicial review being registered with the Federal Court of Canada in fiscal year 2006-2007. Two were discontinued by the applicant during the year and four remained outstanding.

Of the judicial reviews carried over from previous fiscal years, two were completed and one continued to be outstanding at the end of the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

All applications for judicial reviews pertained to reviews requested under section 44 of the Act. When PWGSC gives a third party notice of its decision to disclose information, but the third party believes that information should be exempted, the third party has the right to apply to the Court for a review of the matter.

4.2.1 Judicial Reviews Initiated in Fiscal Year 2006-2007

Federal Court File Number T-657-06: Top Aces Consulting Inc. objected to PWGSC's decision to release portions of records relevant to three requests pertaining to Pilot Training Services contracts and amendments. The corporation claimed that its unit prices qualified for exemption under subsection 20(1) of the Act, notwithstanding the fact that the contractual documents included a Disclosure of Information clause, which stated that the offerer agreed to the disclosure of its unit prices by Canada. As a result, the company filed a Notice of Discontinuance in June 2006.

Federal Court File Number T-222-07: Bombardier Aerospace Defence Services Inc. objected to PWGSC's decision to release portions of the main agreement of the NATO Flying Training in Canada Program. The corporation believed that additional information should be exempted pursuant to paragraphs 20(1)(b)(c)(d) of the Act. Affidavits have been exchanged.

Federal Court File Number T-250-07: Spar Aerospace Limited objected to PWGSC's decision to release portions of a contract for Aerospace Engineering and Maintenance Support Services for the Department of National Defence. Thecompany claimed that the information should be exempted in its entirety under subsection 24(1) re section 30 of the Defence Production Act.

Federal Court File Number T-396-07: The Bank of America objected to PWGSC's decision to release portions of the Foreign Banking Services contract and amendments, and the Bank's proposal. The Bank claimed that PWGSC should exempt more information under subsection 19(1) and paragraphs 20(1)(b)(c) of the Act. Affidavits have been exchanged.

Federal Court File Number T-399-07: Accenture Inc. requested a judicial review of PWGSC's decision to disclose details of the Shared Travel Services Initiative contract that contained information relating to its subcontractor, Amex Canada Inc. Accenture claimed that certain portions should be exempt from disclosure pursuant to subsection 20(1) of the Act. Affidavits have been exchanged.

Federal Court File Number T-401-07: ADGA Group Consultants Inc. objected to PWGSC's decision to disclose portions of records pertaining to a professional service contract, the company proposal and evaluation. The company claimed that the names of their personnel, contractors, or subcontracts should not be released without their consent. In March 2007, the company filed a Notice of Discontinuance.

4.2.2 Judicial Reviews Outstanding from Previous Fiscal Years

Federal Court File Number T-1347-01: Aventis Pasteur Limited objected in 2001-2002 to PWGSC's decision to release information pertaining to its contract for vaccines, claiming that the information should be exempted pursuant to paragraphs 20(1)(b) and 20(1)(c) of the Act. Affidavits have been exchanged and a hearing, which took place in the 2003-2004 fiscal year, was adjourned without decision. In April 2006, the case was closed as the individual who made the request was not longer interested in receiving the records.

Federal Court File Number T-1349-05: 131 Queen Street Limited objected to PWGSC's decision to release certain portions of the lease for the building located at 131 Queen Street, Ottawa. The company claimed that PWGSC should exempt more information pursuant to paragraphs 20(1)(b)(c)(d) of the Act. Affidavits have been exchanged and a hearing took place on January 29, 2007.

Federal Court File Number T-881-05: Coradix Technology Consulting Ltd. objected to the release of portions of the records relevant to four requests pertaining to an Informatics Professional Services contract. The company claimed that PWGSC should exempt more information pursuant to paragraphs 20(1)(b)(c) of the Act. The Court allowed the judicial review with costs to the Applicant, and ordered that the information at issue not be disclosed.

