Office of the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner. Guide to FOIP, Chapter 4, Exemptions from the Right of Access. Updated 24 July 2025. 300 Subsection 31(1) Individual’s access to personal information 31(1) Subject to Part III and subsection (2), an individual whose personal information is contained in a record in the possession or under the control of a government institution has a right to, and: (a) on an application made in accordance with Part II; and (b) on giving sufficient proof of his or her identity; shall be given access to the record. Subsection 31(1) of FOIP provides that upon application an individual is entitled to their own personal information contained within a record unless an exemption applies under Part III or subsection 31(2) of FOIP applies. Government institutions should interpret the exemptions to this right to personal information with a view to giving an individual as much access as possible. Records containing personal information may be very sensitive in nature, so care must be taken to ensure that proper safeguards are in place when these types of records are released. When providing an applicant with access to personal information, a government institution must be satisfied that the individual receiving the information is indeed the individual that the information is about or a duly appointed representative of that person.1028 For more on duly appointed representatives, see the Guide to FOIP, Chapter 3, “Access to Records”, at Exercise of Rights by Authorized Representatives.1029 For more information on verifying the identity of the applicant, the Ministry of Justice, Access and Privacy Branch issued the resource, Verifying the Identity of an Applicant. It provides helpful direction on steps to take to verify identity. Subsection 31(2) Individual’s access to personal information 31(2) A head may refuse to disclose to an individual personal information that is evaluative or opinion material compiled solely for the purpose of determining the individual’s suitability, eligibility or qualifications for employment or for the awarding of government 1028 Government of Saskatchewan, Ministry of Justice, Access and Privacy Branch, Verifying the Identity of an Applicant, September 2017, at p. 2. 1029 Also see section 59 (Exercise of rights by other persons) in FOIP.
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