The Town of Balgonie is committed to supporting transparency, accountability, accessibility, and stakeholder participation in municipal government and the decision-making process. To support these goals, the Town adopted an Access to Information Policy. This policy regulates how information is provided to interested parties under The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (LAFOIP).
In general, the Town is committed to proactively providing information, however, when specific information is requested that is not otherwise available, individuals may apply to the municipality through LAFOIP.
Submitting a LAFOIP Request:
- Complete an Access to Information Request Form and submit it to the Town Office at 129 D Railway St E, Balgonie, SK S0G 0E0 or by email to [email protected]. Depending on the scope of work, the Town may also require a $20 application fee.
- Upon receiving a completed form, the Town staff will review the request and may choose to fully disclose, partially disclose, or fully deny your request. There are several reasons a request may be partially disclosed or fully denied. These reasons are outlined in LAFOIP and may include:
- Records from other governments obtained and kept in confidence – LAFOIP 13(2)
- Certain third-party information – LAFOIP 18
- Information received in confidence from another local authority – LAFOIP 13(2)
- Information regarding law enforcement and ongoing investigations – LAFOIP 14
- Draft resolutions, bylaws, and in-camera meeting documents – LAFOIP 15
- Advice from officials – LAFOIP 16
- Information that may result in danger to the health or safety of an individual – LAFOIP 20
- Information covered under solicitor-client privilege – LAFOIP 21
- No matter the request, personal information, including phone numbers, birthdates, social insurance numbers, health card numbers, and other personal identifying information will be redacted and will not be disclosed.
- Depending on the scope of work, the Town may request additional fees to complete the request. These fees may include:
- $0.25 per page for copying or printing
- The cost of storage devices for electronic copies
- $15.00 for each half-hour, or portion thereof, of excess time spent locating the requested information and performing redactions (as necessary)
- Once the request has been processed, the Town will send you a letter (either through mail or via email) outlining the steps taken and including the requested information (if applicable).
- If you are unsatisfied with how the Town processed your request, you may apply to the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) for review. The Town will cooperate with the [PC during the review and will work with the IPC, the applicant, and any third parties to come to an acceptable review result, whenever possible.
If you have any questions about freedom of information requests or LAFOIP, please contact the Town Office at [email protected] or (306) 771-2284.
Access to Information Policy