2019-2020 Annual Report on the Access to Information Act

Publication Information

This publication is available online at http://www.ic.gc.ca/eic/site/atip-aiprp.nsf/eng/h_00035.html.

To obtain a copy of this publication, or to receive it in an alternate format (Braille, large print, etc.), please fill out the Publication Request Form at www.ic.gc.ca/Publication-Request or contact:

Web Services Centre
Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
235 Queen Street
OTTAWA ON  K1A 0H5

Telephone (toll-free in Canada): 1-800-328-6189
Telephone (international): 613-954-5031
TTY (for hearing impaired): 1-866-694-8389
Business hours: 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time)
Email: ISED@canada.ca

Cover photography by: Martin Adams, courtessy of Unsplash – Photos for Everyone.

Permission to Reproduce

Except as otherwise specifically noted, the information in this publication may be reproduced, in-part or in-whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, provided that due diligence is exercised in ensuring the accuracy of the information reproduced, that the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development is identified as the source institution and that the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the information reproduced or as having been made in affiliation with, or with the endorsement of, the Department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.

For permission to reproduce the information in this publication for commercial purposes, please fill out the Application for Crown Copyright Clearance at www.ic.gc.ca/copyright-request or contact the Web Services Centre mentioned above.

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, (2020).

Cat. No. Iu1-19/1E-PDF
ISSN 2371-2821

Aussi offert en français sous le titre : Rapport annuel concernant la Loi sur l'accès à l'information.

Introduction

Purpose

The Access to Information Act (Revised Statutes of Canada, Chapter A-1, 1985) was proclaimed on July 1, 1983.

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

Section 94 of the Access to Information Act requires that the head of every government institution prepare, for submission to Parliament, an annual report on the administration of the Act within the institution during each financial year.

Section 20 of the Service Fees Act requires a responsible authority to report annually to Parliament on the fees collected by institutions.

This annual report is tabled in Parliament pursuant to section 94 of the Access to Information Act and section 20 of the Service Fees Act, and describes how Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada administered its responsibilities for the reporting period.

Institutional Mandate

Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) helps Canadian businesses grow, innovate and expand so they can create good-quality jobs and wealth for Canadians. It also supports science research and the integration of scientific considerations into investment and policy choices. The Department helps small businesses grow through trade and innovation and promotes increased tourism in Canada. The Department also works to position Canada as a global centre for innovation where investments support clean and inclusive growth, the middle class prospers through more job opportunities and companies become global leaders.

ISED's efforts focus on improving conditions for investment, supporting science, helping small and medium-sized businesses grow, building capacity for clean and sustainable technologies and processes, increasing Canada's share of global trade, promoting tourism, and building an efficient and competitive marketplace.

ISED supports four Ministers:

  • The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry;
  • The Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages;
  • The Minister of Small Business, Export Promotion and International Trade; and
  • The Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development.

The Department also supports one Deputy Minister and one Associate Deputy Minister.

For more information on the Department's organizational mandate letter commitments, see the ministers' mandate letters section of the Prime Minister's Website.

Organizational Structure

Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Services is part of the Office of the Corporate Secretary (OCS) of ISED. The team has a complement of 10 employees consisting of one director, two managers and seven advisors, all of whom are dedicated to processing Access to Information and Privacy requests, as well as related functions (e.g. policy, training and outreach). Additionally, the team is also supported by three students, engaged in various administrative and case management activities.

Staffing levels continue to be affected by the high attrition of full-time, qualified employees—a trend that continues to impact the entire federal ATIP community.  Efforts to engage additional staff are ongoing.

ATIP Services is responsible for the implementation and management of programs and services relating to the administration of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act for the Department. Specifically, ATIP Services makes decisions on the disposition of access and privacy requests; promotes awareness of the legislation to ensure departmental responsiveness to statutory obligations; monitors and advises on departmental compliance with the Acts, regulations, procedures and policies; and represents ISED on ATIP matters when dealing with the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, the Information Commissioner of Canada, the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, the Privy Council Office and other government institutions. ATIP Services is also responsible for consulting with other federal departments and third-parties with respect to ATIP requests received.

