Annual report to Parliament: Privacy Act 2024 to 2025

Abstract

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Privacy Act is submitted in accordance with section 72 of the Privacy Act. It presents an overview of the Privacy Act activities carried out within Environment and Climate Change Canada during the reporting period of April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025.

During the reporting period, Environment and Climate Change Canada received 71 requests under the Privacy Act and completed 50 requests.

Introduction

The Privacy Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. P-21) was proclaimed into force on July 1, 1983. Section 72 of the Act requires every head of a federal government institution to submit a report to Parliament on the administration of the Act within their institution during the fiscal year.

This report is submitted and tabled in Parliament in accordance with section 72 of the Privacy Act. It presents an overview of the Privacy Act activities carried out within Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) during the reporting period of April 1, 2024, to March 31, 2025. As the Canada Emission Reduction Incentives Agency was not operational during this reporting period, an Agency report will not be prepared for this period.

Purpose of the Acts

The Access to Information Act enhances the accountability and transparency of federal government institutions to promote an open and democratic society, and to enable public debate on the conduct of those institutions. Part 1 of the Act provides the right of access to information found within federal government institutions’ records, subject to certain specific and limited exceptions. Part 2 of the Act sets out requirements for the proactive publication of various types of information located within federal government institutions that are of interest to the public. The Access to Information Act complements but does not replace existing channels of communications within federal government institutions.

The Privacy Act protects the privacy of individuals with respect to their personal information. The Act sets out provisions that govern the collection, use, retention, disposition and disclosure of personal information by federal government institutions. It also provides individuals with the right of access to their personal information held within government institutions.

About Environment and Climate Change Canada

The Department of the Environment was established by the Government Reorganization Act (1970-71-72, c. 42) on June 10, 1971. A number of acts and regulations provide the Department with its mandate and allow it to carry out its programs. Under the Department of the Environment Act, the powers, duties and functions of the Minister of the Environment extend to and include matters relating to:

With offices from coast to coast, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s main office is located in the National Capital Region. The Department is also comprised of the Atlantic and Quebec Regions, Ontario Region, and West and North Regions.

For more information about Environment and Climate Change Canada, please visit our website.

Organizational Structure

As Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator, the Director of the Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Division has delegated authority on matters concerning Access to Information and Privacy. The ATIP Division is part of the Parliamentary Affairs, Information and Privacy Directorate, found within the Public Affairs and Communications Branch of the Department. It is the central coordinating body for all requests received by Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

 The ATIP Division is the focal point for the administration, application and promotion of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and Privacy Act (PA) within ECCC. The ATIP Division has an oversight role to ensure compliance. It provides advice to senior management on the implementation of the statutes and prepares reports to Parliament, the Treasury Board Secretariat and senior management. The ATIP Division represents the Department on complaints and investigations conducted by the Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and in Federal Court applications arising from ATIP matters.

The ATIP Division is organized into two functional areas: an Operations Unit and a Policy and Governance Unit. Each unit is led by a manager who reports to the ATIP Director. As of March 31, 2025, ATIP Operations comprised of a total of 14 full time employees (FTEs). To help meet the increase in volume and complexity of requests, the Division contracted 6.2 consultants during the reporting period.

Diagram 1 – ECCC’s ATIP Division Organizational Structure, 2024-2025

Long description - Diagram 1

Diagram 1 presents a breakdown of the organizational structure of ECCC’s ATIP Division in 2024-2025.

The ATIP Division is organized into two functional areas: an Operations Unit, and a Policy and Governance Unit. Each unit is led by a manager who reports to the ATIP Director. The ATIP Director is assisted by an administrative assistant. The Operations Unit Manager oversees activities related to intake and complex files, while the ATIP Policy and Governance Unit Manager oversees activities related to policy and governance as well as proactive publication.

Operations Unit

The Operations Unit coordinates the management and processing of all ECCC requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The Unit performs a line-by-line review of records to support various disclosures including the appropriate sharing of investigation reports. The Unit also serves as the liaison between the Department and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner on complaints related to requests under the Acts. The Operations Unit consists of a manager, one team leader, three senior advisors, one advisor, one analyst, four junior analysts, an administrative officer and a clerical assistant.