5. Reading Rooms

Section 71 of the Act requires government institutions to provide facilities where the Public may inspect manuals used by employees of the Department in administering or carrying out programs or activities. Consequently, reading rooms are provided by PWGSC at headquarters and in all regional offices. In these locations, the Public can access departmental manuals, the Government of Canada's Info Source publication, request forms and general information on how to exercise its rights under the Act.

The ATIP Directorate continues to review the departmental manuals for the purpose of providing the Public with electronic access to them in the future.


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Part III: Report on the Privacy Act

1. Organization of the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Directorate Part III

The ATIP Directorate administers the provisions of the Privacy Act for Public Works and Government Services Canada, including the two Special Operating Agencies.

1.1 Delegation Instruments

Under section 3 of the Privacy Act, the Minister of the Department is designated as the head of the government institution for the purposes of the administration of the Act.

The delegation instrument continued to be based on a centralized process with both the Director, ATIP and the Manager, Risk and Quality Management having full delegated authority under the Privacy Act, with the exception of paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Act. The Chief, Privacy and Policy has been delegated authority under paragraph 14(a) (nil replies only) and section 15 of the Act (extension of time limits).

An excerpt of the Delegation of Authorities approved by the Minister of PWGSC is enclosed at Annex A.

The Director of the Cheque Redemption Control Directorate in Matane, Quebec shares administrative powers under paragraph 8(2)(e) of the Act inregard toreleasing original cheques to law enforcement bodies. This provides administrative flexibility in processing requests for cheques.

1.2 Responsibilities of the ATIP Directorate

The Director, ATIP, reports to the Director General of Executive Secretariat who, in turn, reports to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Corporate Services, Policy, and Communications Branch.

The responsibilities of the ATIP Directorate include the following:

  • managing all activities within PWGSC relating to the operation of the Act, as well as the regulations, directives and guidelines pursuant to them;
  • developing, producing and promulgating departmental Privacy policies, procedures, standards and guidelines;
  • developing and delivering awareness training to PWGSC managers and employees to ensure departmental responsiveness to the legal obligations imposed on them by the Act and Regulations;
  • reviewing departmental policies, procedures and agreements to ensure that they are in compliance with the provisions of the Act and making recommendations for amendments;
  • defending institutional decisions on the administration of the Act during investigations conducted by the Privacy Commissioner and during judicial proceedings at the Federal Court of Canada and the Supreme Court of Canada;
  • assisting departmental managers and employees during the course of an investigation and ensuring that the records of the institution are available to the Privacy Commissioner as deemed necessary to the full investigation of the complaint;
  • coordinating and approving the annual update of the PWGSC's descriptions of its organization and its record holdings for inclusion in the Treasury Board publication Info Source;
  • reporting annually to Parliament in accordance with section 72 of the Act and any instructions issued pursuant to paragraph 71(1)(e) of the Privacy Act;
  • acting as spokesperson for the Department in dealings with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and other government departments and agencies;
  • notifying the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada of any initiative or issue that may relate to the Privacy Act or any of its provisions, or that may have an impact on the privacy of Canadians, at a sufficiently early stage to permit the Commissioner to review and discuss the issues involved, including:
    1. new data matching programs by providing a copy of the Departmental assessment of the program, at least 60 days before it is implemented;
    2. use or disclosure of personal information in a manner consistent with the purpose(s) for which the information was obtained or compiled, for which the consistent use is not identified in Info Source;
    3. development of legislation or regulations with privacy implications, prior to submission of the appropriate documentation for approval by the Governor-in-Council, or where applicable, prior to the approval of Ministerial regulations;
    4. disclosure in the public interest under paragraph 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act, either prior to the disclosure, or if this is not practicable, at the time of disclosure;
    5. Privacy Impact Assessments (PIAs), at a reasonably early stage prior to implementing the initiative, program or service; and
    6. any suspected or actual breach or violation of security involving personal information. There should be no delay in the reporting of these security breaches.

The administration of the legislation by the ATIP Directorate is also facilitated at the branch, sector, and regional office levels. Each organizational branch has an ATIP Liaison Officer (normally reporting to an Assistant Deputy Minister, a Director General, or a Regional Director General) who coordinates the collection of information and provides guidance to branch managers on the operation of the Act, departmental directives and procedures.


