Interpretation of the statistical report

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act is included in Appendix A of this report.

Between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada received 1,999 requests under the Access to Information Act. There were 472 requests carried forward from the 2016 to 2017 reporting period, for a total of 2,471 active requests in the 2017 to 2018 reporting period. In 2017 to 2018, a total of 2,022 requests were completed, and 449 were carried forward to the next reporting period.

Figure 1 is a percentage breakdown of the sources of access to information requests received in 2017 to 2018:

Figure 1: Sources of access to information requests 2017 to 2018
Long description

Figure 1: Sources of access to information requests 2017 to 2018

Figure 1 shows a pie chart that represents the percentage breakdown of the sources of access to information requests received in 2017 to 2018. 71% of access requests came from businesses, 11% from the media, 4% from organizations, 11% from members of the public, 1% from academia and 2% declined to identity themselves.

During the 2017 to 2018 reporting period, 164 requests were abandoned by applicants for various reasons.

There were 1,238 requests for information for which there was no record. Environment and Climate Change Canada receives a number of requests each year for documents pertaining to the environmental compliance of properties. Most of these no record requests consisted of environmental compliance requests where no records were located concerning the properties in question.

In 2017 to 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada received 1,999 requests under the Access to Information Act.  This represents a 16% increase over the previous reporting period.                                                                                                              

Figure 2 displays the number of access to information requests that were received by the ATIP Division from 2012 to 2018.

Figure 2: Access requests received, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018
Long description

Figure 2: Access requests received, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018

Figure 2 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of access requests that were received by the ATIP Secretariat from the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year to the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year.

During the 2012 to 2013 period, 1,827 requests were received; in 2013 to 2014, 1,459 requests were received; in 2014 to 2015, 1,488 requests were received; in 2015 to 2016, 1,558 requests were received; in 2016 to 2017, 1,720 requests were received; and in 2017 to 2018, 1,999 requests were received.

Over the reporting period, the ATIP Division placed particular focus on closing the oldest files within the Department’s inventory. In total, the department closed 2,022 requests in 2017 to 2018, including approximately 33% of its backlog inventory.

The number of access to information requests that were closed by the ATIP Division from 2012 to 2018 is found in figure 3.

Figure 3: Access requests closed, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018
Long description

Figure 3: Access requests closed, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018

Figure 3 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of access requests that were closed by the ATIP Secretariat from the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year to the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year.

During the 2012 to 2013 period, 1,810 requests were closed; in 2013 to 2014, 1,424 requests were closed; in 2014 to 2015, 1,452 requests were closed; in 2015 to 2016, 1,535 requests were closed; in 2016 to 2017, 1,529 requests were closed; and in 2017 to 2018, 2,022 requests were closed.

In the 2017 to 2018 reporting period, 110,138 pages of records were processed in response to access to information requests, which represents a decrease of 33% in comparison to the 2016 to 2017 fiscal year. This decrease can be attributed in part to the ATIP Division’s efforts in consulting applicants in order to clarify the scope of their requests to ensure they receive information of interest.

The number of pages processed by the ATIP Division in response to requests under the Access to Information Act from 2012 to 2018 is found in figure 4.

Figure 4: Pages processed for access requests, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018.
Long description

Figure 4: Pages processed for access requests, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018.

Figure 4 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of pages processed by the ATIP Secretariat in processing access to information requests under the Access to Information Act from the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year to the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year.

During the 2012 to 2013 period, 120,741 pages were processed; in 2013 to 2014, 185,385 pages were processed; in 2014 to 2015, 110,557 pages were processed; in 2015 to 2016, 109,475 pages were processed; in 2016 to 017, 164,831 pages were processed; and in 2017 to 2018, 110,138 pages were processed.

Exemptions and Exclusions

The Access to Information Act prescribes a number of exemptions and exclusions that allow or require the Department to refuse to disclose certain types of information. The two most common exemptions invoked by Environment and Climate Change Canada in 2017 to 2018 were for personal information (section 19) and government operations (section 21).

Time Limitations

During the 2017 to 2018 reporting period, 1,350 (68%) of the completed requests were processed within the initial 30-day period. This included 532 requests completed in the first 15 days, and 818 requests completed between 16 and 30 days.

Figure 5 is a breakdown of completion times for requests closed during the 2017 to 2018 reporting period.

Figure 5: Completion time for access requests 2017 to 2018.
Long description

Figure 5: Completion time for access requests 2017 to 2018.

Figure 5 shows a pie chart which displays the breakdown of completion times for requests completed during the 2017 to 2018 reporting period. Environment Canada’s ATIP Secretariat closed 26.3% of requests in 1 to 15 days, 40.5% in 16 to 30 days, 8.7% in 31 to 60 days, 8.7% in 61 to 120 days, 5.6% in 121 to 180 days, 5.6% in 181 to 365 days and 4.6% in more than 365 days.

A total of 279 requests were completed beyond the legislated deadline. Of the 279 late requests, 70 requests were late as a result of the need to conduct external consultations.

Extension of Time Limits

Section 9 of the Access to Information Act allows government institutions to extend the deadline for responding to a request if the request requires the institution to search a large number of records, to consult with other government institutions, or to communicate with third parties.

In 2017 to 2018, 371 requests required extensions of 30 days or less, 381 required an extension of between 31 and 60 days, 239 required an extension of between 61 to 120 days, and 38 requests required an extension of between 121 to 180 days. In total, 1,029 requests required an extension past the original deadline of 30 days. Most extensions were required in order to conduct large searches or as a result of the high volume of records involved in completing requests.

