Under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, you have a right to be given access to records held by government institutions, including personal information.

Request for access to information or personal information

Formal request

The Office of the Commissioner has 30 calendar days to respond to a formal request. This time limit may be extended if the request requires a lengthy or complex search for the requested information or if consultations are required.

A fee of $5.00 is charged for each formal request for access to information, payable by cheque or money order to the Receiver General for Canada. There is no fee for formal requests for personal information.

Online: To submit a formal request online, please use the Access to Information and Personal Information Online Request Service.

By mail: To submit a formal request by mail, please print and fill out the Access to Information Request Form or the Personal Information Request Form and send it to the Office of the Commissioner at the address below.

You can also submit a formal request by sending a letter with the following information to the Office of the Commissioner at the address below:

• a statement that you are making a request under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act;
• a detailed description of the records you wish to access (please see Info Source to help you determine whether the Office of the Commissioner has the information you’re looking for);
• your name, mailing address and telephone number; and
• the date and your signature.

Informal request

An informal request can be used to access records on an informal basis that have already been disclosed in previous formal requests. The records are disclosed as originally released, including format, language and any exemptions or exclusions that were applied at the time of release.

There is no fee for informal requests and no processing time.

In addition, there is no recourse for a requester who wishes to file a complaint after receiving documents through an informal request.

To make an informal request, please contact the Office of the Commissioner and provide your name, mailing address and a description of the information you’re looking for.

Principles for processing a request

When processing your request, the Office of the Commissioner is required to:

• process your request without regard to your identity;
• provide reasonable assistance throughout the request process;
• provide information on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act, including information on the processing of your request and your right to complain to the appropriate Commissioner;
• inform you, as appropriate and without undue delay, if your request needs to be clarified;
• make every reasonable effort to locate and retrieve the requested records or personal information under its control;
• apply limited and specific exemptions to the requested records;
• provide accurate and complete responses;
• provide timely access to the requested information;
• provide records in the format and official language requested, to the extent possible; and
• provide an appropriate location for you to examine the records on site.

Contact us

By telephone:   819-360-6207

By email:           AIPRP-ATIP@clo-ocol.gc.ca