Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act
{{Short description|New Brunswick, Canada statute}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=February 2023}}
{{italictitle}}
{{Infobox legislation
| short_title = Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
| legislature = Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick
| citation = SNB 2009, c R-10.6
| date_assented = 2009-06-19
| date_effective =
| administered_by =
| 1st_reading = June 4, 1997
| amended_by =
| status = current
}}
The Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act ({{Langx|fr|Loi sur le droit à l'information et la protection de la vie privée}} RTIPPA) is an act of the New Brunswick Legislature in the Canadian province of New Brunswick that is both an access-to-information statute and an information-privacy statute.
It enables the right-of-access to records held by public agencies in the province and governs the handling of personal information by public bodies.{{Cite news |last=Wark |first=Bruce |date=2022-01-05 |title=Backgrounder: The dismal state of New Brunswick’s right to info law |url=https://nbmediacoop.org/2022/05/01/backgrounder-the-dismal-state-of-new-brunswicks-right-to-info-law/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220525101518/https://nbmediacoop.org/z0f76a1d14fd21a8fb5fd0d03e0fdc3d3cedae52f |archive-date=2022-05-25 |access-date=2025-04-23 |work=NB Media Co-op}}
Provisions
The legislation is considered one of the weakest regimes in Canada.{{Cite news |last=Ibrahim |first=Hadeel |date=2024-10-18 |title=2024-10-18 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-transparency-right-to-information-1.7356308 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241123034519/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/new-brunswick-transparency-right-to-information-1.7356308 |archive-date=2024-11-23 |access-date=2025-04-22 |work=CBC News}}
The legislation has been used to access complaints made by members of the public.{{Cite news |last=Ibrahim |first=Hadeel |date=2024-07-03 |title=Dozens of complaints to province about AIM came years before massive fire, documents show |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/aim-saint-john-westside-scrapyard-compliants-1.7253298 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714031459/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/aim-saint-john-westside-scrapyard-compliants-1.7253298 |archive-date=2024-07-14 |access-date=2025-04-23}}
The legislation allows the information commissioner to issue reports regarding the compliance by crown corporations.{{Cite news |last=Donkin |first=Karissa |date=2016-09-27 |title=NB Liquor threatens to sue information commissioner over report |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-liquor-lawsuit-information-commissioner-1.3780552 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161015085805/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-liquor-lawsuit-information-commissioner-1.3780552 |archive-date=2016-10-15 |access-date=2025-04-23 |work=CBC News}}
Implementation
Democracy Watch has criticised the legislation for being "weak" and fines for breaking the law being "low".{{Cite news |last=Cave |first=Rachel |date=2015-02-18 |title=Duff Conacher blasts New Brunswick's weak information law |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/duff-conacher-blasts-new-brunswick-s-weak-information-law-1.2960974 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231203053231/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/duff-conacher-blasts-new-brunswick-s-weak-information-law-1.2960974 |archive-date=2023-12-03 |access-date=2025-04-23 |work=CBC News}} According to Anne Bertrand, the province had become more "open" over her tenure as commissioner.{{Cite news |last=Donkin |first=Karissa |date=2017-08-30 |title=Government becoming more open, says departing commissioner |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/anne-bertrand-exit-1.4267555 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830092011/https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/anne-bertrand-exit-1.4267555 |archive-date=2017-08-30 |access-date=2025-04-23 |work=CBC News}}
References
External links
- [https://www.gnb.ca/en/gov/information-access-privacy/rippa-act.html Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act]
- [https://laws.gnb.ca/en/document/cs/R-10.6 Text of the Act]
Category:New Brunswick provincial legislation
New Brunswick, Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act
New Brunswick, Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act