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Annual Report to Parliament on the Access to Information Act 2012–2013

April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013

Table of Contents


Preface

The Access to Information Act (Revised Statutes of Canada, Chapter A-1, 1985) was proclaimed on July 1, 1983, giving Canadian citizens and permanent residents the right to access information contained in government records, subject to certain specific and limited exceptions.

The Access to Information Act (the Act) gives Canadian citizens, as well as people and corporations present in Canada, the right to access federal government records that are not of a personal nature. The Act complements, but does not replace, other procedures for obtaining government information. It is not intended to limit, in any way, the access to government information that is normally available to the public upon request.

This annual report describes how the Canada School of Public Service (the School) administered its responsibilities under the Act during the 2012-2013 fiscal year. This report is tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 72 of the Act.

Mandate of the Canada School of Public Service

The School is part of the Treasury Board portfolio. The School's enabling legislation is the Canada School of Public Service Act, under which it is mandated to

  • encourage pride and excellence in the public service;
  • foster a common sense of purpose, values and traditions in the public service;
  • support the growth and development of public servants;
  • help ensure that public servants have the knowledge, skills and competencies they need to do their jobs effectively;
  • support deputy heads in meeting the learning needs of their organizations; and
  • pursue excellence in public management and administration.

This mandate is delivered through four program activities: Foundational Learning, Organizational Leadership Development, Public Sector Management Innovation and Internal Services.

The School ensures that public servants have the common knowledge and the leadership and management competencies they require to fulfil their responsibilities in serving Canadians.

Access to Information Act Activities

The Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Office is part of the Strategic Directions, Program Development and Marketing Branch. It is comprised of one Director, who acts as the ATIP Coordinator for the School, and one ATIP Advisor. The School experienced an increase in the number of requests during this reporting year. In an effort to comply with the requirements of the Access to Information Act, two additional advisors were assigned to the ATIP Office to support activities related to access to information.

During the last quarter of this reporting year, the ATIP Coordinator's responsibilities were transferred to the Director General of the Marketing and Communications Division as a result of organizational changes undertaken in 2012-2013.

The ATIP Coordinator is responsible for daily activities related to the administration of the Act.

The responsibilities of the School's ATIP Office include

  • processing access to information requests submitted under the Act in accordance with legislation, regulations and Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) policies and guidelines;
  • responding to consultations received from other government institutions and organizations;
  • providing advice and guidance to requesters on the application of the Act as well as awareness and training to School employees;
  • responding to access-related matters in the Management Accountability Framework (MAF);
  • assisting the Office of the Information Commissioner in the resolution of complaints;
  • reviewing departmental documents prior to their proactive disclosure on the School's Web site;
  • ensuring that the School's information holdings are published in Info Source;
  • preparing the statistical report (included in Appendix A of this report) and the annual Access to Information Act report to Parliament; and
  • participating in ATIP community activities, such as the TBS ATIP practitioners' community meetings and working groups.

Delegation of Authority

For the purpose of the Act, the Deputy Minister/President of the School delegated full authority to the Director General of the Marketing and Communications Division, and the Vice-President of the Strategic Directions, Program Development and Marketing Branch. Copies of the signed delegation instrument for the Act are included in the Appendices.

Training and Awareness

Between October 2012 and February 2013, the School's ATIP Office organized and delivered four training and awareness sessions on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

A total of 86 School employees participated in the training and awareness sessions.

In 2012, a new section devoted to ATIP was developed on the School's intranet Web site. The section includes a link to the Access to Information Act, answers to frequently asked questions and a handbook for ATIP liaison officers.

The handbook was developed by the ATIP Office to introduce the ATIP legislation and regulations, outline the roles and responsibilities of School's ATIP stakeholders, identify the standards for processing requests, inform ATIP liaison officers of the procedures associated with record retrieval and identify reference material available to ATIP liaison officers.

As a result of the ATIP Office's workload, no policies, guidelines and procedures related to access to information were updated or implemented during this reporting year.

As part of the Open Government initiative, the School has been posting summaries of completed access to information requests on its Internet Web site since April 2011.

Governance

The School's activities related to access to information are informed by a strong departmental commitment to information management. The ATIP Office provides guidance on the management of access to information-related records, and the ATIP Coordinator builds organizational awareness of ATIP issues and links these issues to information management strategies.