The Director of ATIP Services is responsible for the development, coordination and implementation of effective policies, guidelines and procedures to manage the Department's compliance with the Acts. The administration of the legislation within the Department is managed by ATIP Services, but is also facilitated at the sector, branch and regional office levels. Each sector and corporate branch has an ATIP Liaison Officer (reporting to an Assistant Deputy Minister, Executive Director, etc.) who coordinates activities and provides guidance on the administrative processes and procedures of the Acts. ATIP Services, which is located in Ottawa, responds to all formal requests submitted to the Department under both Acts.

Section 96 of the Access to Information Act permits institutions reporting to the same Minister to enter into agreements with each-other for the purpose of sharing ATIP resources and capacity; however, to-date, ISED has not entered into any such agreements with its affiliated portfolio organizations.

Delegation of Authority

The current ATIP Delegation Order was approved in June 2016. Pursuant to section 73 of the Acts, the Minister has delegated full authority to the Corporate Secretary and the Director and the Managers of ATIP Services. The designation of the Corporate Secretary position is for the purposes of providing strategic support and advice to the executive management of the Department concerning ATIP issues, if and when required. For all daily ATIP activities and operations, the Director and the Managers of ATIP Services exercise full responsibility (see Appendix B).

Performance

Responses Within Legislated Timelines

In 2019-2020, 813 Access to Information requests were brought to conclusion; of these, 657 were concluded within legislated timelines, resulting in on-time performance of 81%. The current on-time performance equates to a performance ranking of "Grade-level D" as determined by the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada. In 2018-2019, ISED's on-time performance was 88%, or "Grade-level C". Although its grade declined in 2019-2020, ISED processed substantially more consultation requests (up 39%) and informal requests (up 40%), and the total pages reviewed increased (up 178%) relative to the previous year.

Multi-year Trends

ISED received a total of 913 Access to Information requests in 2019-2020.  This represents an 18% decrease compared to the 1,110 requests received during the previous year. In addition to the 913 new requests received, 261 incomplete requests were carried-over from the previous year, for a total caseload of 1,174 requests.  Of the total 1,174 requests, 813 were closed during the reporting period, and 361 were carried-forward to the next year.

Additionally, the Department also managed 581 consultation requests from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations (496 new during the reporting period and 85 that were carried-over from the previous year).  This represents a 38% increase over last year's consultation case load of 421 requests.  Of the current 581 consultation requests, 506 were closed (47% more than last year's 345 closures) and 75 were carried-forward to 2020-2021.

The Department also received and completed 631 informal requests for copies of previously released Access to Information requests; a 40% increase over last year's 452 informal requests.

The volume of pages processed (including access, consultation and informal requests) totaled 808,812 pages – an increase of 178% over last year's processed page count of 290,797 (the increase brings this year's page count to 276% of last year's overall page count).  Of the current 808,812 page count, 445,735 pages were disclosed in part or in full, while the balance was either entirely exempt or excluded in keeping with legislative requirements.

It should be noted that this year's 178% increase in the number of processed pages is due in part to three extraordinarily large requests of 17,000, 46,000 and 270,000 pages respectively, of which, only 5% qualified for full or partial disclosure.

Completion Times for Closed Requests

The 813 Access to Information requests closed by ISED during the reporting period were completed within the following timeframes:

  • 171 within 1 to 15 days (21%)
  • 309 within 16 to 30 days (38%)
  • 103 within 31 to 60 days (13%)
  • 149 within 61 to 120 days (18%)
  • 29 within 121 to 180 days (3.5%)
  • 29 within 181 to 365 days (3.5%)
  • 23 within 366 or more days (3%)

Disposition of Requests

The disposition of the 813 completed Access to Information requests is as follows:

  • 154 were fully disclosed (19%)
  • 435 were disclosed in part (53%)
  • 95 had no existing records (12%)
  • 54 requests were abandoned (7%)
  • 52 requests were transferred (6%)
  • 7 were all excluded (1%)
  • 16 were all exempted (2%)

Records were fully disclosed for 19% of cases, as compared to 14% in 2018-2019, while 53% were disclosed in part as compared to 63% the previous year. Also, records were fully exempted and excluded in only 2% and 1%, respectively, of requests, similar to 2018-2019.

