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October 18, 2002
For immediate release

Attorney General Announces Proclamation Date for the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

Office of the Attorney General

Attorney General Jeff Lantz has announced the proclamation date for Prince Edward Island's Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The act will be proclaimed on November 1, 2002, and this signifies that the act will be law on that date.

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act has two major components. The section dealing with protection of privacy outlines how the provincial government deals with personal information, and the purpose of this part of the act is to insure that the personal information government holds about individuals will be protected from unauthorized collection, use or disclosure.

Under the act, people will also be allowed to apply to access records held by the provincial government. The applications will be reviewed and information will be released if the law allows. The act sets out very specific types of information that cannot be released; for example, information will not be released if it would be an unreasonable invasion of personal privacy.

The Attorney General also announces fees which will be charged for access to information requests. Applicants will be asked to pay five dollars ($5.00) to access information. A further ten dollars ($10.00) per half hour will be charged if it takes more than two hours to search for and prepare the records. Applicants will also be charged for photocopying and mailing if they request a copy of the records. Applicants will not be charged if their request is to see their own personal information.

All provinces charge a fee for access to information requests; Prince Edward Island's fees are among the lowest in the country.

"It is the commitment of our government that these fees for service will remain low," said Attorney General Lantz. "Our government has always placed a high value on openness and accountability, and this is further evidence of how important these values are to government."

The act will not interfere with the regular release of government information. Generally, government will have thirty days to review requests for information. Further information about this legislation is available on the government Web site www.gov.pe.ca/foipp and application forms will be available on this Web site on November 1, 2002.

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Media Contact: Jennifer Cormier
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