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Stephen McNeil, MLADear Mr. Fardy,
I would like to respond to your e-mail regarding our freedom of information legislation. I understand your request for our party’s position went to candidates. As leader, I would like to provide you with the Liberal Party’s position.
The Nova Scotia Liberal Party has committed in our platform to reducing application fees. We agree with your position, the $25.00 fee is too high. A Liberal government would reduce the fee to $5.00.
We have also argued on a number of occasions that the wait times for receiving information is often excessive. A Liberal government would review the existing process to determine whether the difficulty is with the regulatory framework (i.e. the timelines established) or whether there is a problem with adherence to those timelines.
The Liberal Party believes that government needs to be more open and accountable to the people. Our commitment to making government more accessible and accountable goes beyond our initiatives relating to access to information. I would encourage you and others to examine the Liberal Party’s plan, at www.liberal.ns.ca. The plan includes commitments for fixed budget and legislative session dates, to freeze user fees and the creation of an all-party committee on House of Assembly Reform and Renewal.
I thank you for your efforts in making Nova Scotia’s government more open and transparent, and thus more responsive to the people it serves.
Sincerely,
Leader, Nova Scotia Liberal Party
Phone: (902) 424-8637
Fax: (902) 424-0539
Please see the attached response to your correspondence.(click on images below) PC Party of NS
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Official Party reposonse to the RTKNS letter:
Darce Fardy
President
Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia
June 6, 2009
Via email: darce@eastlink.ca
Dear Darce:
On behalf of Darrell Dexter, Leader of the New Democratic Party, I write to enclose the response of the NDP to the Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia.
I trust that your members will have the opportunity to review these answers in informing their voting intentions in this election. More details on our platform, Better Deal 2009, are available on our website at http://www.ns.ndp.ca/.
The NDP believes that the Freedom of Information Act requires regular review to ensure that it is meeting the changing and dynamic information needs of Nova Scotians. In the short-term, changes to reduce the cost for FOI applications from $25 to $5 need to be made. Overall, the processing times for requests have increased to the point where
timely access-to-information is being hampered, or in some cases denied.
The NDP will work with the FOI staff to determine the most efficient methods for speeding-up the processing times and providing more timely access to information.
We thank you for the opportunity to outline our positions on these important issues. The NDP recognizes your years of service to the province, and commitment to greater transparency, and freedom of information.
Best regards,
Dan O’Connor
Chief of Staff to Darrell Dexter
Leader of the NDP
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Candidate Responses:
From: Jim
To: Darce Fardy
Sent: Monday, May 18, 2009 10:08 AM
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information
You are absolutely correct. This process undermines democracy and the accountability of government to the people. Full, open and transparent accountability is what should be the benchmark.
Jim Boudreau – NDP Candidate for Guysborough-Sheet Harbour
The following is an excerpt from the NS Green Party website: The Right To Know Coalition proposes the following in regards to the Freedom of Information legislation: That the application fee be lowered to $5.00, where it once stood; That fees for processing be lowered to $5.00 a half hour from $15.00. That wait times be reduced (applicants have been known to wait eighteen months or more for a final decision); That the Freedom of Information Review Office, like other independent oversight offices, report to the legislature thus removing any perception that the Office reports to the Department of Justice. That the list in the appendix include all publicly funded agencies. The Green Party fully supports the proposals of the Right to Know Coalition. For the sake of transparency and accountable governance, government must take all reasonable measures to remove barriers for Freedom of Information requests from citizens. We support reductions in costs, and drastic reductions in wait times. An 18 month wait is simply unacceptable. The Review Office should report to the Legislature, and all publicly funded agencies should be included in the index.