Policy and Governance Unit

The Policy and Governance Unit is the focal point for privacy expertise within ECCC. The unit leads the horizontal implementation of departmental privacy policy and conducts risk analyses, including privacy impact assessments and privacy protocols for non-administrative purposes. It delivers privacy compliance support for ECCC’s programs and services. The Policy and Governance Unit plays a key role in the management and prevention of privacy breaches.

The Policy and Governance Unit works collaboratively with departmental officials to fulfill the proactive publication requirements under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act and oversees its compliance. The unit develops privacy procedures and directives, delivers privacy guidance, tools, and training, provides performance and workload reports to senior management, and prepares the ATIP annual reports. The Policy and Governance Unit consists of two junior analysts.

Capacity Development

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) remains committed to recruiting, training and maintaining a workforce that possesses specialized skills to continue to provide the best possible service to both internal and external clients.

Environment and Climate Change Canada continues to focus on developing capacity through its ATIP Professional Development Program. The program aims to train employees over a period of three to five years through a combination of competency-based training, professional development training, and work assignments. Candidates enter the program at the PM-01 or PM-02 level and graduate as senior ATIP advisors at the PM-04 level.

The Professional Development Program enables the ATIP Division to better manage increasing workloads while facilitating succession planning through the transfer of corporate memory, encouraging staff to remain with the Department for a longer period of time.

Access to Information and Privacy Communities Development Office (APCDO) Membership

The Access to Information and Privacy Communities Development Office (APCDO) was established to address capacity issues in the Access to Information and Privacy communities across Government of Canada institutions subject to the Acts. Environment and Climate Change Canada’s ATIP Division is an active member of the APCDO, with staff participating in several training sessions offered by the APCDO. ECCC’s ATIP coordinator assisted in the APCDO recruitment process and presented with the APCDO the annual plan at the ADM Access to Information and Openness Committee.

The APCDO will contribute to the development and sustainability of the Access to Information and Privacy communities via recruitment, retention, learning, networking, and partnership activities with a spirit of diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility through community engagement.

Capacity to Receive and Process Records in 2024-2025

Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) receives requests by mail, email and online through the Government of Canada ATIP Online Request System.

Delegation of Authority

Decision-making responsibility for the application of the various provisions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act have been formally established and are outlined in the departmental Delegation of Authority Instrument found in Appendix A of this report.

The Delegation Order in effect during the reporting period was approved by the Honorable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on June 21, 2022.

Interpretation of the Statistical Report

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Statistical Report on the Privacy Act is included in Appendix B of this report.

Between April 1, 2024, and March 31, 2025, ECCC received 71 requests under the Privacy Act. There were 53 requests carried forward from previous reporting periods, for a total of 124 active requests in the 2024–2025 reporting period.

In the 2024–2025 fiscal year, a total of 50 requests were completed, and 74 requests were carried forward to the next reporting period, with 14 requests carried over within legislative timelines and 60 carried over beyond legislative timelines.

Of the 71 requests received, 61 were received online, submitted through the ATIP Online Request Service, and 10 were received by e-mail.

Trends

Environment and Climate Change Canada received 33 less requests under the Privacy Act in 2024–2025 than in the previous fiscal year; this represents a decrease of approximately 32% in the number of privacy requests received. ECCC continued to note a trend in which privacy requests received this year were largely related to active labour relations and staffing matters. In some cases, it appears that the requests are filed to supplement existing processes/recourse mechanisms.

The number of requests under the Privacy Act received by Environment and Climate Change Canada from 2020–2021 to 2024–2025 is represented in figure 1.

Figure 1 – Number of Requests Received, Privacy Act, 2024-2025

Long description - Figure 1

Figure 1 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of privacy requests that were received by the ATIP Division from the 2020-2021 fiscal year to the 2024-2025 fiscal year.

During the 2020-2021, 45 requests were received; in 2021-2022, 50 requests were received; in 2022-2023, 92 requests were received, in 2023-2024, 104 requests were received; and in 2024-2025, 71 requests were received.