Complexity of Files

A number of files were considered complex for various reasons. Of the 2,022 requests closed during the 2017 to 2018 reporting period, 454 were considered to be complex. There were 380 requests that were complex due to the need to conduct consultations, 12 requests were considered complex due to the assessment of feesFootnote 1, 59 requests required legal advice, and 3 requests were classified in the “other” category. The “other” category consists of files containing high-profile subject matter, records held in a regional office or another country, or records that are in a language other than French or English.

Of the requests closed by Environment and Climate Change Canada in 2017 to 2018, 40 required consultations with Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Legal Services to confirm cabinet confidence exclusions.

Consultations

As an integral part of departmental processing procedures, other government institutions are consulted if access requests contain issues of interest to them. Although formal consultations are undertaken in writing, additional discussions between ATIP offices are initiated as required in order to facilitate the completion of each case. Consultations are also regularly undertaken with third parties and other levels of government.

As the environment is a shared jurisdiction, Environment and Climate Change Canada regularly receives access to information consultation requests from other federal and provincial departments that are processing files with records originating from or concerning the Department’s programs or services.

In 2017 to 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada received 199 access to information consultations from other federal government institutions and 19 consultations from other organizations for a total of 218 consultations received. This constitutes a 9% decrease relative to the previous reporting period. There were 26 access consultations outstanding from the previous reporting period. In total, during the 2017 to 2018 reporting period, 216 consultations were completed. Twenty-eight (28) access consultations were carried forward to the 2018 to 2019 reporting period.

Figure 6 provides the number of access to information consultations that were received by the ATIP Division from 2012 to 2018.

Figure 6: Access consultations received, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018
Long description

Figure 6: Access consultations received, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018

Figure 6 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of access consultation requests that were received by the ATIP Secretariat from the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year to the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year.

During the 2012 to 2013 period, 270 requests were received; in 2013 to 2014, 191 requests were received; in 2014 to 2015, 225 requests were received; in 2015 to 2016, 208 requests were received; in 2016 to 2017, 239 requests were received; and in 2017 to 2018, 218 requests were received.

The number of access to information consultations that were closed by the ATIP Division from 2012 to 2018 is found in figure 7.
Figure 7: Access consultations closed, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018
Long description

Figure 7: Access consultations closed, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018

Figure 7 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of access consultation requests that were closed by the ATIP Secretariat from the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year to the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year.

During the 2012 to 2013 period, 256 requests were closed; in 2013 to 2014, 204 requests were closed; in 2014 to 2015, 223 requests were closed; in 2015 to 2016, 205 requests were closed; in 2016 to 2017, 230 requests were closed; and in 2017 to 2018, 216 requests were closed.

The number of pages processed in response to access to information consultations during the 2017 to 2018 reporting period decreased in comparison to the 2016 to 2017 reporting period: 9,935 pages were processed for consultations compared to 14,647 pages during the previous period. This is a decrease of 32%.

Figure 8 displays the number of pages processed by the ATIP Division in response to access to information consultations received from 2012 to 2018.

Figure 8: Pages processed for access consultations, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018
Long description

Figure 8: Pages processed for access consultations, Access to Information Act 2012 to 2018

Figure 8 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of pages processed by the ATIP Secretariat in processing access to information consultation requests under the Access to Information Act from the 2012 to 2013 fiscal year to the 2017 to 2018 fiscal year.

During the 2012 to 2013 period, 14,768 pages were processed; in 2013 to 2014, 10,584 pages were processed; in 2014 to 2015, 6,055 pages were processed; in 2015 to 2016, 7,238 pages were processed; in 2016 to 2017, 14,647 pages were processed; and in 2017 to 2018, 9,935 pages were processed.

Informal Requests

A summary list of completed access to information requests is published on the Open Government website on a monthly basis. Between April 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018, Environment and Climate Change Canada received 241 informal access to information requests for previously released access to information packages. Environment and Climate Change Canada completed a total of 240 informal requests during the 2017 to 2018 reporting period. One (1) informal request was carried forward to 2018-2019.

Furthermore, throughout the year, the ATIP Division provides advice to departmental staff with respect to informal requests, parliamentary questions and the review of draft audit, evaluation, security and harassment reports. 

In 2017 to 2018, the ATIP Division processed 8 parliamentary questions. In addition, the ATIP Division provides advice to programs responding to other parliamentary questions. 

The ATIP Division also assists other branches of the department in reviewing various documents such as investigation reports and harassment complaint files in order to ensure that mandatory exemptions such as personal information and cabinet confidence-related information are properly identified, where appropriate.

Fees

In the 2017 to 2018 reporting period, total fees of $9,389 were collected for the processing of 1,820 requests. This consisted of application fees totalling $9,080 and search fees in the amount of $309. In early 2015 to 2016, Environment and Climate Change Canada ceased charging search fees.  The search fees of $309 represents requests where the fees had been collected in the previous reporting periods but were closed in 2017 to 2018. No other fees were charged for production, preparation or reproduction.

Costs

The costs involved in administering the Access to Information Act were $1,363,308 for salaries and $5,755 for overtime, $254,496 for goods and services ($193,061 for professional service contracts and $61,435 for other costs). This brings the total costs to $1,623,559.

Page details

Date modified: