This is a week set aside to focus on access to information within the domain of government and other public bodies.

“Right to Know Week” declares access to information to be essential to both democracy and good governance.

In Newfoundland and Labrador, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPPA) governs the release of information held by government and other public bodies. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner says since 2015 there has been a continual increase in the number of access to information requests filed each year. While the media, businesses, and political parties use the system regularly, individual Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are filing more and more access to information requests. Persons acting on their own now account for more than 60 per cent of the requests filed each year.

Commissioner Michael Harvey will join his colleagues from across the country for their annual meeting in Quebec City Oct. 3-5.