Environment and Climate Change Canada completed 50 requests under the Privacy Act in 2024–2025. Figure 2 displays the number of requests under the Privacy Act completed by Environment and Climate Change Canada from the 2020–2021 to the 2024–2025 fiscal year. Overall, 23 of the privacy requests completed this fiscal year were closed within the legislative timelines. This represents a 46% compliance rate.

Figure 2 – Number of Requests Closed, Privacy Act, 2024-2025

Long description - Figure 2

Figure 2 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of privacy requests that were closed by the ATIP Division from the 2020-2021 fiscal year to the 2024-2025 fiscal year. 

During the 2020-2021, 37 requests were closed; in 2021-2022, 44 requests were closed; in 2022-2023, 90 requests were closed; in 2023-2024, 91 requests were closed; and in 2024-2025, 50 requests were closed.

Figure 3 shows the number of pages processed by the ATIP Division in response to requests under the Privacy Act from 2020–2021 to 2024–2025.

Figure 3 – Number of Pages Processed for Requests, Privacy Act, 2024-2025

Long description - Figure 3

Figure 3 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of pages processed by the ATIP Division for privacy requests under the Privacy Act from the 2020-2021 fiscal year to the 2024-2025 fiscal year. 

During the 2020-2021, 968 pages were processed; in 2021-2022, 8,046 pages were processed; in 2022-2023, 9,571 pages were processed; in 2023-2024, 8,180 pages were processed; and in 2024-2025, 18,725 pages were processed.

During the 2024–2025 reporting period, a total of 18,725 pages of records were retrieved and reviewed in response to 44 privacy requests. This represents an increase of 129% from the previous fiscal year. Of these 44 requests, 7% were all disclosed, 52% were disclosed in part, 41% were abandoned, and no records were all exempted/excluded.

The number of pages disclosed by the ATIP Division in processing requests under the Privacy Act from 2020–2021 to 2024–2025 is found in figure 4.

Figure 4 – Number of Pages Disclosed for Requests, Privacy Act, 2024-2025

Long description - Figure 4

Figure 4 shows a bar graph which provides a visual representation of the number of pages disclosed by the ATIP Division for privacy requests under the Privacy Act from the 2020-2021 fiscal year to the 2024-2025 fiscal year. 

During the 2020-2021, 309 pages were disclosed; in 2021-2022, 4,840 pages were disclosed; in 2022-2023, 5,720 pages were disclosed; in 2023-2024, 4,605 pages were disclosed; and in 2024-2025, 2,103 pages were disclosed.

Corrections

Paragraph 12(2)(a) of the Privacy Act gives individuals the right to request a correction of their personal information held by the federal government.

Environment and Climate Change Canada did not receive any request for correction in the 2024–2025 reporting period.

Disclosure under Subsection 8(2)

Paragraphs 8(2)(e), (f), (g), and (m) of the Privacy Act permit the disclosure of personal information to various investigative bodies and Members of Parliament. Disclosure is also permitted in the public interest.

No disclosures under subsection 8(2), including under paragraph 8(2)(m), were completed in the 2024–2025 reporting period.

Exemptions invoked

The Department used exemptions 26 times under the Privacy Act for 50 requests. Section 26 was invoked most often (23 requests), which exempts personal information relating to individuals other than the applicant, followed by section 27 (2 requests), which exempts information relating to solicitor-client privilege, and section 22(1)(b) (9 requests) which exempts information related to law enforcement and investigation.

Exclusions cited

No information was excluded under the Privacy Act during the reporting period.

Consultations

In 2024–2025, Environment and Climate Change Canada did not receive external consultations. The ATIP Division received four (4) new internal consultations from labour relations to review investigation reports. In total, five (5) internal consultations were closed during the reporting period.

Monitoring Compliance

The ATIP Division engaged departmental officials at various levels to ensure privacy requests were processed in a timely and efficient manner.

The ATIP Director met regularly with managers and team leaders to review performance data. Analysts are responsible for tracking timelines for requests. This was supplemented with regular bilateral meetings between analysts and management to obtain guidance and ensure compliance with legislative requirements.