Vexatious Requests

June 21, 2019 changes to the Access to Information Act, brought about by the Royal Assent of Bill C-58, allow institutions to seek the approval of the Information Commissioner of Canada to refuse to act on vexatious requests (requests made frivolously, which are not reasonably purposeful and filed solely to cause annoyance).

Between Royal Assent on June 21, 2019 and the remainder of the reporting period, ISED received no vexatious requests and therefore had no cause to seek any refusals to act, from the Commissioner.

Limits to the Right of Access – Exemptions and Exclusions

Exemptions in accordance with sections 13 through 24 of the Access to Information Act were invoked by the Department as outlined in the Annual Statistical Report at Appendix A.  Several exempting provisions can be applied to withhold information in response to one request, and these are reported separately in the statistical report.  However, the same exempting provision invoked to withhold information more than once within the same request is reported only once in the statistical report.

The statistics demonstrate that ISED invoked approximately half of the existing exempting provisions throughout the reporting period, which is reflective of the nature of the information held by the Department.  Those most frequently used, are as follows:

  • 19 (Personal Information): 118 uses;
  • 20 (Third-party Information): 167 uses; and
  • 21 (Advice to Government): 521 uses.

The department has several statutory exempting provisions recognized under the Access to Information Act, pursuant to section 24; such exemptions are most frequently applied to information relating to the Competition Act and the Investment Canada Act, and ISED invoked section 24 of the Access to Information Act on 13 occasions during the reporting period.

The Access to Information Act does not apply to published material, material available for purchase by the public (section 68 of the Act), or confidences of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada (cabinet confidences) (section 69 of the Act). As in the case of these exemptions, Appendix A shows the frequency these exclusions were invoked. The majority of the exclusions invoked by the Department to withhold information were related to cabinet confidences (section 69), which was invoked 117 times, compared with just six such instances for published material (section 68).

Sources of Requests

The media and business communities continued to represent the most frequent types of requesters, representing 72% of all new requests received in 2019-2020 (55% and 17% respectively).  Requesters who declined to self-identify with a "requester type" decreased slightly, to 14% (as compared to 16% in the previous year).

Organizations and members of the public submitted 10% of total requests received (12% in the previous year). Consistent with previous years, academic institutions submitted the fewest requests, at 4% (3% in the previous year).

Extensions

Throughout the year, ISED invoked extensions on Access to Information requests on 320 occasions, for different reasons and lengths.  On the reasons for extensions, unreasonable interference with the operations of government was cited for 60 of the extensions (19%), while consultations with other federal or private sector organizations accounted for 194 of the extensions (61%) and negotiating with or awaiting on approvals of third-parties accounted for the remaining 66 cases (20%).  The length of the extensions taken is as follows:

  • 30 days or less, 74 cases (23%)
  • 31 to 60 days, 137 cases (43%)
  • 61 to 120 days, 88 cases (27%)
  • 121 to 180 days, 10 cases (3%)
  • 181 to 365 days, 9 cases (3%)
  • More than 365 days, 2 cases (1%)

Topics of Information Requested

The topics of information requested during the year were similar to those reported in previous years, most notably, on the four most-requested topics: briefing notes and lists (476 requests, representing 52% of new cases), business issues (122 requests, representing 13% of new cases) and telecommunications (61 requests, representing 7% of new cases).  The remaining 254 requests, representing the final 28% of cases, pertained to a combination of other ISED business topics, such as the aerospace and automotive sectors, grants and contriutions and funding agreements.

Requests for briefing notes and lists remained the most-requested topic four years running:

Year 2019-20 2018-19 2017-18 2016-17

Total New Requests

913

1,110

1,700

1,476

Requests for BNs and Lists

52%

57%

71%

66%

Consultations Completed for Other Institutions

ISED managed a case load of 581 consultation requests from other departments and institutions, including 496 newly received during the year and 85 which were carried-over from the previous year.  Of the total case load of 581 cases, the Department completed 506 requests and carried 75 cases forward to the new year.

ISED recommended disclosure, in-full or in-part, for 430 cases (85%) with exemptions or other actions being recommended for the remaining 76 cases (15%).

With respect to the processing times of consultations, 83% (422 cases) were completed within two months.  A further 16% (80 cases) took four months to complete, with the remaining 1% (4 cases) taking up to one year to complete.

