Information for a price

By Graeme McNaughton/Column

One of the main tasks for a reporter, no matter the medium, is to find out information. And one of the tools that reporters have at their disposal is freedom of information requests.

Thanks to legislation from both the feds and the province, anyone can make requests for information from any level of government and government-related entities. The entry fee is a cheque for $5, and that, along with your request, is on your way to hopefully get the information you’re looking for.

While the legislation on all levels is, at times, worded ambiguously and can result in denials of information, one of the tools that some levels of government have used is costing people out.

Both Joel and I have been subject at one time or another to fee estimates ranging in the thousands of dollars for documents – thousands of dollars that neither of us, nor many others for that matter, have at their disposal.

High costs are a common complaint among filers of freedom of information requests. It’s gotten to the point where there’s even a cottage industry where a person on social assistance will file the request on your behalf so that the fee could possibly be waived. After all, one of the provisions in the legislation is that fees can be wiped out if it’s shown the filer can’t afford to pay.

Canada has been slammed for its behind-the-times access to information laws. In fact, I could go online, make a request to an American government entity and have it all mailed to me for free. In Canada, I still have to write a cheque and pop it in the mailbox – something straight out of the 1980s, when the law was originally drafted and has, for the most part, remained unchanged.

However, there is a glimmer of hope.

Last week, the federal government issued a directive ordering that all extra fees are now waived. This means that the only money that the government will ask of you is that initial cheque for $5.

It goes without saying, but this is a step in the right direction. The information that is being asked for is not top secret or confidential – it is information that should be readily available to the public. It shouldn’t only be available to those with deep enough pockets to be able to fork over the added costs.

Now, the next step is for other levels of government to follow suit. After all, this is information that is, by its very nature, ours. It shouldn’t be hidden from us behind a paywall.