In delivering its mandate, ECCC is involved in many horizontal initiatives. The ATIP Division continues to collaborate with program officials to streamline the need for consultations both within ECCC and with other government institutions. In addition, ECCC has enhanced its collaborative efforts with the Departmental Legal Services Unit. The ATIP Division also works collaboratively with programs to ensure that access and privacy requirements are reflected in contracts, MOUs, and information sharing agreements. ATIP is also focused on the development of tools, guides and policies to raise awareness, maintain compliance and report on access and privacy processes and procedures within ECCC.

The ATIP Division produces weekly, monthly, quarterly, and ad hoc reports to senior management to monitor performance and response timelines (quarterly) within ECCC. This includes reporting on workload, branch performance, and trend analyses.

Costs

In the 2024–2025 reporting period, the total cost of administering the Privacy Act was $345,650. This included $297,055 for salaries and $48,595 for goods and services.

Training Activities

The ATIP Division provides daily advice to departmental officials on the processing of ATIP requests as well as the interpretation of the Acts to ensure the efficient and consistent processing of all requests received by the Department.

In 2024–2025, the ATIP Division continued to focus on providing targeted training and assistance to help ECCC staff respond to requests. During the 2024–2025 fiscal year, the ATIP Division conducted 11 formal information and training sessions that were attended by approximately 359 ECCC employees. The sessions included an overview of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act as well as a description of internal policies and procedures.

Policies, Procedures and Initiatives

Privacy Framework

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s privacy policy framework was approved in November 2012. Amendments to the departmental Privacy Breach Protocol were made in 2024–2025 to align with TBS Privacy Policy Suite updates.

Privacy Guidance and Tools

ECCC’s ATIP Division continues to develop tools and guidance documents related to privacy compliance in alignment with the evolving privacy policy instruments. These activities included the incorporation of privacy provisions within contractual agreements involving personal information, taking a risk-based approach to conducting privacy risk assessments, documenting decisions, and developing tools to incorporate privacy by design.

In addition, the ATIP Division continues to provide advisory services on many new initiatives, and update and assess business processes as they transition into digital solutions. This includes privacy advice on matters concerning digital solutions, the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, information sharing arrangements, research projects, and stakeholder engagements.

ATIP Modernization

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s ATIP Division continues its modernization initiative by implementing digital solutions, refining procedures and processes to improve efficiency in electronic processing of access to information and privacy requests and implementing a new case management system.

The implementation of a new and modern case management system will help streamline the processing of requests and enable effective monitoring of privacy policy initiatives. These renewal exercises are expected to enhance operational effectiveness once completed.

Strategic Partnerships and Interdepartmental Collaboration

Over the reporting period, ECCC participated in TBS-led community of practice meetings on a variety of operational and privacy policy topics. These meetings provided opportunities to connect with other functional specialists and practitioners in the Government of Canada and facilitated the sharing of best practices. It also enabled ECCC to learn about different modernization initiatives and innovative practices impacting the ATIP community.

Strategic Partnerships and Internal Collaboration

The ATIP Division continues to foster strategic partnerships and build relationships to optimize the need for inter-institutional consultations. These efforts have yielded increased collaboration and strengthened the Department’s working relationship with the Departmental Legal Services Unit on ATIP requests as well as privacy requirements, which are reflected in contracts and information sharing arrangements.

The Policy and Governance Unit is developing a strategic approach to align with the development of serviceable tools and policies with IT Security and various project management advisory teams. Enhanced integration efforts with IT Security and Enterprise Architecture are expected to result in elevating ECCC’s privacy posture, building privacy by design throughout project lifecycles, in accordance with privacy policy instruments.

Reporting

The ATIP Division regularly monitors the timeliness and trends associated with the processing of requests through ongoing communication with branch and directorate liaisons. This includes providing performance reports on the status of the branch on a regular basis. In addition, weekly reports on new requests received are provided to the Deputy Minister’s Office and to ECCC’s Executive Management Committee.

