Annual Report to Parliament on the Access to Information Act April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2015

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Introduction
Our Mandate
Our Mission
Access to Information Activities
Historical Trend Analysis
Appendix A – Statistical Report
Appendix B – Additional Reporting
Appendix C – Delegation Order

INTRODUCTION

The Office of the Correctional Investigator is pleased to submit to Parliament its Annual Report on the administration of the Access to Information Act ( ATIA ) for the fiscal year commencing on April 1, 2014 and ending March 31, 2015. This report is submitted in accordance with section 72 of the Act .

The Access to Information Act took effect on July 1, 1983.The ATIA gives Canadian citizens, permanent residents and any person and corporation present in Canada a right of access to information contained in government records, subject to certain specific and limited exceptions.

OUR MANDATE

The Office of the Correctional Investigator is mandated by Part III of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act as an Ombudsman for federal offenders. The primary function of the Office is to investigate and bring resolution to individual offender complaints. The Office as well, has a responsibility to review and make recommendations on the Correctional Service's policies and procedures associated with the areas of individual complaints to ensure that systemic areas of concern are identified and appropriately addressed.

OUR MISSION

As the ombudsman for federally sentenced offenders, the Office of the Correctional Investigator serves Canadians and contributes to safe, lawful and humane corrections through independent oversight of the Correctional Service of Canada by providing accessible, impartial and timely investigation of individual and systemic concerns. While an independent organization, the Office of the Correctional Investigator is part of the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Portfolio.

ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACTIVITIES

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness is the designated head of the institution for the Access to Information Act . The Correctional Investigator has been delegated full authority under the Access to Information Act by the Minister. Limited authority under the Act has been delegated to the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator. The delegation of authority to administer the Act was confirmed by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness on January 21, 2014 ( see Appendix C ).

While the responsibilities of ATIP Coordinator are assigned to the Director of Corporate Services and Planning, the actual processing of requests and any associated activities are generally carried out by a consultant. It is felt that this is the most cost effective utilization of resources and delivery of these activities.

The ATIP Coordinator is accountable for the development, coordination and implementation of effective policies, guidelines, systems and procedures to ensure the responsibilities under the Access to Information Act are met and to enable appropriate processing and proper disclosure of information. The Coordinator is also responsible for related policies, systems and procedures emanating from the Act .

The main activities of the ATIP Coordinator include:

Processing requests under the Act ;
Developing and maintaining policies, procedures and guidelines to ensure the Act is respected;
Promoting awareness of the Act to ensure the OCI’s responsiveness to the obligations imposed on the government;
Monitoring the OCI’s compliance with the Act , regulations and relevant procedures and policies;
Preparing annual reports to Parliament and other statutory reports, as well as other material that may be required by central agencies;
Representing the OCI in dealings with the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Information Commissioner and other government agencies regarding the application of the Act as they relate to the OCI; and
Supporting the OCI in meeting its commitments in relation to greater openness and transparency through proactive disclosure of information and the disclosure of information through informal avenues.

During the Reporting Period:

Eight (8) requests were received and 1 was outstanding from the previous reporting period for a total of 9 requests. Six (6) of these requests were disclosed in part, none were disclosed entirely, none were abandoned, none were exempted in their entirety, none were transferred and 3 were carried forward to the next reporting period. All but 3 requests were processed within the legislative time frame. Extensions were needed for 5 of the requests. There were no significant issues surrounding these 8 requests.

Monitoring of the time required to process these access requests was completed in preparing the historical trend analysis below; moreover, discussions with the consultant on this matter took place with a view to improving response times.

There was no formal access to information-related training provided during the reporting period; however, advice, guidance and recommendations were provided by the consultant on an as required basis to Management and staff.

There were no new OCI-specific access related procedures, policies or guidelines implemented. However, preliminary work began on the customization of an electronic ATIP system for implementation in the 2015-16 reporting period.

The OCI did not receive any complaints.

For 2014-2015, the costs directly associated with the administration of the Access to Information Act are estimated at $30,168.00.

Staff: $6,092.00
Consultant fees: $24,076.00

The associated employee resources for 2014-2015 are estimated at 0.25 FTE for administering the Access to Information Act .

HISTORICAL TREND ANALYSIS

Over a five year period, from 2010-11 to 2014-15, the OCI received an average of 14 requests annually; the lowest number of requests received in a reporting period was12 and the highest number of requests received in a reporting period was 17. The average completion time within 30 days was 43% of all requests; the average completion time within 60 days was 23% of all requests; and the total average completion rate from 1 to 60 days was 66% of all requests.

