In a report dated January 16, 2024, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Newfoundland and Labrador, Michael Harvey, ruled against Memorial University.
In October 2019, I made an access-to-information request to Memorial for records regarding the Queen Elizabeth II Library Cafe expansion project. To date, the University has not provided a response, so the Commissioner has deemed it to be a refusal of access to the requested information.
The Commissioner found that Memorial failed to comply with sections 13 (duty to assist applicant) and 16 (time limit for final response) and recommended that the University comply with its statutory duties in the future and provide a final response within 30 business days of receipt of the report.
Memorial blamed the COVID-19 pandemic, staff turnover and prolonged absences of senior staff. The Commissioner noted that while deprioritizing the request may have helped it continue to respond to other requests on time, “every request needs to be handled individually and on its own merits, and every applicant is entitled to a timely and complete response to their request.”
The Commissioner referred to the response time as “egregious.”
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Matt Barter is a fourth-year student in the Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty at Memorial University of Newfoundland, majoring in Political Science with a minor in Sociology. He enjoys reading thought-provoking articles, walks in nature, and volunteering in the community.
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