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1.3 Departmental Policies

Departmental Policy 002 links to the Privacy delegation of authority and sets out the definitions, and the roles and responsibilities of all stakeholders within PWGSC. An annex to the policy has been developed to outline the administrative attribution of powers and the departmental guidelines and procedures with respect to the disclosure of personal information pursuant to subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act. Paragraphs (8)(2)(j) and (m) of the Act continue to be delegated by the Minister pursuant to section 73 of the Act.

Departmental Policy 014 sets out the definitions and the roles and responsibilities of employees with respect to the protection of personal and private information in the workplace.

1.4 ATIP Liaison Officer Handbook

The Departmental ATIP Liaison Officer Handbook outlines the intent and the requirements of the Privacy Act and Treasury Board guidelines so that all staff are aware of their responsibilities with respect to the collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of personal information. In particular, staff are informed of their responsibilities to record and account for all uses and disclosures of personal information, by documenting all activities relating to personal information and by maintaining the relevant material on official departmental files.

Responsibility centres are also advised to consult with the ATIP Directorate before collecting any personal information and when there is any doubt concerning which rules to apply in the retention and disposal of personal information.

The ATIP Liaison Officer Handbook is produced by the ATIP Directorate and used as a guide to:

  • introduce the ATIP Liaison Officers across the Department to the Privacy legislation and regulations;
  • outline the roles and responsibilities of each PWGSC ATIP stakeholder; and
  • provide national processing standards and guidelines for the central handling of requests.

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2. Summary of Activities and Highlights

The amount of time devoted by ATIP Directorate staff to privacy issues, including the provision of advice, continued to increase in the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

2.1 Committees

The ATIP Directorate is represented on a departmental committee, the PWGSC Network Use Working Group, chaired by the Information Technology Services Branch, where advice on the implications of the electronic collection, use and disclosure of personal information is provided on an "as required" basis.

2.2 Information Sessions

During the last fiscal year, no privacy presentations were delivered. However, a privacy overview is typically incorporated into the general ATIP information sessions. These are included in the report on the Access to Information Act.

2.3 Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
2.3.1 Personal Information Banks (PIBs)

The ATIP Directorate must be notified where personal information in a PIB is used or disclosed for a use consistent with the purpose for which the information was obtained or compiled by the Department, but where such use is not included in the statement of consistent uses published in Info Source.

There were no PIBs registered in 2006-2007.

However, the ATIP Directorate has been working with TBS to develop the following new and revised PIBs.

Central Banks (General Public)

  • PWGSC PCU 601 - The Institute Professional Development
  • PWGSC PCU 603 - Public Enquiry
  • PWGSC PCU 604 - Government of Canada Publication Orders
  • PWGSC PCU 705 - Public Pay Systems

Central Banks (Employees)

  • PWGSC PCE 702 - Public Service Pensions Data Bank
  • PWGSC PCE 706 - Shared Travel Services

Particular Banks (General Public)

  • PWGSC PPU 090 - Cheque Redemption
  • PWGSC PPU 095 - Bill Payment and Image Archival Records
  • PWGSC PPU 110 - Secure Channel Client Service Centre
  • PWGSC PPU 125 - Seized Assets Registry

Particular Banks (Employees)

  • PWGSC PPE 840 - Informal Conflict Resolution
  • PWGSC PPE 845 - CS Development Program
  • PWGSC PPE 850 - Translation Bureau Integrated Information System

Standard Banks (General Public)

  • PWGSC PSU 912 - Contracts
2.3.2 Exempt Banks

PWGSC does not have any exempt banks.

2.3.3 Departmental Forms

Departmental Policy 061 (Forms Management) requires that all new and revised forms that collect personal information be reviewed by the ATIP Directorate to ensure compliance with privacy legislative and policy requirements. During 2006-2007, 12 requests were submitted for a compliance review and the development of the required privacy notice.

2.3.4 Disclosure Under Paragraph 8(2)(e) of the Act

The Department disclosed personal information to investigative bodies. There were 11 such requests made that were processed during 2006-2007.