The Source of the Requests was most often the Public with an average of 8 requests followed by the Media with an average of 4 requests. With regards to the number of pages processed, an average of 2,867 was recorded; the highest number of pages processed in a reporting period was 4,834; the lowest number of pages processed in a reporting period was 2,241.

The most frequently used exemptions were:

19(1): 42%
16(1)(d): 19%
21(1)(b): 10%
16(1)(a): 8%

A total of 34 Extensions for Consultations were recorded for an average of 7 extensions per reporting period; the highest number of extensions in one reporting period was 10; the lowest number of extensions in one reporting period was 3.

A total of 31 Consultations were received from other government organizations for an average of 6 consultations per reporting period.

This baseline data will be used in future years to assess trends, inform ongoing improvement in the processing of ATI requests and implementing corrective measures.

APPENDIX A - Statistical Report

Name of institution: Office of the Correctional Investigator

Reporting period: 2014-04-01 to 2015-03-31

PART 1 - Requests Under the Access to Information Act

**1.1 Number of requests**
Number of Requests
Received during reporting period	8
Outstanding from previous reporting period	1
Total	9
Closed during reporting period	6
Carried over to next reporting period	3

**1.2 Sources of requests**
Source	Number of Requests
Media	5
Academia	0
Business (private sector)	0
Organization	0
Public	3
Decline to Identify	0
Total	8

**1.3 Informal requests**
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	More Than 365 Days	Total
2	1	0	0	0	0	0	3

Note: All requests previously recorded as "treated informally" will now be accounted for in this section only.

PART 2 - Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

**2.1 Disposition and completion time**
Disposition of Requests	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
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	1	1	1	2	1	0	0	6
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
No records exist	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request transferred	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	1	1	1	2	1	0	0	6

**2.2 Exemptions**
Section	Number of Requests
13(1)(a)	0
13(1)(b)	0
13(1)(c)	0
13(1)(d)	0
13(1)(e)	0
14	0
14(a)	0
14(b)	0
15(1) - I.A. ¹	0
15(1) - Def. ²	0
15(1) - S.A. ³	0
16(1)(a)(i)	1
16(1)(a)(ii)	0
16(1)(a)(iii)	0
16(1)(b)	0
16(1)(c)	0
16(1)(d)	1
16(2)	0
16(2)(a)	0
16(2)(b)	0
16(2)(c)	0
16(3)	0
16.1(1)(a)	0
16.1(1)(b)	0
16.1(1)(c)	0
16.1(1)(d)	0
16.2(1)	0
16.3	0
16.4(1)(a)	0
16.4(1)(b)	0
16.5	0
17	1
18(a)	0
18(b)	0
18(c)	0
18(d)	0
18.1(1)(a)	0
18.1(1)(b)	0
18.1(1)(c)	0
18.1(1)(d)	0
19(1)	3
20(1)(a)	0
20(1)(b)	0
20(1)(b.1)	0
20(1)(c)	0
20(1)(d)	0
20.1	0
20.2	0
20.4	0
21(1)(a)	0
21(1)(b)	0
21(1)(c)	0
21(1)(d)	1
22	0
22.1(1)	0
23	1
24(1)	0
26	0
¹I.A.: International Affairs ²Def.: Defence of Canada ³S.A.: Subversive Activities

**2.3 Exclusions**
Section	Number of Requests
68(a)	0
68(b)	0
68(c)	0
68.1	0
68.2(a)	0
68.2(b)	0
69(1)	0
69(1)(a)	0
69(1)(b)	0
69(1)(c)	0
69(1)(d)	0
69(1)(e)	0
69(1)(f)	0
69(1)(g) re (a)	0
69(1)(g) re (b)	0
69(1)(g) re (c)	0
69(1)(g) re (d)	0
69(1)(g) re (e)	0
69(1)(g) re (f)	0
69.1(1)	0

**2.4 Format of information released**
Disposition	Paper	Electronic	Other formats
All disclosed	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	6	0	0
Total	6	0	0

2.5 Complexity

**2.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed**
Disposition of Requests	Number of Pages Processed	Number of Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests
All disclosed	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	3162	798	6
All exempted	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0

**2.5.2 Relevant pages processed and disclosed by size of requests**
Disposition	Less than 100 Pages Processed		101-500 Pages Processed		501-1000 Pages Processed		1001-5000 Pages Processed		More than 5000 Pages Processed
Disposition	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	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	2	26	3	489	0	0	1	283	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	2	26	3	489	0	0	1	283	0	0