Publicly Accessible Information and Inquiry Points

Info Source is a series of publications containing information on the Government of Canada and its data collection activities. Info Source is intended to help the public access government information and to exercise their rights under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act. The ATIP Division is responsible for providing updates on ECCC’s activities and information holdings for publication on Info Source on the Department’s website.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s comprehensive website provides information on the Department’s policies, its organizational structure and the means to contact departmental officials. In accordance with the federal government’s policy of proactive disclosure, the Department’s website also allows access to internal evaluations and audits, as well as information on hospitality expenses, contracts and grants.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s website has an ATIP webpage that provides background information on both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. It also contains links to the access to information policy suite and summaries of completed access to information requests.

In order to facilitate public access to information and to comply with the Act, a designated public reading room is located in the Place Vincent Massey Annex, 351 St. Joseph Boulevard, Gatineau, Quebec.

Data Sharing Activities

The Department did not undertake any new internal or external data sharing activities in 2024–2025.

Exempt Banks

Environment and Climate Change Canada has no exempt banks under the Privacy Act.

Privacy Impact Assessments

A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is a risk management process that helps institutions ensure they meet legislative requirements and identify the impacts their programs and activities will have on the privacy of individuals.

To fulfill its mandate, some of ECCC’s responsibilities require the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. As a trusted custodian of this information, the Department uses PIAs as a means of ensuring compliance with the legal requirements set out in the Privacy Act, in adherence with TBS’s policies and directives. A PIA assists in the identification and management of privacy breaches. A PIA serves to evolve a project’s design to reveal an effective method with minimal risk to the privacy of individuals.

No PIAs were completed during the 2024–2025 fiscal year. A number of PIAs have been carried over from previous reporting periods and are currently at various stages of completion. They will be submitted to TBS once they are completed and approved in order to be registered. Additionally, a copy will be forwarded to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) for their assessment and feedback.

Material Privacy Breaches

A privacy breach is the improper or unauthorized access to, creation, collection, use, disclosure, retention or disposal of personal information. A privacy breach is “material” when it “could reasonably be expected to create a real risk of significant harm to an individual.” Significant harm to an individual may includes bodily harm, humiliation, damage to reputation or relationships, loss of employment, business or professional opportunities, financial loss, identity theft, negative effects on the credit record and damage to or loss of property.

The Policy on Privacy Protection requires federal institutions to report material privacy breaches to TBS and the OPC after making efforts to contain, assess and mitigate the breach. During the 2024–2025 fiscal year, ECCC had no material breaches to report.

Complaints, Audits, Investigations and Appeals

Applicants have the right to register a complaint with the Information Commissioner of Canada regarding any matter relating to the processing of a request. The Department works collaboratively with the Commissioner’s Office to resolve complaints, providing the requester with a resolution.

During the 2024–2025 reporting period, there were 14 complaints filed against ECCC with the OPC related to requests under the Privacy Act. Eight (8) of these complaints, as well as one (1) complaint from the previous reporting period, were closed.

Summary of Key Issues and Actions Taken on Complaints

This fiscal year, ECCC’s ATIP Division worked collaboratively with the OPC to close outstanding complaints. These efforts resulted in the closure of nine (9) complaints.

The Department reviews the outcomes of all OPC investigations and, where appropriate, incorporates lessons learned into business processes.

Applications/Appeals to the Federal Court or Federal Court of Appeal

There were no applications or appeals filed to the Federal Court or Federal Court of Appeal during the 2024–2025 reporting period.

Interpretation of Supplementary Statistical Report

The Supplementary Statistical Report provides a breakdown by year of the requests and complaints under the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and Privacy Act (PA) that remain active at the end of the 2024–2025 fiscal year.

As of March 31, 2025, ECCC had a total of 74 active requests under the Privacy Act. Of this total, 34 requests were received in 2024–2025 while 40 requests were outstanding from the previous reporting periods.

The ATIP Division continues to work diligently to reduce the accumulated inventory of ATIP requests. The existing backlog resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic measures coupled with PSAC federal employees labour disruptions in 2023 increased the ECCC backlog. The Department continues to focus on building capacity and is working diligently to close files and complaints carried over to the 2025–2026 fiscal year.

Table 1 presents a breakdown of the requests carried over to the next reporting period.