In April 2010, a new TBS directive was established that included new provisions regarding the duty to assist requesters. In keeping with this directive, the ATIP Office has continued to take steps to inform applicants of the principles surrounding the School's obligations under the "Duty to Assist" provisions of the Access to Information Act.

The ATIP Office and its governance structure effectively support the organization's administration of access to information. Training is an integral part of this effective management. The ATIP Office is also responsible for items 12.4, 12.5 and 12.6 of the Area of Management on Information MAF; however, this Area of Management was not assessed during this reporting year.

In accordance with MAF, information management is an organization-wide priority and a responsibility of senior executives and managers. The School also participates in government-wide approaches to developing, implementing and sharing information management policies and practices.

In 2012-2013, the School's phased implementation of an information management system called GCDOCS neared completion. This system allows better organization of and access to information and facilitates collaboration throughout the School. This system will eventually replace the School's current shared drives as the primary information repository.

Complaints Received

During this reporting year, one complaint was filed under the Access to Information Act with the Office of the Information Commissioner. The investigation was not yet completed as of March 31, 2013.

Reading Room

Section 71 of the Access to Information Act requires government institutions to provide facilities where the public may inspect manuals used by employees of the institution in administering or carrying out programs or activities. In accordance with this section, the School has a library designated as a public reading room. It is made available to the public upon request. The library is located at the following address:

Asticou Campus
241 Cité-des-Jeunes Boulevard, Room 1359
Gatineau, Quebec
K1N 6Z2

Interpretation of the Access to Information Act Statistical Report 2012-2013

Requests Received under the Act

Between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013, the School received 26 new requests for information under the Act. The School also had 10 outstanding requests from the previous reporting period. The School completed all 36 requests during this reporting year.

In addition, the School received 12 consultation requests under the Act from other departments involving School records. Of the 12 consultation requests, 11 were completed, with 999 pages reviewed. One request was pending at the end of the reporting period with 241 pages to review. The School recommended full disclosure of records pertaining to the 11 consultation requests.

Disposition of Completed Requests

  • Disclosed in full – 15
  • Disclosed in part – 12
  • Exempted in its entirety – 1
  • Excluded in its entirety – 2
  • Request abandoned – 6

Source of Requests

  • Businesses – 6
  • Media – 5
  • Academia – 1
  • Public – 14

Completion Time and Extensions

  • Completed between 1 to 15 days – 8
  • Completed between 16 to 30 days – 17
  • Completed between 31 to 60 days – 8
  • Completed between 61 to 120 days – 3

Of the 36 requests closed during this reporting year, 33 were completed within allowable time limits. In 8 instances, the School found it necessary to seek extensions to the prescribed time limits because of interference with operations and to allow time to consult with other government institutions. An extension of 30 days or less was necessary for 7 of these requests and an extension of 30 days to 60 days was necessary for 1 request.

Exemptions and Exclusions

This section of the Statistical Report is intended to identify the number of requests in which specific exemptions or exclusions were invoked. If the same exemption or exclusion is claimed several times for the same request, it is reported only once.

The School invoked exemptions under the following sections of the Act:
19(1) – personal information
20(1)(b), 20(1)(d) – third party information
22.1(1) – internal audits
23 – solicitor-client privilege

The exclusions invoked under the Act were 69(1)(a), 69(1)(d), 69(1)(e), 69(1)(g) re (a), 69(1)(g) re (d) and 69(1)(g) re (e).

Format of Information Released

20 requests were released on paper and 7 were released through electronic format.

Relevant Pages Disclosed

There was a significant increase in the number of pages processed and released from that of the previous year.

A total of 1,185 pages were disclosed in full, and a total of 7,787 pages were disclosed in part, for a total of 8,972 pages, in comparison to the 1,292 pages released in 2011-2012.

Overview of Requests Received under the Access to Information Act Since 2011-2012

Overview of Requests Received under the Access to Information Act Since 2011-2012. Select a fiscal year from the first column and then read across the row to the right for the number of requests received, the number of requests complete, the number of pages processed and the number of pages released.
Fiscal Year Requests Received Requests Completed Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Released
2012-2013 26 36 8,972 8,972
2011-2012 56 52 1,371 1,292

Deemed Refusals

Four requests were completed after the statutory deadline due to the number of pages the ATIP Office had to process for requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

Fees

The Act authorizes fees for certain activities related to the processing of formal requests. In addition to a $5 application fee, search, preparation and reproduction charges may apply to various records. Current fees are specified in the Access to Information Regulations. No fees are imposed for reviewing records or for overhead shipping costs, and 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 the record for disclosure.