2.3.5 Disclosure Under Other Paragraphs of Subsection 8(2) of the Act

In accordance with subsection 9(1) of the Act, the head of the institution shall retain a record of any use or purpose for which the information is disclosed by the institution where the use or purpose is not identified in the relevant Personal Information Bank.

During fiscal year 2006-2006, the majority of PWGSC disclosures made pursuant to subsection 8(2) of the Privacy Act were made under paragraph 8(2)(f) of the Act. More specifically, the disclosures were made in accordance with the umbrella agreements signed between the Government of Canada and the provinces. Disclosures of personal information were also made under paragraphs 8(2)(a), 8(2)(b), 8(2)(c) and 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act.

2.3.6 Data Matching and Sharing Activities

There were no new data matching and sharing activites initiated in 2006-2007.


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3. Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA)

The Treasury Board of Canada approved the Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) Policy, with an effective date of May 2, 2002. The goal of the policy is to allow government institutions to identify whether a program or a service delivery initiative, involving the collection, use or disclosure of personal information as defined in the Privacy Act, complies with the privacy principles and to help officials avoid or mitigate any identifiable risks to privacy.

The ATIP Directorate has developed a departmental PIA framework and a draft departmental PIA policy that clearly outlines the review and approval process within PWGSC; as well as the roles and responsibilities of stakeholders. Project managers have followed the framework and the draft policy when conducting their PIAs.

The ATIP Directorate provides advice and guidance to PWGSC managers throughout the PIA process, including the review of draft/final PIA reports and liaison with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner.

PIAs are required when a program or service is contracted out to the private sector. Currently, when the PWGSC Legal Services review contractual terms and conditions, they inform the contracting officers to contact the ATIP Directorate to advise on the need for a PIA. The ATIP Directorate informs the contracting officers to check with their client departments and provides the name and telephone number of the client department's ATIP Coordinator. The PWGSC ATIP Directorate also advises on the requirement to include appropriate security and privacy clauses in the procurement documentation.

In collaboration with the Information Technology Services Branch, the ATIP Directorate launched The Access to Information and Privacy Programs site on January 2005. The site is intended to facilitate the public's understanding of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and associated departmental procedures. Summaries of the results of PIA reports conducted by PWGSC are published on this web site.

In fiscal year 2006-2007, the ATIP Directorate was involved in several departmental initiatives that required the development of PIAs and Preliminary PIAs (PPIAs).

Table I
PIAs and PPIAs
Reporting Period PIAs PPIAs
Outstanding
from
Previous
Years		 Initiated Completed Carry
Forward
to Next
Fiscal Year
2004-2005 5 10 4 11 9
2005-2006 11 11 8 14 8
2006-2007 14 2 0 151 1

3.1 PIAs Completed

No PIAs were completed during the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

3.2 PIAs Being Processed

The following PIAs which were initiated in 2006-2007 and previous fiscal years were still being processed at the end of the reporting period:

  • Access and Identity Management Services (AIMS) Release 2
  • Compensation Web Applications (CWA) - Release 2
  • E-Book Store
  • Harmonization of Control Goods Program (CGP) and Industrial Security Program (ISP)
  • Hosting Environment (HE)
  • Ministerial and Deputy Ministerial Correspondence Tracking System (CCM Mercury)
  • Pensioner Dental Service Plan Administrator
  • PSSA Self Service Web Application
  • Secure Electronic Forms (SEF)
  • Shared Travel Services Initiative (STSI) Release 3.0
  • Translation Bureau Central Archives
  • Translation Bureau File Transfer Protocol
  • Translation Bureau Intranet, Extranet and Internet
  • Translation Bureau Termium Plus
  • Translation Bureau Training Site
3.3 Preliminary PIAs (PPIAs) Being Processed

When the detailed information required for a comprehensive assessment is not yet available, a PPIA may be completed. In exceptional circumstances, a PPIA may also be undertaken (instead of a full PIA) when the proposed initiative does not seem to raise privacy issues.