Table 1 – Number of Requests Carried Over, Privacy Act, 2024-2025
Fiscal Year Open Requests Were Received Open Requests that are Within Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2025 Open Requests that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2025 Total
Received in 2024-2025 8 26 34
Received in 2023-2024 2 10 12
Received in 2022-2023 1 5 6
Received in 2021-2022 2 3 5
Received in 2020-2021 0 3 3
Received in 2019-2020 0 7 7
Received in 2018-2019 0 1 1
Received in 2017-2018 0 2 2
Received in 2016-2017 1 3 4
Received in 2015-2016 or earlier 0 0 0
Total 14 60 74

Table 2 presents a breakdown of active complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, carried over to the 2025–2026 fiscal year.

Table 2 – Number of Active Complaints Carried Over, Privacy Act, 2024-2025
Fiscal Year Open Complaints Were Received by Institution Number of Open Complaints
Received in 2024-2025 5
Received in 2023-2024 1
Received in 2022-2023 0
Received in 2021-2022 1
Received in 2020-2021 0
Received in 2019-2020 1
Received in 2018-2019 0
Received in 2017-2018 0
Received in 2016-2017 0
Received in 2015-2016 or earlier 0
Total 8

Appendix A: Delegation Order Instrument

Access to Information and Privacy Acts Delegation Order

I, the undersigned, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby delegate the persons holding the positions set out in the Delegation of Authority Schedule attached hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties and functions of the Minister as head of Environment and Climate Change Canada, under the provisions of the Act and related regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position. This delegation replaces all previous delegation orders.

Position Access to Information Act and Regulations Privacy Act and Regulations
Deputy Minister of the Environment Full authority Full authority
Associated Deputy Minister of the Environment Full authority Full authority
Director General, Corporate Secretariat Full authority Full authority
Director, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority Full authority
Manager, Access to Information and Privacy Full authority Full authority
Team Leader, Access to Information and Privacy 7(a), 8, 9 & 11 15

Dated at the City of Gatineau, Quebec, this 2022-06-21

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change

Appendix B: Statistical Report on the Privacy Act

Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Reporting period:  April 1, 2024 to March 31, 2025

Section 1: Requests under the Privacy Act

1.1 Number of requests received
Category Number of requests
Received during reporting period 71
Outstanding from previous reporting periods 53
  • Outstanding from previous reporting period
24 -
  • Outstanding from more than one reporting period
29
Total 124
Closed during reporting period 50
Carried over to next reporting period 74
  • Carried over within legislated timeline
14 -
  • Carried over beyond legislated timeline
60
1.2 Channels of requests
Source Number of requests
Online 61
E-mail 10
Mail 0
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 71

Section 2: Informal requests

2.1 Number of informal requests
Source Number of requests
Received during reporting period 2
Outstanding from previous reporting periods 1
  • Outstanding from previous reporting period
1 -
  • Outstanding from more than one reporting period
0
Total 3
Closed during reporting period 3
Carried over to next reporting period 0
2.2 Channels of informal requests
Source Number of requests
Online 0
E-mail 2
Mail 0
In person 0
Phone 0
Fax 0
Total 2
2.3 Completion time of 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 0 0 1 0 0 0 3
2.4 Pages released informally
Less than 100 pages
released
100-500 pages
released
501-1000 pages
released
1001-5000 pages
released
More than 5000 pages
released
Number of requests Pages released Number of requests Pages released Number of requests Pages released Number of requests Pages released Number of requests Pages released
1 16 1 346 1 518 0 0 0 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 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 3
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 8 4 8 3 23
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
No records exist 0 3 3 0 0 0 0 6
Request abandoned 17 1 0 0 0 0 0 18
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 18 4 4 8 4 9 3 50
3.2 Exemptions
Section Number of requests
18(2) 0
19(1)(a) 0
19(1)(b) 0
19(1)(c) 0
19(1)(d) 0
19(1)(e) 0
19(1)(f) 0
20 0
21 0
22(1)(a)(i) 0
22(1)(a)(ii) 0
22(1)(a)(iii) 0
22(1)(b) 9
22(1)(c) 0
22(2) 0
22.1 0
22.2 0
22.3 0
22.4 0
23(a) 0
23(b) 0
24(a) 0
24(b) 0
25 0
26 23
27 2
27.1 0
28 0
3.3 Exclusions
Section Number of requests
69(1)(a) 0
69(1)(b) 0
69.1 0
70(1) 0
70(1)(a) 0
70(1)(b) 0
70(1)(c) 0
70(1)(d) 0
70(1)(e) 0
70(1)(f) 0
70.1 0
3.4 Format of information released
Paper Electronic Other
E-record Data set Video Audio
1 25 0 0 0 0

