New Brunswick government reviews right to information act

FREDERICTON – The New Brunswick government has made several recommendations to improve the implementation of the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act including an evaluation of the fee structure for freedom of information requests.

The report by the Government Services Department says an increasing number and the scope of requests for information was the main concern for public bodies because they added to their workload.

Despite a 53 per cent increase in the last four years, the report says New Brunswick still has the lowest number of information requests per capita.

The report says more than half of right to information requests are responded to within a 30-day deadline, which is “well below” other provinces, and an increasing number of requests are taking more than 60 days.

The report makes 14 recommendations, which Health Minister Victor Boudreau says the government will consider.

The recommendations include developing resource materials about the act and its use, encouraging public organizations to review and improve their information management practices and developing a new training program for public organizations on their responsibilities under the law.