In 2005-2006, the ATIP Directorate was processing the following PPIAs that were initiated in this and previous fiscal years:

  • eContact Project
  • Common Business Authentication and Delegation Model
  • Government of Canada Marketplace
  • Translation Bureau Termium 5 Web Project
  • Electronic Freight Rate Information Base and E-form Entry (eFreesbee)
  • Information Protection Centre
  • Secure Channel Managed Security Services
  • Secure Channel Quebec Proof of Concept
  • Secure Channel Secure Message Routing Services - Phase I

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4. Statistical Report: Interpretation and Explanation of Trends

Applicants can generally obtain access to their personal information on an informal basis by contacting the manager of the program area who controls the records. In these instances, the ATIP Directorate provides assistance and advice on an "asrequired" basis. Although not reflected in the statistical tables, seven requests were submitted by management during the fiscal year for the informal review of documents prior to their proactive disclosure to the individuals concerned. A total of 715 pages were reviewed and recommended for release on an informal basis.

It is the practice of PWGSC to process requests formally where the information is sensitive and may be subject to an exemption or an exclusion pursuant to sections 18 through 28, 69 and 70 of the Act.

4.1 Requests under the Privacy Act

There were 71 requests filed under the Privacy Act in 2006-2007. The majority of cases were for employee personal records related to staffing and classification activities (21 per cent), labour relations (11 per cent), security clearances (11 per cent), and pension and pay matters (seven per cent).

In addition, five government institutions consulted with PWGSC about the disclosure of information on five different cases. These cases accounted for seven per cent of the ATIP Directorate's privacy caseload.

Compared with the last two fiscal years, PWGSC experienced a 15 per cent increase in the total number of privacy requests received.

Table II
Processing Trends for Privacy Requests
Reporting Period Outstanding Received Completed Carried
Forward
2004-2005 12 63 71 4
2005-2006 4 62 64 2
2006-2007 2 71 67 6
4.2 Disposition of Completed Requests

Of the 73 requests processed, 67 (92 per cent) were completed during the 2006-2007 reporting period. The processing of the remaining six requests (eight per cent) was not completed as of March 31, 2007.

Taking into account only those cases where the Department was able to process the request, information was released, either in whole or in part, in 52 per cent of the cases.

The completed requests are categorized as follows:

4.2.1 All Disclosed

In 16 of the 67 completed cases (24 per cent), the requesters were provided with total access to the relevant records.

4.2.2 Disclosed in Part

In 19 instances (28 per cent), the requesters were granted partial access.

4.2.3 Nothing Disclosed (All Exempted or All Excluded)

There were no requests where all the information was withheld (exempted).

4.2.4 Unable to Process

After initial review, the Department was unable to process 30 requests (45 per cent). In most instances, this was because the Department did not have any records that were relevant to the request.

4.2.5 Abandoned by the Applicant

Of the completed requests, two were considered to be abandoned (three per cent). Such an action may occur at any stage of the request processing.


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4.3 Exemptions Invoked

An individual's right of access to their personal information under the Privacy Act is limited by a number of exemptions specified in sections 18 through 28 of the legislation.

Annex C is intended to show the types of exemptions invoked to deny access. For example, if in one request five different exemptions were used, one exemption under each relevant section would be reported for a total of five exemptions. If the same exemption was used several times for the same request, it would be reported only once.

As noted in Annex C, the majority of the exemptions invoked was under section 26 (information about another individual) of the Act.

4.4 Exclusions Invoked

The Act does not apply to published material or material available for purchase by the public, library or museum material preserved solely for public record, material placed in the Library and Archives Canada, or records considered to be confidences of the Queen's Privy Council, pursuant to sections 69 and 70 of the Act respectively.

As in the case of exemptions, Annex C is intended to show the types of exclusions invoked to deny access. For example, if in one request five different exclusions are cited, one exclusion under each relevant section would be reported for a total of five. If the same exclusion was used several times for the same request, it would be reported only once.

No exclusion was cited in dealing with privacy requests.

4.5 Extensions of the Time Limits

Time extensions were required and taken on eleven cases. In six cases, there was the need to consult with other government departments. For the remaining five cases, meeting the original time limit would have unreasonably interfered with the operations of the institution.

