The complainant alleged that Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) improperly withheld information under subsection 19(1) (personal information), paragraph 20(1)(b) (confidential third-party financial, commercial, scientific, or technical information), and paragraph 20(1)(c) (financial impact on a third party) of the Access to Information Act to an access request for records relating to the application form for the issuance of an authorization under the Fisheries Act (Non-Emergency Situations) that was submitted by Ridley Terminals Inc. for its berth expansion project. The allegation falls within paragraph 30(1)(c) of the Act. DFO could not show that it met all the requirements of these exemptions; in particular it did not show that all the information meets the requirements for paragraph 20(1)(b) or paragraph 20(1)(c). The Information Commissioner ordered that DFO disclose all the withheld information, with the exception of the information that meets the requirements of subsection 19(1). DFO gave notice to the Commissioner that it would follow the order. The complaint is well founded.

Institution
Fisheries and Oceans
Section of the Act
19(1)
20(1)(b)
20(1)(c)
Decision Type
Order
Final report
Date modified:
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