COVID-19 Operational Measures

On March 16 2020, ISED requested most employees to telework until further notice, to ensure the safety of its employees.  In response, ATIP Services mitigated potential operational impacts by ensuring that analysts could effectively continue processing requests while working from home, by digitizing the greatest possible volume of documents responsive to ATIP requests and importing them into shared drives and case management systems.

Annual Statistical Report

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat prescribes requirements for annual statistical reports on the Access to Information Act, which must comprise part of the corresponding annual reports to Parliament.  ISED's Annual Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act is attached to this report as Annex A.

Fees and Operating Costs

Access to Information Fees

Pursuant to the Interim Directive on the Administration of the Access to Information Act, issued by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat on May 5, 2016, and the changes to the Access to Information Act that came into force on June 21, 2019, ISED waives all fees prescribed by the Act and its Regulations, to the exclusion of the $5 application fee prescribed by paragraph 7(1)(a) of the Regulations.

During the reporting period, ISED collected fees totalling $2,265 for 453 of its 913 newly received Access to Information requests.

To help ensure that requests are more manageable in volume, and deliver responses in a more timely fashion, ISED frequently separates large requests for voluminous information or that pertain to multiple subjects (e.g. briefing notes, etc.), and waives additional application fees in respect of these separated requests.   In 2019-2020, ISED waived $2,300 (representing 460 cases) through this smart practice.

Operating Costs

The cost of delivering ISED's Access to Information program and services for 2019-2020 was $1,091,922, based on salary costs and operating expenses.

Salary costs for 2019-2020 totalled $1,029,577.  This equates to 13.47 full-time employees, including students, when averaged over the year.

Operating expenses for the year totalled $62,345 which included $22,800 for professional services contracts and $39,545 for case management system licensing, and administrative costs for printing and postage.

Training and Awareness

Enhanced awareness and knowledge of ATIP obligations on the part of departmental officials has shown to improve the quality of responses and ISED's rate of compliance with legal obligations.

ATIP Services was the lead branch within ISED charged with the implementation of Bill C-58.  Throughout 2019-2020, ATIP Services delivered numerous training and awareness sessions to employees across the Department, on both the Access to Information Act and its requirements, as well as on the implementation of Bill C-58, which focused primarily on preparing for new and enhanced proactive publication requirements.  As part of this effort, ATIP Services also facilitated the exchange of guidance and information on proactive publishing between the TBS, the PCO and the ATIP community and the Department's officials and portfolio agencies throughout 2019-2020.

In total, 35 Access to Information-related training sessions were delivered to 481 employees, as follows:

  • ATIP Overview Sessions:  A high-level overview of legislation, associated timelines, processes and the role of the Department, the courts and the Information and Privacy Commissioners of Canada.
    • 18 Sessions, 176 Participants
  • ATIP for Ministers' Offices:  Training for staff of Ministers' Offices, providing a high-level overview of legislative requirements, certain court rulings and interpretations, and how the ATIP function works within the Department.
    • 4 Sessions, 40 Participants
  • Focused Access to Information Sessions:  Training that is focused on the Access to Information processing cycle, how requests at ISED are called-out to sectors and how information is retrieved, as well as illustrations of the disclosure exemptions most frequently used at ISED, and how to identify informaton relating to those exemptions.
    • 3 Sessions, 54 Participants
  • Bill C-58 Awareness Sessions:  A presentation focusing on changes to the Access to Information Act resulting from the implementation of Bill C-58, with emphasis on new and enhanced proactive publishing requirements, and on preparing information with disclosure in mind (for example, writing for public disclosure, and ensuring compliance with accessibility requirements).
    • 10 Sessions, 211 Participants

Policies, Guidelines, Procedures and Initiatives

To improve the administration of the ATIP program, and to ensure that TBS ATIP policies are respected and implemented, ATIP Services regularly develops and updates various internal guidelines, procedures, and business practices. Specifically, the Department designed and distributed the following new policies, guidelines and procedural documents during 2019-2020:

  • Departmental ATIP Process for GCdocs;
  • Procedures for Handling Vexatious Requests;
  • Procedures for Facilitating Parliamentary Questions; and
  • Protocol for Searching Encrypted Email Folders for ATIP Requests.