4.6 Completion Time

Fifty-two requests (78 per cent) were completed within the first 30 days, eight (12 per cent) were completed within 31 to 60 days, and five (seven per cent) were completed between 61 and 120 days from the date of receipt by the Department. Two cases (three per cent) required more than 120 days to process.

4.7 Translations

There were no requests for the translation of information from one official language to another.

4.8 Method of Access

Copies of the records were given in response to 35 requests (52 per cent). It should be noted that this category reflects only those requests where the information was all disclosed or disclosed in part.

4.9 Corrections and Notations

One request for correction of personal information was received, and the information was corrected. No requests were received for a notation to be placed on a file.

4.10 Costs

The amount of time devoted by ATIP Directorate staff to privacy issues, including the provision of advice, was similar to the last fiscal year.

Salary costs associated with privacy issues were $157,249.40 and operational and maintenance costs were $111,725.20 for a total cost of $268,974.60. The associated full-time equivalent resources utilization was 3.4.


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5. Complaints and Requests for Judicial Review Part III

Table III provides a breakdown of the complaints made to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and of requests for judicial review made to the Federal Court of Canada, over the past three fiscal years.

Table III
Privacy Complaints and Requests for Judicial Review
Reporting Period Complaints Requests for Judicial Review
2004-2005 4 0
2005-2006 7 0
2006-2007 2 0
5.1 Complaints to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

The ATIP Directorate saw a decrease (71 per cent) in the number of complaints made to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada in the 2006-2007 fiscal year.

Of the two complaints lodged with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner during the fiscal year, one concerned the inappropriate disclosure of personal information, one was about an exemption applied in response to a privacy request.

Three investigations were concluded relating to complaints that had been received by PWGSC inprior fiscal years. Of these, two complaints (67 per cent) were settled in the course of the investigation, and one (33 per cent) was discontinued. Seven complaint investigations were still being conducted at the end of the fiscal year.

5.2 Requests for Judicial Review

There were no requests made to the Federal Court of Canada seeking a judicial review of any decisions taken.


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Annex A: Delegation of Authority (Excerpt)

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Please note that the "March 1, 2006" version was updated with the following revisions on October 12, 2006.

  1. Schedule 1, Columns 56 & 57 (page 22 of Schedule 1) – the table of Specific Delegation of Authority was revised to include the position of Manager, Risk and Quality Management.
  2. Schedule 2, Column 10 (page 2 of Schedule 2) – The delegation of authority was revised to increase the authority limit of project managers in the Real Property Branch to amend contract in order to improve departmental efficiency.
  3. Schedule 3, Column 1 to 45 and 49 (pages 1 to 6 of Schedule 3) – the level 1 delegation was reduced from 100% (proposed in March, 2006 instrument) to 75% of the department limit. This was done to align Schedule 3 limits with the previous approved delegation of authority.

Further revisions were done to the March 2006 instrument effective March 14, 2007 and March 29, 2007 as follows:

  1. Schedule 2 was amended based on a revision to the Treasury Board Policy on Management of Real Property Effective November 1, 2006.
  2. Schedule 1 was amended based on an increase in contracting limits for the Material Management Directorate.

Minister's Delegation of Authorities

I hereby delegate the powers vested in the office of the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, in the manner defined in Schedules 1 to 4, the associated Tables of Equivalent Positions and specific delegations in the Notes to these schedules, including officers appointed on a temporary or acting basis to positions so defined, subject to the principles, guidelines, limitations and restrictions described in the department's Delegation of Authorities Manual and all relevant legislation, regulations and policies.

