Making an ATIA Request to the OIC

The Office of the Information Commissioner became subject to the Access to Information Act in 2007, along with about 70 other newly included institutions. The OIC welcomes this development, and has set up a unit devoted specifically to handling requests and explaining its activities.

You may submit an access to information request to the Office using the process described below. Also, a list of all requests made as of April 2010 to the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada under the Access to Information Act can be found here for quick reference.

Send requests for information to the following address:

Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada
Mario Perrier
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Place de Ville, Tower B
112 Kent Street, 22nd Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 1H3

Making an access to information request to an institution (including the OIC)

The Act applies to a wide range of government organizations. You must submit a request in writing to the federal institution that holds the information you seek. A good way to learn about filing a request and to obtain the suggested form is to consult InfoSource.gc.ca, a comprehensive federal site designed to assist anyone wishing to access their rights under both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

For more information on how to make a request for government information, please visit the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat's website

Starting in November 2010, the Office of the Information Commissioner waived the $5 application fee for access requests as a pilot project for a six-month period. We wanted to ensure that the fee did not act as a barrier to access.  Since this is done through an exercise of discretion, the requester retains all the benefits of a formal access to information request including the right to complain to the Commissioner ad hoc.  It also enabled us to accept requests by e-mail and prevented delays associated with fee payments. To date there has been limited impact on the number of requests filed and on the ATIP workload. Therefore, we intend to extend the pilot project into 2011−2012.  We will share the results of our final assessment with the Treasury Board Secretariat, once completed.