ATIP Services continued to enhance its Intranet site—where all departmental employees can access plans, reports, acts, regulations, policies, directives, procedures and checklists in one convenient area—by adding many of the aforementioned products to the site.

A Lean-and-Evergreen culture was also maintained through a continuous review of existing processes and through eliminating administrative tasks that it was no longer practical to retain.  These activities help to ensure that a higher-level of compliance and performance is continually sought after, while maintaining more efficient communications with clients and stakeholders.

Finally, the Department worked toward the replacement of its existing ATIP case management system with a more modern and efficient system.  Procurement activities took place in the first half of the year, with installation and configuration taking place between December 2019 and March 2020.  Full implementation of the new case management system occurred at the beginning of 2020-2021.

Key Issues and Actions Taken on Complaints

Applicants have the right to register a complaint with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada regarding any matter relating to the processing of their requests, and several complaints can be linked to the same request.

The department received 22 new complaint notices during the reporting period, as compared to the 34 received during 2018-2019, a 36% decrease. These 22 complaints represent 2% of the total ATI requests received for this reporting period.  The types of complaints received have been identified in the table below.

The Commissioner also issued findings on 15 complaint investigations during the reporting period.  The nature of these complaints and their findings are summarized below:

Complaint type Received Completed Findings

Refusal – exclusions

0

1

1 – not well-founded

Refusal – exemptions

3

6

2 – well-founded

2 – well-founded

(w/recommendations)

2 - resolved

Refusal – general

(i.e. missing information, inadequate search, no records, etc.)

4

1

1 – discontinued

Delay

9

4

3 – resolved

1 – well-founded

Extensions

1

2

2 – well-founded

Multiple Reasons

5

1

1-Resolved

Total

22

15

-

One new Federal Court challenge was received during the reporting period, pursuant to section 41 of the Act (request for review by a complainant), and no challenges were received pursuant to section 44 of the Act (request for review by a third-party).

No audits relating to the administration of ATIP legislation were concluded during the reporting period.

Monitoring Compliance

With respect to monitoring the processing time of requests, ATIP Services has continued the following business practices:

  • Managers regularly review and monitor the status of access requests using the ATIP case management system;
  • Managers regularly review the status of consultation processes on access requests using the ATIP case management system;
  • Managers conduct weekly operational meetings with staff to review work plans and establish priorities; and
  • Managers report weekly to the Director on requests to be closed as well as on-time compliance.

Annex A – Annual Statistical Report to the TBS

Name of institution: Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada

Reporting period: 2019-04-01 to 2020-03-31



Section 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests

- Number of Requests
Received during reporting period 913
Outstanding from previous reporting period 261
Total 1174
Closed during reporting period 813
Carried over to next reporting period 361

1.2 Sources of requests

Source Number of Requests
Media 502
Academia 36
Business (private sector) 155
Organization 19
Public 72
Decline to Identify 129
Total 913

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
362 148 116 5 0 0 0 631

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

Section 2: Decline to act on vexatious, made in bad faith or abuse of right requests

- Number of Requests
Outstanding from previous reporting period 0
Sent during reporting period 0
Total 0
Approved by the Information Commissioner during reporting period  0
Declined by the Information Commissioner during  reporting period  0
Carried over to next reporting period 0

Section 3: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

3.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition of 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
All disclosed 6 103 27 12 5 1 0 154
Disclosed in part 59 123 61 120 23 26 23 435
All exempted 1 5 2 5 1 2 0 16
All excluded 1 1 1 4 0 0 0 7
No records exist 19 63 7 6 0 0 0 95
Request transferred 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 52
Request abandoned 33 14 5 2 0 0 0 54
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Decline to act with the approval of the Information Commisioner 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 171 309 103 149 29 29 23 813

