Freedom of Information

All local governments are subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). FOIPPA has two main purposes:

Freedom of Information: To make public bodies more open and accountable by providing the public with a legislated right of access to government records
Protection of Privacy: To protect your right to privacy by prohibiting the unauthorized collection, use or disclosure of your personal information by public bodies

The FOIPP Act applies to all records in the custody or under the control of public bodies, including personal information. However, only in exceptional circumstances will access to someone else’s personal information be provided. The definition of ‘record’ includes books, documents, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, vouchers, papers and any other thing on which information is recorded or stored by graphic, electronic, mechanical or other means, but does not include a computer program or any other mechanism that produces records.

Requesting Information

There are two ways to request information from the Town of Golden:

Informal request via routine channels:
Most information is available without a formal request to access records. A good place to start is by contacting the department you think might have the information you are looking for. View a list of Routinely Releasable Records produced by the Town of Golden and how to access them.
Formal FOI Request:
If the information you are looking for is not available through routine channels, you can make a formal FOI request containing the information. Formal FOI requests must be made in writing and submitted to Corporate Services by email, fax, regular mail or hand delivered to Town Hall using the Town's Freedom of Information Request Form.
Please be clear, specific and concise to reduce processing times and possible fees. Indicate in your request the date range for the records you are seeking and whether you would like to receive the records by email, regular mail, or pick- up.

Please note that a formal FOI request may take up to 30 business days to complete.

- Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the Act), you can request access to a record.
- You cannot ask for a specific question to be answered, only for access to records that you think will hold the answer to your question.
- Under the Act, it is the responsibility of a local government to provide you with access to records, not to interpret the information for you.
- The record must be under the custody and control of a public body in order for it to be released through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. “Custody” means having physical possession of a record and “control” means that the local government is the owner of the record and has the right to control it.
If a local government receives a request for records that are under the custody and control of a different public body, the local government may transfer the request to another public body to respond. This could include situations where the other public body created the record or was the first to obtain the record.
All records within the custody and control of a local government should be disclosed to the public unless a record is specifically outlined as an exception under the act. Some records contain information that shouldn’t be disclosed and as a result, the municipality is required or may have the discretion to withhold information.
Exceptions under the act include:
- Cabinet and local public confidences
- Policy advice or recommendations
- Legal advice
- Disclosures harmful to law enforcement
- Disclosures harmful to intergovernmental relations or negotiations
- Disclosure harmful to the financial or economic interests of a public body
- Disclosure harmful to the conservation of heritage sites
- Information that will be published or released within 60 days
- Disclosures harmful to business interests of a third party
- Disclosures harmful to personal privacy
The Town may charge you fees to cover the cost of processing your FOI request.
- There is no application fee for information requests.
- There is no charge for the first three hours spent searching for and retrieving the records.
- If there is a fee for your request, you will be provided with a fee estimate before processing your request. A deposit may be required and payment of the full fee is required before staff provide you with the records.
- Fees are established in Bylaw 1462, 2021 Town of Golden Administrative Fees and Information Access Bylaw and outlined on the FOI Request form.
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) requires that the Town respond to your FOI request within 30 business days (not including weekends or statutory holidays) of receiving your request. We will make every effort to make the records available to you sooner, if possible.
If your request is broad in scope, or if it includes a large volume of records, we may extend the time limit for responding under section 10 of FOIPPA for up to an additional 30 business days. For particularly large and difficult requests, we may apply to the British Columbia Information and Privacy Commissioner for an additional time extension.
If you are denied to any record or part of a record that you have requested, you have the right to ask for review by the British Columbia Information and Privacy Commissioner at:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
P.O. Box 9038, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9A4
Tel: 250-387-5629
Fax: 250-387-1696
A decision of the Commissioner is final, but can be subject to judicial review.

Alerts

Evacuation Alert rescinded to ALL CLEAR

Requesting Information

Alerts

Evacuation Alert rescinded to ALL CLEAR

Freedom of Information

Requesting Information

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