The fees collected during the reporting period totalled $175.

Costs

Salary costs related to the administration of the Access to Information Act incurred by the ATIP Office are estimated at $160,526, with Overhead and Maintenance costs at $2,009, for a total of $162,535. The dedicated resources for 2012-2013 were fixed at four part-time employees.

Appendices

Statistical Report

Name of institution: Canada School of Public Service

Reporting period: April 1, 2012 to March 31, 2013

Part 1 – Requests under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests

Received during the reporting period: 26
Outstanding from previous reporting period: 10
Total: 36
Closed during reporting period: 36
Carried over to next reporting period: 0

1.2 Sources of requests

Media: 5
Academia: 1
Business (Private Sector): 6
Organization: 0
Public: 14
Total: 26

Part 2 – Requests closed during the reporting period

2.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition and completion time. Read down the first column to the type of disposition that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of dispositions per completion time: 1 to 15 days, 16 to 30 days, 31 to 60 days, 61 to 120 days, 121 to 180 days, 181 to 365 days, and more than 365 days. Totals are provided in the last column and last row of the table.
Completion Time
Disposition of Requests 1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
3 8 2 2 0 0 0 15
Disclosed in part 0 6 6 0 0 0 0 12
All exempted 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
All excluded 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2
No records exist 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request transferred 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 6
Treated informally 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 8 17 8 3 0 0 0 36

2.2 Exemptions

Paragraph 13(1)(a): 0
Paragraph 13(1)(b): 0
Paragraph 13(1)(c): 0
Paragraph 13(1)(d): 0
Paragraph 13(1)(e): 0

Paragraph 14(a): 0
Paragraph 14(b): 0

Subsection 15(1) International Affairs: 0
Subsection 15(1) Defence of Canada: 0
Subsection 15(1) Subversive Activities: 0

Subparagraph 16(1)(a)(i): 0
Subparagraph 16(1)(a)(ii): 0
Subparagraph 16(1)(a)(iii): 0
Paragraph 16(1)(b): 0
Paragraph 16(1)(c): 0
Paragraph 16(1)(d): 0

Paragraph 16(2)(a): 0
Paragraph 16(2)(b): 0
Paragraph 16(2)(c): 0

Subsection 16(3): 0

Paragraph 16.1(1)(a): 0
Paragraph 16.1(1)(b): 0
Paragraph 16.1(1)(c): 0
Paragraph 16.1(1)(d): 0

Subsection 16.2(1): 0

Section 16.3: 0

Paragraph 16.4(1)(a): 0
Paragraph 16.4(1)(b): 0

Section 16.5: 0

Section 17: 0

Paragraph 18(a): 0
Paragraph 18(b): 0
Paragraph 18(c): 0
Paragraph 18(d): 0

Paragraph 18.1(1)(a): 0
Paragraph 18.1(1)(b): 0
Paragraph 18.1(1)(c): 0
Paragraph 18.1(1)(d): 0

Subsection 19(1): 11

Paragraph 20(1)(a): 0
Paragraph 20(1)(b): 9
Paragraph 20(1)(b.1): 0
Paragraph 20(1)(c): 0
Paragraph 20(1)(d): 1

Section 20.1: 0

Section 20.2: 0

Section 20.4: 0

Paragraph 21(1)(a): 0
Paragraph 21(1)(b): 0
Paragraph 21(1)(c): 0
Paragraph 21(1)(d): 0

Section 22: 0
Subsection 22.1(1): 2

Section 23: 2

Subsection 24(1): 0

Section 26: 0

2.3 Exclusions

Paragraph 68(a): 0
Paragraph 68(b): 0
Paragraph 68(c): 0

Section 68.1: 0
Paragraph 68.2(a): 0
Paragraph 68.2(b): 0

Paragraph 69(1)(a): 2
Paragraph 69(1)(b): 0
Paragraph 69(1)(c): 0
Paragraph 69(1)(d): 1
Paragraph 69(1)(e): 2
Paragraph 69(1)(f): 0
Paragraph 69(1)(g) re (a): 2
Paragraph 69(1)(g) re (b): 0
Paragraph 69(1)(g) re (c): 0
Paragraph 69(1)(g) re (d): 1
Paragraph 69(1)(g) re (e): 2
Paragraph 69(1)(g) re (f): 0

