Access to Information

The Access to Information Act (ATI) came into force on June 11, 2025, and together with the Protection of Privacy Act, replaces the Freedom of Information Act (FOIP).  ATI allows access to many records that are held by public bodies in Alberta.  The two acts together aim to balance the public's right to know information with protecting personal or confidential information required to ensure the effective operation of government and public bodies.

Under the Protection of Privacy Act, the Town has rules regarding the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.  

ATI has four (4) main principles:

• Right to request access to records held by the Town.  Records may be subject to partial or full release, based on specific exceptions to release.
• Right to access your own personal information held by the Town.
• Right to the correction of personal information.
• Access to an independent review, by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner, of any issue or decisions related to ATI.

Information is often made available, as a matter of routine disclosure, through official publications, websites, phone calls or discussions.  Certain types of information may be provided by staff, so you may not require the process provided by the Access to Information Act to gain access to a lot of information that is held by public bodies.  Before making an official request, it may be helpful to contact the Town for advice on the best way to access the information you need.

Requesting Information under the Access to Information Act

Access to Information Request Form

If you want to make an Access to Information Request (you may have known this as a "FOIP Request") you may use the link to the request form, print it, complete it and return it to the Legislative Services team (by mail, in person or via email).  You may pay any fees in person, by mail, or by online payment.  Any fees charged are as set out in the Access to Information Act Regulation; the most common ones are listed here.

• $25 is the initial fee for a general information request
  • Additional fees may apply if the cost of processing the request (per the Regulation) exceeds $150
• Personal information requests:  no fee, unless the cost of producing copies exceeds $10

Routine Disclosures:  accessing information without ATI

Much of the Town's information is routinely made available to the public either as a matter of regular business (i.e. Council Agenda packages, website, social media) or when requested by the public.  Sometimes, only part of the information is made available (when the ATI Act requires exceptions to full disclosure) during a routine disclosure.  Examples of routine disclosures might include:

• Building Permit(and related) information
  • Requested records would be reviewed and all or part of the records would be released.
• Drawings and Plans
  • These documents may be available for viewing; however, most are copyrighted and cannot be reproduced without written permission from the creator.  Hand-drawn drawings may not have a copyright, but they belong to the creator and written permission is required to reproduce them.  
    • The Town may be able to provide the name of the company or person you need to contact, but it is the requester's responsibility to obtain the required permission. 
  •  Note: The Town is not able to copy drawings larger than 11x17".  These will be sent for commercial reproduction at the requester's expense, or you may contact the creator or the drawings/plans directly to request a copy from them.
• Real Property Reports
  • The Town is often asked if an RPR can be released to a prospective purchaser of property, to a new owner, or to anyone else.
    • Requested records would be reviewed to determine if any ATI exceptions to disclosure apply and then all or part of the records would be released based on the Act.  It is unusual that an RPR for a residential property would contain personal, commercial, or technical information under section 19 of the Act.
• Assessment Roll Information
  • The current year's assessment roll is posted to the Town's website and is available in the Town Office for inspection during regular office hours.
• Tax and Utility Account Information
  • If you are not the registered owner of the subject property, or named on the account, written permission is required from the registered owner, or the name on the account.
    • Power of Attorney, Trustee/Guardian, or proof of Executorship, may also be provided in the event of the death or incapacity of the account holder.  If you are encountering difficulty in managing someone's affairs, please contact the Tax or Utility Clerk for assistance.
• Contact Information for residents (ie for services of documents, collection of debt or legal matters)
  • The Town is only permitted to release information for the purpose for which it was collected.  The Town does not collect information for the purpose of the above-noted examples, and therefore, the information would not be released to requesters**.  However, the Town does collect information specifically to administer utility accounts or dog licenses.  That information would be released to people who are operating those services. 

** There are instances where other legislation requires a disclosure of the information, regardless of the collection purpose.  Such examples include the Maintenance Enforcement Act and the Income Tax Act.

• Complainant Information
  • The Town does not release the personal information of a person who files a complaint against another individual, unless the information is necessary to resolve the matter.  Such a release might include a court submission for trial.  
• Contract Information
  • Contract information can be released to the public, but may be released in a partially redacted (severed) form.  Under the ATI Act, information that is harmful to the business interests of a contractor and/or proprietary information must be protected.

ATI Responses

The ATI Act requires public bodies to respond within 30 business days of receiving your request.  The response will either provide the requested information or explain why the information is not being disclosed.  In the case of a request to correct personal information, the response will either state that the correction has been made or it will advise that the record has not been corrected, but that it has been annotated.  The 30-day response deadline may be extended if, for example, large volumes of records are involved or if third parties need to be consulted.  Requesters are notified if extensions are required.