Freedom of Information for CAS

August 19, 2013 permalink

Ontario's Information & Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian wants to open children's aid societies to the freedom of information law. The text of her recommendation is below, you can hear her on YouTube or our local copy (mp4) starting at 23:28.

Annual Report 2012

Commissioner's Recommendations:

Children's Aid Societies

One of the foundational tenets of freedom of information is that organizations that receive significant public funding should be subject to public scrutiny through freedom of information laws. Ontario has made important advances in this effort by extending the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) to universities in 2006 and hospitals in 2012, but there are still institutions in the government and Broader Public Sector which are not covered by the Acts.

I recommend that the government launch a comprehensive review to compile a list of institutions, including Children’s Aid Societies, which are primarily funded by government but are not yet covered by FIPPA or MFIPPA, the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This should be followed by a prompt assessment of these institutions – with the default position being that each institution on the list will be added to the appropriate Act, unless there are compelling reasons not to add a specific institution.

Source: Information and Privacy Commission