3.5 Complexity

3.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and e-record and dataset formats
Number of pages processed Number of pages disclosed Number of requests
8180 4605 88
3.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper and e-record and dataset formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 100
pages processed
100-500
pages processed
501-1000
pages processed
1001-5000
pages processed
More than 5000 pages processed
Number of requests Pages
processed
Number of
requests
Pages
processed
Number of
requests
Pages
processed
Number of requests Pages
processed
Number of requests Pages
processed
All disclosed 3 102 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 7 388 8 1648 5 3525 2 7063 1 5999
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 18 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 28 490 8 1648 5 3525 2 7063 1 5999
3.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats
Number of minutes processed Number of minutes disclosed Number of requests
0 0 0
3.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 minutes
processed
60 - 120 minutes processed More than 120 minutes processed
Number of requests Minutes processed Number of requests Minutes processed Number of requests Minutes processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request
abandoned
0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
3.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats
Number of minutes processed Number of minutes disclosed Number of requests
0 0 0
3.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests
Disposition Less than 60 minutes
processed
60 - 120 minutes processed More than 120 minutes processed
Number of requests Minutes processed Number of
requests
Minutes processed Number of requests Minutes processed
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 0 0 0 0
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 0 0 0 0
3.5.7 Other complexities
Disposition Consultation required Legal advice sought Interwoven information Other Total
All disclosed 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 19 0 19
All exempted 0 0 0 0 0
All excluded 0 0 0 0 0
Request abandoned 0 0 0 0 0
Neither confirmed nor denied 0 0 0 0 0
Total 0 0 19 0 19

3.6 Closed requests

3.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines
Number of requests closed within legislated timelines 23
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%) 46

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
27 25 0 0 2
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 2 1 3
16 to 30 days 1 4 5
31 to 60 days 0 3 3
61 to 120 days 0 4 4
121 to 180 days 0 3 3
181 to 365 days 0 6 6
More than 365 days 0 3 3
Total 3 24 27
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: Disclosures under subsections 8(2) and 8(5)

4.1 Disclosures under subsections 8(2) and 8(5)
Paragraph 8(2)(e) Paragraph 8(2)(m) Subsection 8(5) Total
0 0 0 0

Section 5: Requests for correction of personal information and notations

5.1 Requests for correction of personal information and notations
Disposition for correction requests received Number
Notations attached 0
Requests for correction accepted 0
Total 0

Section 6: Extensions

6.1 Reasons for extensions
Number of requests where an extension was taken 15(a)(i) Interference with operations 15(a)(ii) Consultation 15(b)
Translation purposes or conversion
Further review required to determine exemptions Large volume of pages Large volume of requests Documents are difficult to obtain Cabinet Confidence Section (Section 70) External Internal
25 0 25 0 0 0 0 0 0
6.2 Length of extensions
Length of extensions 15(a)(i) Interference with operations 15(a)(ii) Consultation 15(b)
Translation purposes or conversion
Further review required to determine exemptions Large volume of pages Large volume of requests Documents are difficult to obtain Cabinet Confidence Section (Section 70) External Internal
1 to 15 days 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
16 to 30 days 0 24 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 days or greater   0
Total 0 25 0 0 0 0 0 0

Section 7: Consultations received from other institutions and organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations
Consultations Other Government of Canada Number of pages to review Other organizations Number of pages to review
Received during the reporting period 1 359 0 0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period 0 0 0 0
Total 1 359 0 0
Closed during the reporting period 1 359 0 0
Carried over with negotiated timelines 0 0 0 0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines 0 0 0 0
7.2 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
Disclosed entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed in part 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
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 1 0 0 0 0 1
7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada
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
Disclosed entirely 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Disclosed 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