**2.5.3 Other complexities**
Disposition	Consultation Required	Total
All disclosed	0	0
Disclosed in part	5	5
All exempted	0	0
All excluded	0	0
Request Abandoned	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0
Total	5	5

2.6 Deemed refusals

**2.6.1 Reasons for not meeting statutory deadline**
Number of Requests Closed Past the Statutory Deadline	Principal Reason
Number of Requests Closed Past the Statutory Deadline	Workload	External Consultation	Internal Consultation	Other
3	1	2	0	0

**2.6.2 Number of days past deadline**
Number of Days Past Deadline	Number of Requests Past Deadline Where an Extension WasTaken	Total
1 to 15 days	1	1
16 to 30 days	1	1
31 to 60 days	0	0
61 to 120 days	0	0
121 to 180 days	1	1
181 to 365 days	0	0
More than 365 days	0	0
Total	3	3

**2.7 Requests for translation**
Translation Requests	Accepted	Refused	Total
English to French	0	0	0
French to English	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0

PART 3 - Extensions

**3.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests**
Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken	9(1)(a) Interference with Operations	9(1)(b) Consultation		9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken	9(1)(a) Interference with Operations	Section 69	Other	9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
All disclosed	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	1	0	3	1
All exempted	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0
No records exist	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0
Total	1	0	3	1

**3.2 Length of extensions**
Length of Extensions	9(1)(a) Interference With Operations	9(1)(b) Consultation		9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
Length of Extensions	9(1)(a) Interference With Operations	Section 69	Other	9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
30 days or less	1	0	3	1
31 to 60 days	0	0	0	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	0	3	1

PART 4 - Fees

**Fees**
Fee Type	Fee Collected		Fee Waived or Refunded
Fee Type	Number of Requests	Amount	Number of Requests	Amount
Application	4	$20	2	$10
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	4	$20	2	$10

PART 5 - Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

**5.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations**
Consultations	Other Government of Canada Institutions	Number of Pages to Review
Received during reporting period	7	76
Outstanding from the previous reporting period	0	0
Total	7	76
Closed during the reporting period	7	76
Pending at the end of the reporting period	0	0

**5.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada Institutions**
Recommendation	Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests
Recommendation	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	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	7
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	7	0	0	0	0	0	0	7

**5.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations**
Recommendation	Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests
Recommendation	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

**6.1 Requests with Legal Services**
Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed		101-500 Pages Processed		501-1000 Pages Processed		1001-5000 Pages Processed		More Than 5000 Pages Processed
Number of Days	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
1 to 15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

**6.2 Requests with Privy Council Office**
Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed		101-500 Pages Processed		501-1000 Pages Processed		1001-5000 Pages Processed		More Than 5000 Pages Processed
Number of Days	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
1 to 15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Part 7 - Complaints and Investigations


Section 31	Section 35	Section 37	Total
0	0	0	0

Part 8: Court Action


Section 41	Section 42	Section 44	Total
0	0	0	0

Part 9 - Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

**9.1 Costs**
Expenditures	Amount
Salaries	$6,092
Overtime	$0
Goods and Services	$24,076
Professional services contracts	$24,076
Other	$0
Total	$30,168

**9.2 Human Resources**
Resources	Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities
Full-time employees	0.25
Part-time and casual employees	0.00
Regional staff	0.00
Consultants and agency personnel	0.25
Students	0.00
Total	0.50

Note: Enter values to two decimal places.

Appendix B - Additional Reporting

**Previously released ATI package released informally**
Institution	Number of informal releases of previously released ATI packages
Office of the Correctional Investigator	16

Appendix C - Delegation Order

Access to Information Act Delegation Order

The Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness , pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act , hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto to exercise the powers and perform the duties and functions of the Minister as head of a government institution, that is, the Office of the Correctional Investigator, under the sections of the Act set out in the schedule opposite each position.

Schedule

Position

Correctional Investigator
Executive Director and General Counsel
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator

Sections of the Access to Information Act

7, 8(1), 9, 10, 11(2) to (6) incl., 12(2), 12(3), 13, 14, 15 to 24 incl., 25, 26, 27, 28(1), (2), (4), 29(1), 33, 35(2), 37(4), 43(1), 44(2), 52(2), (3), 71, 72 .

Section of the Regulations

6(1), 7, 8.

Dated at the City of Ottawa this 21th day of January, 2014

Signed by:
Steven Blaney, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness

Date modified
2016-08-08

Office of the Correctional Investigator - Report

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