One curious Canadian with an apparent obsession with the CBC has single-handedly forced that Crown corporation to more than double the number of employees in its access-to-information department.
The individual, whose identity cannot legally be revealed, sent 448 separate requests for information from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation in the four-month period between Sept. 1, 2007 and the end of the year. The CBC first became subject to federal access-to-information laws on Sept. 1 and, to date, has now received 604 requests — and almost all of them are from that same one individual.
The CBC, the Canadian Wheat Board, and more than 65 other federal agencies, crown corporations and institutions became subject last fall to federal access to information laws as part of the Conservative government’s Federal Accountability Act. The CBC hired three people to handle the access requests it expected to receive. There are now seven people working in that department.
“It’s been a very difficult situation that the office has been facing,” sasid Katherine Heath-Eves, a spokesperson for CBC. “But a request is a request and each one has to be treated fairly. We take all of this extremely seriously.”
But so far, the CBC requester appears to be entirely unsatisifed with the service — even with the addition of four employees. According to a briefing note obtained, coincidentally enough, under an access-to-information request, the CBC requester filed 524 separate complaints in 2007 with the federal Information Commissioner. Those 524 complaints accounted for nearly one-quarter of commissioner Robert Marleau’s record caseload last year of 2,387 complaints … [Read the rest of the story]
Technorati Tags: Access to Information, CBC
From your story:
“The government requires a $5 processing fee for each request filed. Requesters often are asked for additional fees to pay for search time, preparation, and reproduction costs, depending on the scope and complexity of the request.”
When does the $5 fee have to be paid? Once the information is received or when the request is made?
Has “the CBC requester” been paying or merely putting in requests?
Geez, a fascination for Peter Mansbridge … who knew?
You must submit the $5 with your request. Most departments only take cash or cheque and won't do any work until they get the five bucks. Once they get working, departments will advise you along the way if there are other fees for search, prep, or reproduction. When they tell there's a fee, work on your file stops until you pay up.
Thanks for the info.
Maybe this guy/gal (?) is willing to spend $2240 just to gum up the works.
On the other hand, if the avalanche of requests means additional jobs opening up … maybe that's a good thing, as Martha might say.