Specifically, this instrument is intended to delegate authority, as defined by:

Schedule 1

"Department – Wide Authorities", the "Table of Equivalent Positions" for Schedule 1 and the Specific Delegations contained in the  Noted to Schedule 1 , dated March 1, 2006;

Schedule 2

"Real Property Services Authorities", the "Table of Equivalent Positions" for Schedule 2, the "Table of Specific Delegations under the Federal Real Property and Federal Immovables Act" and the Specific Delegations contained in the "Notes to Schedule 2", dated March 1, 2006;

Schedule 3

"Common Service Acquisition Authorities", the "Table of Equivalent Positions" for Schedule 3 and the Specific Delegations contained in the "Notes to Schedule 3", dated March 1, 2006;

Schedule 4

"Receiver General for Canada Authorities", dated March 1, 2006.

Further, these delegations are made on the explicit understanding that they are to be used only:

  • commensurate with the level of responsibility assigned to the position and when required to undertake the duties of that position as described in the operational plans of the Department; and
  • to attain departmental objectives, within the departmental mandate; or
  • to attain clients objectives when providing common services to client departments.

The department's Delegation of Authorities Manual documents the delegated authorities of Public Works and Government Services and includes important information on the conditions under which I have made these delegations. All officers of the Department who are acting on my behalf in any matter related to these delegations must make themselves familiar with the contents of the manual to ensure that they are fully cognizant of the conditions and implications of doing so.

08 05 2007
Date

[orignal signedby the Minister]
The Honorable Michael M Fortier, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Works and Government Services

Department - Wide Authorities - Schedule 1

Column 56 - Access to Information Act
Specific Delegation of Authority
  • Level 1 - Director General, Executuve Secretariat - Full
  • Level 2 - Director, Access to Information and Privacy - Full
  • Level 3 - Manager, Risk and Quality Management[+] - Full
  • Level 4 - Chief, Access to Information and Privacy - Full[1]

[+] additional delegated position; as of October 12, 2006.

[1] only in regard to Paragraph 14(a) ; Sections 15 of the Pricacy Act.

Column 57 - Privacy
Specific Delegation of Authority
  • Level 1 - Director General, Executuve Secretariat - Full
  • Level 2 - Director, Access to Information and Privacy - Full*
  • Level 3 - Manager, Risk and Quality Management(+) - Full*
  • Level 4 - Chief, Access to Information and Privacy - Full(1)

* Except for Section 8(2)(m) of the Privacy Act re; personal information to be disclosed in the public interest.

(1) only in regard to Paragraph 7(a) ; Sections 9 and 27; and Subsections 8(1) and 11(2) to 11(6) of the Access to Information Act.

(+) additional delegated position ; as of October 12, 2006.


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Annex B: Statistical Report - Access to Information Act:

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lnstitution: PUBLIC WORKS AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES CANADA
Reporting period: 4/1/2006 to 3/31/2007
Media: 138
Academia: 1
Business: 380
Organization: 39
Public: 311

I. Requests under the Access to Information Act

Received during reportong period: 869
Outstanding from previous period: 211
TOTAL: 1,080
Completed during reporting period: 815
Carried forward: 265

II. Disposition of requests completed

  1. All Disclosed: 119
  2. Disclosed in part: 450
  3. Nothing disclosed (exculded): 6
  4. Nothing disclosed (exempt): 16
  5. Transferred: 44
  6. Unable to process: 107
  7. Abandoned by applicant: 71
  8. Treated informally: 2

TOTAL: 815


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III. Exemptions invoked

Exemptions Numbers
S.
Art. 13(1)(a) 		0
(b) 0
(c) 0
(d) 0
S.
Art. 14		 8
S.
Art. 15(1) International rel.		 0
Defence 7
Subversive activities 0
S.
Art. 16(1)(a)		 2
(b) 0
(c) 3
(d) 0
S.
Art. 16(2)		 16
S.
Art. 16(3)		 0
S.
Art. 17		 3
S.
Art. 18(a)		 1
S.
Art. 18(b) 		0
(c) 0
(d) 19
S.
Art. 19(1) 		329
S.
Art. 20(1)(a)		 3
(b) 187
(c) 200
(d) 13
S.
Art. 21(1)(a)		 28
(b) 30
(c) 24
(d) 15
S.
Art. 22		 8
S.
Art. 23		 46
S.
Art. 24		 236
S.
Art. 26		 6