Subsection 69.1(1): 0

2.4 Format of information released

All disclosed:

  • Paper: 13
  • Electronic: 2
  • Other formats: 0

Disclosed in part:

  • Paper: 7
  • Electronic: 5
  • Other formats: 0

Total:

  • Paper: 20
  • Electronic: 7
  • Other formats: 0

2.5 Complexity

2.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed
Relevant pages processed and disclosed. Read down the first column to the type of disposition that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of pages processed, number of pages disclosed and number of requests.
Disposition of requests Number of pages processed Number of pages disclosed Number of requests
All disclosed 1,185 1,185 15
Disclosed in part 7,787 7,787 12
All exempted 0 0 1
All excluded 0 0 2
Request abandoned 0 0 6
2.5.2 Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests
Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests. Read down the first column to the type of disposition that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of requests and the number of pages disclosed for the following five categories: less than 100 pages processed, 101-500 pages processed, 501-1000 pages processed, 1001-5000 pages processed and more than 5000 pages processed. There are two columns for each category: the first column presents the number of requests and the second column presents the number of pages disclosed. Totals are provided in the last row of the table.
Disposition Less than 100 pages processed 101-500 pages processed 501-1000 pages processed 1001-5000 pages processed More than 5000 pages processed
Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed Number of requests Pages disclosed
All disclosed 13 448 2 737 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 5 208 2 655 1 832 4 6,092 0 0
All exempted 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Abandoned 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 27 656 4 1,392 1 832 4 6,092 0 0
2.5.3 Other complexities
Other complexities. Read down the first column to the type of disposition that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of dispositions in these categories: consultation required, assessment of fees, legal advice sought and other. Totals are provided in the last column and last row of the table.
Disposition Consultation
required
Assessment
of fees
Legal
advice
sought
Other Total
All disclosed 2 0 3 0 5
Disclosed in part 5 0 1 0 6
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0
Abandoned 0 4 0 1 5
Total 7 4 4 1 16

2.6 Deemed refusals

2.6.1 Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline

Number of requests closed past the statutory deadline: 4

Principal Reason:

  • Workload: 4
  • External consultation: 0
  • Internal consultation: 0
  • Other: 0
2.6.2 Number of days past deadline
Number of days past deadline. Read down the first column to the number of days past deadline that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of requests past deadline where no extension was taken and the number of requests past deadline where an extension was taken. Totals are also provided in the last column and last row of the table.
Number of days past deadline Number of requests past deadline where no extension was taken Number of requests past deadline where an extension was taken Total
1 to 15 days 1 1 2
16 to 30 days 0 0 0
31 to 60 days 1 0 1
61 to 120 days 1 0 1
121 to 180 days 0 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0 0
More than 365 days 0 0 0
Total 3 1 4

2.7 Requests for translation

English to French:

  • Accepted: 0
  • Refused: 0
  • Total: 0

French to English:

  • Accepted: 0
  • Refused: 0
  • Total: 0

Part 3 - Extensions

3.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests. Read down the first column to the type of disposition where an extension was taken that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of extensions for each of the following three reasons: 9(1)(a) - Interference with operations, 9(1)(b) - Consultation and 9(1)(c) - Third party notice. 9(1)(b) - Consultation is split into two columns: the first column presents section 69 and the second column is other. Totals are provided in the last row of the table.
Disposition of requests where
an extension was taken
9(1)(a)
Interference with operations
9(1)(b)
Consultation
9(1)(c)
Third party notice
Section 69 Other
All disclosed 1 0 2 0
Disclosed in part 0 2 3 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0
No records exist 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 1 0
Total 1 2 5 0

3.2 Length of extensions

Length of extensions. Read down the first column to the length of extension that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of extensions for each of the following reasons: 9(1)(a) - Interference with operations, 9(1)(b) - Consultation and 9(1)(c) - Third party notice. 9(1)(b) - Consultation is split into two columns: the first column presents section 69 and the second column is other. Totals are provided in the last row of the table.
Length of extensions 9(1)(a)
Interference with operations
9(1)(b)
Consultation
9(1)(c)
Third party notice
Section 69 Other
30 days or less 1 2 4 0
31 to 60 days 0 0 1 0
61 to 120 days 0 0 0 0
121 to 180 days 0 0 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0 0 0
365 days or more 0 0 0 0
Total 1 2 5 0

