TORONTO — A new audit shows Canadians are still facing challenges when trying to get information in a complete and timely manner from various levels of government.

Newspapers Canada’s sixth annual National Freedom of Information Audit found that Canadians continue to have uneven access to what should be public information. The group represents Canada’s newspapers.

A student audit team found a wide variation in how quickly and completely various levels of government respond to requests for information.

The team made 354 requests on 40 topics to 11 federal departments and agencies, five provincial departments, 39 municipalities and 10 major hospitals.

It found Nova Scotia, P.E.I. and Yukon were the fastest responders and B.C. the slowest.

There was a marked difference Nova Scotia municipalities and provincial ministries in their responses to information requests. The municipalities received an F in both speediness and completeness, which provincial ministries received As in both areas.

Federal institutions completed 61 per cent of requests within the legally mandated 30 days, up from 50 per cent the previous year.

Some of the problems the audit revealed show the city of Winnipeg refusing to release contracts, claiming they were confidential, while Quebec denied even basic accountability information about top officials’ spending.

Newspapers Canada CEO John Hinds said the audit shines a light on uneven practices that are not in line with the spirit of freedom of information legislation.

The audit gave B.C. and New Brunswick F grades for their speed of disclosing information while the federal government earned a D.

Quebec got an F grade and Ontario a D for the completeness of disclosure while the Ottawa received a C in this category.

Freedom of Information Audit shows system slow, uneven – Front – TheChronicleHerald.ca.

A total refusal to release contracts in Winnipeg, Quebec’s denial of basic accountability information about top officials’ spending, passenger manifests for Ontario’s executive aircraft, and the federal government’s stubborn refusal to release data in a useful form are just some of the findings of the Newspapers Canada sixth annual National Freedom of Information Audit, which tests the openness of governments across the country.

View the 2011 Freedom of Information Audit »

The 2011 audit is the largest in the history of the project, with 354 requests on 40 topics sent to all three levels of government as well as to crown corporations and hospitals.At each level of government there were several identical requests. Institutions were not told they were being audited. The audit grades institutions on the speed and completeness of their responses.

“Because many of the requests were identical, the audit offers a unique comparison of different FOI handling across the country,” said Newspapers Canada chief executive officer John Hinds. “The audit shines a light on uneven practices that are not in line with the spirit of the legislation.”

The project was led by Fred Vallance-Jones, assistant professor of journalism at the University of King’s College in Halifax. A student audit team submitted and tracked the requests from January to May 2011.

2011 Freedom of Information Audit released | Newspapers Canada.

Government secrecy undermines democracy

September 26, 2011

CALGARY, AB, Sept. 26, 2011/Troy Media/ – Quebec has been shaken recently by the extent of the corruption allegations linking organized crime to construction and to political party financing. But while the bulk of media coverage has focused on the corruption, there is an equally troubling aspect: the secrecy surrounding the report itself.

via Government secrecy undermines democracy | Troy Media Corporation.

In 1983, upon learning that that the 1986 World Cup was assured to be awarded by FIFA to Mexico even before the process had been completed, Henry Kissinger is reported to have said, “The politics of FIFA, they make me nostalgic for the Middle East.”  The decades-long on-again off-again concern about corruption and a lack of transparency in FIFA is on again, and this time, it looks like it will remain a prominent issue that requires some sort of resolution.

via What are the prospects for FIFA reform? : space for transparency.

Toronto taxpayers paid out more than $7 million last year to its biggest overtime earners.

Councillor Denzil Minnan-Wong obtained the list of the top 25 overtime earners in each city department in 2010 through a freedom of information request and shared the data exclusively with the Toronto Sun.

The information comes out as Toronto city council heads into a special council meeting on Monday to consider some cuts and weeks before councillors will have to make even tougher financial decisions to help balance the 2012 budget.

More here: City Hall goes into overtime | Home | Toronto Sun.

That’s right: because “Halifax Regional Municipality is dedicated to the principle of open and transparent government and is accountable to the citizens it serves,” mayor Peter Kelly has proclaimed next week “Right to Know Week.” That of course is the very same mayor Peter Kelly who is so dedicated to “open government” that he approved $5.4 million in secret loans to concert promoter Harold MacKay; the very same mayor Peter Kelly who is so enamoured with “transparent government” that he kept knowledge of the loans from not just the public but also from city council; the very same mayor Peter Kelly who so loves to be “accountable to the citizens” that once knowledge of the illegal loans and loss of $360,000 became public, he refused to resign in disgrace.

Mayor Peter Kelly declares next week “Right to Know Week” | Reality Bites.

When the broadcasters finally begin to show English and Welsh judges delivering sentences in court, anyone will be able to watch the spectacle on TV or online. But if they turn to Google to look for a transcript of, say, a court of appeal judgment, the chances are that they will be unable to find it.

via Courts: judgment day | Editorial | Comment is free | The Guardian.