3.2 Exemptions

Section Number of Requests
13(1)(a) 6
13(1)(b) 1
13(1)(c) 5
13(1)(d) 2
13(1)(e) 0
14 0
14(a) 11
14(b) 7
15(1) 40
15(1) - I.A. 0
15(1) - Def. 40
15(1) - S.A. 0
16(1)(a)(i) 0
16(1)(a)(ii) 0
16(1)(a)(iii) 0
16(1)(b) 0
16(1)(c) 4
16(1)(d) 0
16(2) 0
16(2)(a) 0
16(2)(b) 0
16(2)(c) 36
16(3) 0
16.1(1)(a) 1
16.1(1)(b) 0
16.1(1)(c) 0
16.1(1)(d) 0
16.2(1) 0
16,3 0
16,31 0
16.4(1)(a) 0
16.4(1)(b) 0
16,5 0
16,6 0
17 0
18(a) 5
18(b) 10
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) 118
20(1)(a) 0
20(1)(b) 92
20(1)(b.1) 0
20(1)(c) 70
20(1)(d) 6
20,1 0
20,2 0
20,4 0
21(1)(a) 240
21(1)(b) 267
21(1)(c) 12
21(1)(d) 2
22 6
22.1(1) 2
23 24
23,1 0
24(1) 13
26 0

3.3 Exclusions

Section Number of Requests
68(a) 6
68(b) 0
68(c) 0
68,1 0
68.2(a) 0
68.2(b) 0
69(1) 0
69(1)(a) 3
69(1)(b) 0
69(1)(c) 0
69(1)(d) 2
69(1)(e) 6
69(1)(f) 0
69(1)(g) re (a) 57
69(1)(g) re (b) 0
69(1)(g) re (c) 33
69(1)(g) re (d) 8
69(1)(g) re (e) 6
69(1)(g) re (f) 2
69.1(1) 0

3.4 Format of information released

Paper Electronic Other
4 525 60

3.5 Complexity

3.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed
Number of Pages Processed Number of Pages Disclosed Number of Requests
411900 48823 666
3.5.2 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
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 142 2195 9 673 1 896 2 2445 0 0
Disclosed in part 341 3990 60 8051 17 4012 9 6371 8 20190
All exempted 13 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned  39 0 8 0 2 0 2 0 3 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 542 6185 79 8724 21 4908 13 8816 11 20190
3.5.3 Other complexities
Disposition Consultation Required Assessment of Fees Legal Advice Sought Other Total
All disclosed 20 0 0 0 20
Disclosed in part 161 0 6 0 167
All exempted 5 0 1 0 6
All excluded 5 0 0 0 5
Request abandoned 1 0 0 0 1
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0
Total 192 0 7 0 199

3.6 Closed requests

3.6.1  Number of requests closed within legislated timelines
- Requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines 657
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) 81

3.7 Deemed refusals

3.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines
Number of Requests Closed Past the Legislated Timelines Principal Reason
Interference with Operations / Workload External Consultation Internal Consultation Other
156 93 63 0 0
3.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)
Number of Days Past Legislated Timelines Number of Requests Past Legislated Timeline Where No Extension Was Taken Number of Requests Past  Legislated Timeline Where an Extension Was Taken Total
1 to 15 days 67 4 71
16 to 30 days 8 2 10
31 to 60 days 15 4 19
61 to 120 days 9 4 13
121  to 180 days 10 4 14
181 to 365 days 12 5 17
More than 365 days 7 5 12
Total 128 28 156

3.8 Requests for translation

Translation Requests Accepted Refused Total
English to French  0 0 0
French to English  0 0 0
Total 0 0 0

Section 4: Extensions

4.1 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
Section 69 Other
All disclosed 4 0 20 4
Disclosed in part 52 60 101 55
All exempted 1 0 5 2
All excluded 0 5 0 0
No records exist 2 0 1 3
Request abandoned 1 0 2 2
Total 60 65 129 66

4.2 Length of extensions

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 34 1 39 0
31 to 60 days 9 19 45 64
61 to 120 days 12 41 34 1
121 to 180 days 1 2 6 1
181 to 365 days 3 2 4 0
365 days or more 1 0 1 0
Total 60 65 129 66

Section 5: Fees

Fee Type Fee Collected Fee Waived or Refunded
Number of Requests Amount Number of Requests Amount
Application 453 $2 265 460 $2 300
Other fees 0 $0 0 $0
Total 453 $2 265 460 $2 300

Section 6: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

6.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and organizations

Consultations Other Government of Canada Institutions Number of Pages to Review Other Organizations Number of Pages to Review
Received during reporting period 489 13576 7 77
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 76 3131 9 91
Total 565 16707 16 168
Closed during the reporting period 497 13935 9 91
Carried over to next reporting period 68 2772 7 77