Part 4 – Fees

Fees. Read down the first column to the fee type that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of requests and the amount for the following two categories: fee collected and fee waived or refunded. There are two columns for each category: the first column presents the number of requests and the second column presents the amount. Totals are provided in the last row of the table.
Fee Type Fee Collected Fee Waived or Refunded
Number of requests Amount Number of requests Amount
Application 32 $175 4 $20
Search 0 $0 0 $0
Production 0 $0 0 $0
Programming 0 $0 0 $0
Preparation 0 $0 0 $0
Alternative format 0 $0 0 $0
Reproduction 0 $0 0 $0
Total 32 $175 4 $20

Part 5 – Consultations received from other institutions and organizations

5.1 Consultations received from other government institutions and organizations

Consultations received from other government institutions and organizations. Read down the first column to the consultation status that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of consultations with other government institutions and the number of pages to review in columns two and three, and the number of consultations with other organizations and the number of pages to review in columns four and five. Totals are provided in the third row of the table.
Consultations Other government institutions Number of pages to review Other organizations Number of pages to review
Received during reporting period 12 999 0 0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 0 0 0 0
Total 12 999 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 11 758 0 0
Pending at the end of the reporting period 1 241 0 0

5.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other government institutions

Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other government institutions. Read down the first column to the recommendation that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of days required to complete the consultation requests: 1 to 15 days, 16 to 30 days, 31 to 60 days, 61 to 120 days, 121 to 180 days, 181 to 365 days and more than 365 days. Totals are provided in the last column and last row of the table.
Recommendation Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
Disclose entirely 6 2 1 1 0 0 0 10
Disclose in part 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 6 3 1 1 0 0 0 11

5.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations

Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other government institutions. Read down the first column to the recommendation that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number of days required to complete the consultation requests: 1 to 15 days, 16 to 30 days, 31 to 60 days, 61 to 120 days, 121 to 180 days, 181 to 365 days and more than 365 days. Totals are provided in the last column and last row of the table.
Recommendation Number of days required to complete consultation requests
1 to 15 days 16 to 30 days 31 to 60 days 61 to 120 days 121 to 180 days 181 to 365 days More than 365 days Total
Disclose entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclose in part 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exempt entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Part 6 - Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences

Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences. Read down the first column to the number of days that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number responses received and the number of responses received past deadline. Totals are provided in the last row of the table.
Number of days Number of responses received Number of responses
received past deadline
1 to 15 days 0 0
16 to 30 days 0 0
31 to 60 days 0 0
61 to 120 days 0 0
121 to 180 days 0 0
181 to 365 days 0 0
More than 365 days 0 0
Total 0 0

Part 7 - Resources related to the Access to Information Act

7.1 Costs

Expenditures:

  • Salaries: $160,526
  • Overtime: $0
  • Goods and Services: $2,009
    • Professional services contracts: $0
    • Other: $2,009
  • Total: $162,535

7.2 Human Resources

Human Resources. Read down the first column to the type of resource that interests you. Read across the row to the right for the number dedicated full-time to ATI activities and the number dedicated part-time to ATI activities and total. Totals are provided in the last column and last row of the table.
Resources Dedicated full-time to ATI activities Dedicated part-time to ATI activities Total
Full-time employees 0.00 4.00 4.00
Part-time and casual employees 0.00 0.00 0.00
Regional staff 0.00 0.00 0.00
Consultants and agency personnel 0.00 0.00 0.00
Students 0.00 0.00 0.00
Total 0.00 4.00 4.00

Previously Released ATI Package Released Informally

Institution: Canada School of Public Service

Number of informal releases of previously released ATI packages: Nil

Delegation Orders

Access to Information Act

I, the undersigned Deputy Minister/President of the Canada School of Public Service, pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act, hereby authorize the Director General, Marketing and Communications, to exercise signing authorities or perform any of the powers, duties or functions vested in me by the Access to Information Act.

Original signed by:


Linda Lizotte-MacPherson
Deputy Minister/President
Canada School of Public Service

Ottawa, Ontario
December 13, 2012


Access to Information Act

I, the undersigned Deputy Minister/President of the Canada School of Public Service, pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act, hereby authorize the Director General, Marketing and Communications, to exercise signing authorities or perform any of the powers, duties or functions vested in me by the Access to Information Act.

Original signed by:


Linda Lizotte-MacPherson
Deputy Minister/President
Canada School of Public Service

Ottawa, Ontario
March 10, 2013


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