Office of the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner. Guide to FOIP, Chapter 3, Access to Records. Updated 5 May 2023. 5 Power to Authorize a Government Institution to Disregard Applications or Requests later in this Chapter. PROCESSING ACCESS TO INFORMATION REQUESTS When responding to access to information requests, it is important that a government institution assign responsibilities for the various processing steps. Government institutions should develop a procedure for processing requests. The procedure should include steps that ensure legislated timelines and other requirements of FOIP are met. Government institutions should also create and retain documentation on their processing of requests.7 This becomes important in the event of a review pursuant to section 49 of FOIP or a court appeal pursuant to section 57 of FOIP. Depending on the request and the type of records requested there may be several steps that need to be taken such as giving notice to third parties. However, the most basic of access to information requests will follow these broad steps: 1. Receive an access to information request. 2. Assess if fees are required. 3. Search and gather responsive records. 4. Review and prepare the records for disclosure. 5. Provide a response to the applicant. The Ministry of Justice and Attorney General developed a checklist titled, Help with FOIP - Access Request Checklist. It provides the steps to take when a government institution receives an access to information request. It can be modified to suit the needs of the institution and the circumstances of the access to information request. In addition, see FOIP/LAFOIP Flow Chart. The Ministry of Justice and Attorney General has also developed a resource titled, In the Door, Out the Door: A User’s Guide to Processing Access to Information Requests under FOIP and LA 7 Service Alberta, FOIP Guidelines and Practices: 2009 Edition, Chapter 3, at p. 68.
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