6.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

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 68 63 43 19 0 0 0 193
Disclose in part 44 59 77 45 2 2 0 229
Exempt entirely 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2
Exclude entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Consult other institution 3 3 1 0 0 0 0 7
Other 22 16 13 15 0 0 0 66
Total 137 142 134 80 2 2 0 497

6.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations

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 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2
Disclose in part 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 6
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 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Total 5 2 2 0 0 0 0 9

Section 7: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

7.1 Requests with Legal Services

Number of Days Fewer 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
1 to 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 24 214 6 501 1 0 0 0 0 0
31 to 60 24 276 7 254 1 0 2 869 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 48 490 13 755 2 0 2 869 0 0

7.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Number of Days Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed 101500 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
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

Section 8: Complaints and investigations

Section 32 Notice of intention to investigate Subsection 30(5) Ceased to  investigate Section 35 Formal representations Section 37 Reports of finding received Section 37 Reports of finding containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner Section 37 Reports of finding containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner
22 0 8 15 2 0

Section 9: Court Action

9.1 Court actions on complaints received before June 21, 2019 and on-going

Section 41 (before June 21, 2019) Section 42 Section 44
1 0 0

9.2 Court actions on complaints received after June 21, 2019

Section 41 (after June 21, 2019)
Complainant (1) Institution (2) Third Party (3) Privacy Commissioner (4) Total
0 0 0 0 0

Section 10: Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

10.1 Costs

Expenditures Amount

Salaries

$1,029,577

Overtime

$0

Goods and Services

$62,345

• Professional services contracts

$22,800

-

• Other

$39,545

-

Total

$1,091,922

10.2 Human Resources

Resources Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities 
Full-time employees 11.76
Part-time and casual employees 0.00
Regional staff 0.00
Consultants and agency personnel 0.11
Students 1.71
Total 13.58

Annex B – Delegation of ATIP Authority

Industry Canada (to be known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development) /

Industrie Canada (qui sera connu sous le nom d'Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique)

Access to Information Act and Privacy Act Delegation Order

Arrêté sur la délégation en vertu de la Loi sur l'accès à l'information et de la Loi sur la protection des renseignements personnels

The Minister of Industry Canada, pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers and functions of the Minister as the head of a government institution, under the section of the Acts set out in the schedule opposite each position. This Delegation Order supersedes all previous Delegation Orders

En vertu de l'article 73 de la Loi sur l'accès à l'information et la Loi sur la protection des renseignements personnels, le Ministre d'Industrie Canada délègue aux titulaires des postes mentionnés à l'annexe ci-après, ainsi qu'aux personnes occupant à titre intérimaire les-dits postes, les attributions dont il est, en qualité de responsable d'une institution fédérale, investie par les articles des lois mentionnées en regard de chaque poste. Le présent décret de délégation remplace et annule tout décret antérieur

Schedule / Annexe

Position / Poste

Access to information Act and Regulations / Loi sur l'accès à l'information et règlements

Privacy Act and Regulations / Loi sur la protection des renseignements personnels et règlements

Corporate Secretary / Secrétaire général

Full authority / Autorité absolue

Full authority / Autorité absolue

Director, Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Services / Directeur (trice), Service de l'accès à l'information et à la protection des renseignements personnels (AIPRP)

Full authority / Autorité absolue

Full authority / Autorité absolue

Manager, ATIP Services / Gestionnaire, Services de l'AIPRP

Full authority / Autorité absolue

Full authority / Autorité absolue

And / et

Senior Advisor, ATIP Services / Conseiller (ère) principal(e), Services de l'AIPRP

Section / Articles : 7, 8(1), 9, 11(4)(5), 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27(1), 68, 69

Section / Articles : 8(1), 14, 15, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 69, 70

Dated, at the City of Ottawa
this

Daté, en la ville d'Ottawa
ce

Original signed by the Honourable Navdeep Singh Bains
Minister of Industry (to be known as Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development) /

L'original a été signé par l'Honorable Navdeep Singh Bains
le Ministre d'Industrie Canada (sera identifié comme Ministre de l'Innovation, des sciences et du développement économique)

The Honourable Navdeep Singh Bains
Minister of Industry

Ministre d'Industrie Canada
l'Honorable
Navdeep Singh Bains