http://www.greenparty.ns.ca/content/2009right-to-know — Green Party Candidate Responses to Freedom of Information Questions Posed by the Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia —
Hello Mr. Fardy, I believe that public access to information at all levels of government is essential to maintaining free, just society. The government with nothing to hide should know no fear of having its activities open to scrutiny. How can an administration which is closed to the public eye expect voters to feel that politics and policy are matters which concern us all? Accountability and transparency in government are principles welcomed by Green Parties all over the world, and the Green Party of Nova Scotia is no different. If elected, I pledge my full support for any effort to streamline and simplify access to information in this great province. Thank you for your email, Kris MacLellan Green Party Of Nova Scotia Candidate, Halifax Needham —- Some years before I moved to Canada and became a Canadian citizen, I worked as a newspaper reporter in north Texas. For us in the news business, swift and free access to information was critical. I can’t imagine it is any less critical in Nova Scotia. Without swift and free access, the rats andcockroaches of corruption have time to scuttle back into the darkness. Sincerely, Jim Lindsey Green Party candidate for Pictou Centre —- I agree with the Right to Know Coalition’s proposals. My views are consistent with those of the Green Party of Nova Scotia, which are posted on our website (1) www.greenparty.ns.ca), and I support your coalition. -Aviva Silburt GPNS Cumberland-North —- Hi Mr. Fardy. My name is Judy Davis and I am running in this election as a Green Party Candidate in Colchester North. I support your efforts wholeheartedly. Our right to know is fundamental to living in a democracy and when information is not shared publicly we are all at risk of being exploited and abused by the powers that be. Like “informed consent” it is necesssary to be fully informed on all issues in order that we may make the best decisions for ourselves and others. In the past year I have been involved in a campaign to keep our local hospital and ER from closing. By asking questions about the role of the doctors and other care providers in the community we were able to understand the underlying issues at play. Getting this information was extremely difficult to say the least.It was only through persistence and public engagement that the information was finally shared. Doctors and other care providers should not be protected from public scrutiny, nor should anyone in a position of trust. Transparency is vital in order to protect our rights. All the best, Judy Davis Green Party Candidate in Colchester North ——
candidate for the Green Party of NS in the Truro-Bible Hill riding —– Right to know Coalition, I agree government and public bodies must be open on how our money is spent and we must have the right to view the process. We are not to be blocked from by cost or bureaucracy. Yours, Ron Mills candidate for the Green Party of NS in the West Nova riding
Right To Know Coalition Questions
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Hello Mr. Fardy,
The Green Party fully supports the proposals of the Right to Know Coalition. For the sake of transparency and accountable governance, government must take all reasonable measures to remove barriers for Freedom of Information requests from citizens.
We support reductions in costs, and drastic reductions in wait times. An 18 month wait is simply unacceptable. The Review Office should report to the legislature, and all publicly funded agencies should be included in the index.
Ryan Watson
There should be a minimum or no fee charged for information requested under the Freedom of Information Act. The $25.00 dollar fee restricts accessibility for many Canadians.
Thank you for the work you do.
Hello,
The current system to gain knowledge from the government seems to me to be out of date. I think it may be more beneficial to have this information, as long as it is not classified, to be available on the internet so that an individual can put the amount of time required into finding the information themselves. I think the fee and length of time makes the government appear to be “hiding” information form voters; however, it does take a considerable amount of time to manually find and collect information. The internet would seems to be a more modern approach to this issue.
Thank you for desiring my opinion,
Kaleigh Brinkhurst
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The Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia is asking all party leaders in this election campaign to address our concerns with the administration of our Freedom of Information legislation.
It is a good Act in its purpose (requiring total accountability) and its reach (government, municipalities, school boards, hospitals, universities, and colleges) but it’s the coalition’s view that costs attached to using the Act and the waiting times for responses discourage applicants from taking advantage of their rights under the Act.
The coalition proposes the following:
That the application fee be lowered to $5.00, where it once stood;
That fees for processing be lowered to $5.00 a half hour from $15.00.
That wait times be reduced (applicants have been known to wait eighteen months or more for a final decision);
That the Freedom of Information Review Office, like other independent oversight offices, report to the legislature thus removing any perception that the Office reports to the Department of Justice;
That the list in the appendix include all publicly funded agencies.
The coalition would appreciate a response within one week. Yours and the responses of the other leaders will be posted on our website: http://www.nsrighttoknow.ca/ .
We believe these changes will lead to a better informed electorate and larger voter turnouts.
Thank you
Darce Fardy
Founder and President of the Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia
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The Right to Know Coalition has written to as many Nova Scotia election candidates as it could reach asking them for a committment to live up to the obligations placed on public bodies by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
A separate letter was sent to the three party leaders. They will appear on our website as they are received.
Darce Fardy
President
Right to Know Coalition of Nova Scotia
The Liberals say the Conservative government has been deliberately setting higher gas prices to bring in more tax revenue, and they believe they have evidence to prove it. Gas prices in Nova Scotia are set on a weekly basis through regulation. Documents obtained through freedom of information requests by the Liberals show the Service Nova Scotia minister picks one price out of three options. In every case, the two options not picked are blacked out because they are deemed to be advice to the minister, which is exempt from freedom of information laws. Liberal Leader Stephen McNeil said the documents show the Tories were picking the more expensive option. “This government is clearly picking the highest option,” he said. “If they weren’t, why wouldn’t they release it? Why would they hide information that would prove to Nova Scotians that they were giving them a deal?” FULL ARTICLE
Nova Scotia Liberals accuse Tories of hiking gas prices
28 May 2009 02:35
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