Section 8: Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences

8.1 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 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
8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office
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 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 9: Complaints and investigations notices received

9.1 Complaints and investigations notices received
Section 31 Section 33 Section 35 Court action Total
11 10 10 0 31

Section 10: Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) and Personal Information Banks (PIB)

10.1 Privacy Impact Assessments
Number of PIAs completed 0
Number of PIAs modified 0
10.2 Institution-specific and Central Personal Information Banks
Personal Information Banks Active Created Terminated Modified
Institution-specific 14 0 0 0
Central 50 0 0 0
Total 14 0 0 0

Section 11: Material privacy breaches

11.1 Material privacy breaches reported
Number of material privacy breaches reported to TBS 0
Number of material privacy breaches reported to OPC 0
11.2 Non-material privacy breaches
Number of non-material privacy breaches 5

Section 12: Resources related to the Privacy Act

12.1 Allocated costs
Expenditures Amount
Salaries $297,055
Overtime $0
Goods and services $48,595
  • Professional services contracts
$19,729  
  • Other
$0
Total $345,650
12.2 Human resources
Resources Person years dedicated to privacy activities
Full-time employees 3.000
Part-time and casual employees 0.000
Regional staff 0.000
Consultants and agency personnel 0.200
Students 0.000
Total 3.200

Note: Enter values to three decimal places.

Appendix C: Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Name of institution: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Reporting period: April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2025

Section 1: Requests Carried Over and Active Complaints Under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Requests carried over to next reporting period, broken down by reporting period received
Reporting Period Requests Carried Over Were Received Requests Carried Over that are Within Legislated Timelines as of
March 31, 2025
Requests Carried Over that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of
March 31, 2025
Total
Received in 2024-25 257 414 671
Received in 2023-24 25 410 435
Received in 2022-23 20 348 368
Received in 2021-22 69 421 490
Received in 2020-21 31 310 341
Received in 2019-20 3 240 243
Received in 2018-19 1 125 126
Received in 2017-18 0 47 47
Received in 2016-17 0 64 64
Received in 2015-16 or
earlier
0 56 56
Total 406 2435 2841
1.2 Active complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada, broken down by reporting period received
Reporting Period Active Complaints Were Received by Institution Number of Active Complaints
Received in 2024-25 14
Received in 2023-24 5
Received in 2022-23 0
Received in 2021-22 0
Received in 2020-21 2
Received in 2019-20 1
Received in 2018-19 0
Received in 2017-18 0
Received in 2016-17 0
Received in 2015-16 or
earlier
0
Total 22

Section 2: Requests Carried Over and Active Complaints Under the Privacy Act

2.1 Requests carried over to next reporting period, broken down by reporting period received
Reporting Period Requests Carried Over Were Received Requests Carried Over that are Within Legislated Timelines as of
March 31, 2025
Requests Carried Over that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of
March 31, 2025
Total
Received in 2024-25 8 26 34
Received in 2023-24 2 10 12
Received in 2022-23 1 5 6
Received in 2021-22 2 3 5
Received in 2020-21 0 3 3
Received in 2019-20 0 7 7
Received in 2018-19 0 1 1
Received in 2017-18 0 2 2
Received in 2016-17 1 3 4
Received in 2015-16 or
earlier
0 0 0
Total 14 60 74
2.2 Active complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, broken down by reporting period received
Reporting Period Active Complaints Were Received by Institution Number of Active Complaints
Received in 2024-25 5
Received in 2023-24 1
Received in 2022-23 0
Received in 2021-22 1
Received in 2020-21 0
Received in 2019-20 1
Received in 2018-19 0
Received in 2017-18 0
Received in 2016-17 0
Received in 2015-16 or
earlier
0
Total 8

Section 3: Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Has your institution begun a new collection or a new consistent use of the SIN in 2024- 25?

No

Section 4: Universal access under the Privacy Act

How many requests were received from foreign nationals outside of Canada in 2024-25? 0

Page details

2025-11-05