Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• A written request must be received in the ATIP Directorate. It may be in the form of a letter or you may use the request form which can be downloaded from Access to Information Request Form.
• A $5 application fee, which must be made payable to the Receiver General of Canada, must be received by the ATIP Directorate before your request will be processed. Payment can be made by cash, cheque, Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Diner Club card or money order.
• Provide your name, address and, if possible, a telephone number where you can be contacted between 7 am and 5 pm on weekdays. This will allow ATIP staff to contact you if there are any questions about the request and allow us to keep you apprised of the status of your request.
• As there are costs associated with the search for information, including computer processing time, please be as specific as possible when describing the records you want to access (include file numbers and contract numbers where applicable)
• The request form or letter should be signed and dated.

Your completed Access to Information request form or letter should be addressed to:

Director
Access to Information and Privacy
Public Works and Government Services Canada
5C1, Place du Portage, Phase III
11 Laurier Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0S5

Fax: 819-994-2119

If your request relates to another institution, please refer to the list of Access to Information and Privacy Coordinators.

• A written request must be received in the ATIP office. It may be in the form of a letter or you may use the request form which can be downloaded from Personal Information Request Form.
• Provide your name, address and, if possible, a telephone number where you can be contacted between 7 am and 5 pm on weekdays. This will allow ATIP staff to contact you if there are any questions about the request and allow us to keep you apprised of the status of your request.
• Please be as specific as possible when describing the records you want to access.
• The request form or letter, should be signed and dated by the individual who is the subject of the request. If the form or letter is faxed to the ATIP Directorate, the original form or letter must subsequently be forwarded by mail.

Your completed Personal Information request form or letter should be addressed to:

Director
Access to Information and Privacy
Public Works and Government Services Canada
5C1, Place du Portage, Phase III
11 Laurier Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0S5

Fax: 819-994-2119

If your request relates to another institution, please refer to the list of Access to Information and Privacy Coordinators.

The Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act were proclaimed on July 1, 1983. The Acts were most recently 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 (ATIA) gives Canadian citizens, permanent residents and corporations present in Canada, the right of access to information contained in federal government records, subject to certain specified and limited exceptions.

The Privacy Act extends to individuals the right of access to information about themselves held by the government, subject to specific and limited exceptions. The law also protects the individual's privacy by preventing others from having access to personal information and gives individuals substantial control over its collection and use.

The Access to Information Act (ATIA) injects three principles into the relationship between government and the public:

• the public has a legal right of access to information contained in federal government records;
• although the government may refuse to grant access, its authority to do so is limited to the circumstances described in the ATIA as exemptions or exclusions; the burden of proving that such information is exempted or excluded rests with the institution;
• any decision by a government institution to refuse access to information can be reviewed by the Information Commissioner and, ultimately by the Federal Court.

Any documented material, regardless of physical form or characteristics fall under the Act. This includes anything in recorded form such as videos, cassettes, drawings, diagrams, draft documents, emails, minutes of meetings and memos.

Anything can be requested under the Acts, however, not all material is releasable.

The Privacy Act sets out the rules governing the collection, retention and disposal of personal information. It also provides a use and disclosure code for the protection of this information. This code stipulates the criteria under which information can be disclosed, including for what purposes and to whom it may be disclosed.

Personal information about an individual can only be disclosed to someone else with the consent of the individual or when one or more of the criteria set out in the Act are met.