IV. Exclusions cited

Exclusions Numbers
S.
Art. 68(a) 		6
(b) 0
(c) 0
S.
Art. 69(1)(a)		 1
(b) 0
S.
Art. 69(1)(c)		 2
(d) 1
(e) 7
(f) 0
(g) 18

V. Completion time

  • 30 days or under: 360
  • 31 to 60 days: 75
  • 61 to 120 days: 203
  • 121 days or over: 176

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VI. Extensions

  • 30 days or under
    • Searching: 17
    • Consultation: 18
    • Third party: 0
    • TOTAL: 35
  • 31 days or over
    • Searching: 19
    • Consultation: 226
    • Third party: 308
    • TOTAL: 553

VII. Translations

Translations requested: 0

  • Translations prepared
    • English to French: 0
    • French to English: 0

VIII. Method of access

  • Copies given: 558
  • Examination: 3
  • Copies and examination: 8

IX. Fees

Net fees collected
  • Application fees: $4,155.00
  • Reproduction: $4,909.60
  • Searching: $1,192.00
  • Preparation: $0.00
  • Computer processing: $1,492.75
  • TOTAL: $11,749.35
Fees waived
  • $25.00 or under: $2,861.30 - No. of times: 480
  • Over $25.00: $2,164.39 - No. of times: 13

X. Costs

Financial (all reasons)
  • Salary: $1,198,543.60
  • Administration (O and M): $1,005,852.80
  • TOTAL: $2,204,396.40
Person year utilizatlon (all reasons)
  • Person year (decimal format): 19.51

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Annex C: Statistical Report: Privacy Act

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lnstitution: PUBLIC WORKS AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES CANADA
Reporting period: 4/1/2006 to 3/31/2007

I. Requests under the Privacy Act

Received during reporting period: 71
Outstanding from previous period: 2
TOTAL: 73
Completed during reporting periad: 67
Carried forward: 6

II. Diposition requests completed

  1. All disclosed: 16
  2. Disclosed in part: 19
  3. Nothing disclosed (exclusion): 0
  4. Nothing disclosed (exemption): 0
  5. Unable to process: 30
  6. Abandoned by applicant: 2
  7. Transferred: 0

TOTAL: 67


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III. Exemptions invoked

Exemptions Numbers
S.
Art. 18(2) 		0
S.
Art. 19(1)(a) 		0
(b) 0
(c) 0
(d) 0
S.
Art. 20		 0
S.
Art. 21		 1
S.
Art. 22(1)(a)		 0
(b) 0
(c) 0
S.
Art. 22(2)		 0
S.
Art. 23(a)		 0
(b) 0
S.
Art. 24		 0
S.
Art. 25		 0
S.
Art. 26		 18
S.
Art. 27		 2
S.
Art. 28		 0

IV. Exclusions cited

Exclusions Numbers
S.
Art. 69(1)(a) 		0
(b) 0
S.
Art. 70(1)(a)		 0
(b) 0
(c) 0
(d) 0
(e) 0
(f) 0

V. Comletion time

  • 30 days or under: 52
  • 31 to 60 days: 8
  • 61 to 120 days: 5
  • 121 days or over: 2

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VI. Exentsions

30 days or under

  • Interference with operations: 5
  • Consultation: 6
  • Translation: 0
    TOTAL: 11

31 days or over

  • Interference with operations: 0
  • Consultation: 0
  • Translation: 0
    TOTAL: 0

VII. Translations

Translations requested: 0

  • Translations prepared
    • English to French: 0
    • French to English: 0

VIII. Method of access

  • Copies given: 35
  • Examination: 0
  • Copies and examination: 0

IX. Corrections and notation

  • Corrections requested: 1
  • Corrections made: 1
  • Notation attached: 0

X. Costs

Financial (all reasons)
  • Salary: $157,249.40
  • Administration (O and M): $111,725.20
  • TOTAL: $268,974.60
Person year utilizatlon (all reasons)
  • Person year (decimal format): 3.40

1 Government of Canada Marketplace - Changed from PIA to PPIA. (Return to note 1)

Date Modified: 2011-11-09

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Important Notices