The province’s privacy commissioner is stressing how easy the access to information process can be, on this Right to Know Week.
This is a time set aside to promote the rights people have under ATIPP legislation.
Kerry Hatfield says there is lots of information online that outlines what people can ask for and how to go about it.
NL Privacy Commissioner, Kerry Hatfield (OIPC)
She says all requests go directly to the public bodies that would give the information. However, if people have questions or concerns – that’s where the Privacy Commissioner’s officer comes into play. She says if they receive a complaint, they will do a “second check” to make sure all the right information was released, and that any redactions were correctly applied.
Hatfield, who says her office is kept busy with all the requests coming in, believes that’s a good thing because it means people are exercising their rights under the legislation.
She says the number of complaints they receive has “steadily increased,” but she believes that’s due to more people learning about their rights, and wanting to get information from reliable sources.
