Parks Canada Agency
2023-2024
Annual report to parliament
Access to Information Act

Introduction

Parks Canada Agency is pleased to submit to Parliament its annual report on the administration of the Access to Information Act for the reporting period commencing on April 1, 2023, and ending on March 31, 2024.

This report is prepared and tabled in accordance with the following:

• section 94 of the Access to Information Act, which requires that the head of every federal institution prepare and submit an annual report to Parliament on the administration of the act in the institution during the fiscal year.
• section 20 of the Service Fees Act, which requires that a responsible authority report annually to Parliament on the fees collected by institutions.

Purpose of the Access to Information Act

The purpose of the Access to Information Act is to enhance the accountability and transparency of federal institutions to promote an open and democratic society and to enable public debate on the conduct of those institutions. To further that purpose:

• Part 1 extends the present laws of Canada to provide a right of access to information in records under the control of a government institution in accordance with the principles that government information should be available to the public, that necessary exceptions to the right of access should be limited and specific, and that decisions about the disclosure of government information should be reviewed independently of government.
• Part 2 sets out requirements for the proactive publication of information

Mandate of Parks Canada Agency

The Parks Canada Agency’s mandate is to protect and present nationally significant examples of Canada’s natural and cultural heritage and to foster public understanding, appreciation and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative integrity for present and future generations. The Agency is responsible for operations under multiple pieces of federal legislation and protects approximately 450 000 km² of Canada’s terrestrial, marine and freshwater ecosystems. It is the steward of 48 national parks, one national urban park, five national marine conservation areas (NMCA) and 171 national historic sites, including nine heritage canals. The Agency is highly decentralized with team members located across the country and often in remote areas.

Organizational structure

During this reporting period, Parks Canada’s Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Office was part of the Corporate Communications Branch. The Access to Information and Privacy Office is comprised of six (6) full-time employees responsible for implementing and managing services related to the administration of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. The team is also responsible for providing advice to Parks Canada employees as they fulfill their obligations under both Acts including requirements for the proactive publication of information.

Internal tools and procedures have been developed to support the Agency in meeting its obligations under the Access to Information Act, regulations and Treasury Board policies and are regularly reviewed and improved.

Parks Canada met its statutory deadlines for all requests during the reporting period and ensured proactive publication requirements were met. Parks Canada is committed to transparency, service to Canadians and the expeditious processing of access to information requests and has put in place the systems and processes necessary to meet this commitment.

Parks Canada did not enter in any service agreements under section 96 of the Access to Information Act during the reporting period.

Delegation order

Performance 2023-2024

The following report represents an overview of activities carried out within the Agency during the reporting period of April 1, 2023 to March 31, 2024. The Statistical Report (Appendix A) contains detailed statistics on the Access to Information requests processed under the Access to Information Act.

Between April 1, 2023 and March 31, 2024, Parks Canada received one hundred and fifty-six (156) formal information requests under the Access to Information Act. Twenty-nine (29) requests were carried forward from the previous reporting period. Eight (8) requests were carried forward to the next reporting period for the following reasons: required additional time to allow for consultations with third parties or other government entities and volume of records. Parks Canada responded to all requests received by the Agency within legislated timelines.

The following is a breakdown of the number of completed requests broken down by completion times:

Two (2) active complaints were outstanding from the previous reporting period. One complaint (1) was received in fiscal year 2022-2023 and one was received in fiscal year 2019-2020. Parks Canada worked closely with the Office of the Information Commissioner and resolved six (6) complaints that were outstanding from previous reporting periods and three (3) complaints that were received in fiscal year 2023-24.

Extensions were taken for sixty-nine (69) requests. Twenty (20) requests were due to the complexity of the requests. Three (3) extensions were taken to allow sufficient time for consultations relating to s.69 of the Act. Forty-three (43) extensions were taken to provide for sufficient time to consult with other government institutions. Forty-seven (47) extensions were taken for third-party notices. Some requests had more than one reason for an extension which explains why the total number of extensions is greater than sixty-nine (69) requests.

The Agency received forty-four (44) consultations under the Access to Information Act from other government institutions. Four (4) consultations were carried forward from the previous reporting period. Forty (40) consultations were completed before the end of March 2024. Five (5) requests were received from other organizations and completed before March 31, 2024.

The following is a percentage breakdown by disclosure types for access requests completed in 2023-2024:

The following is a percentage breakdown by source of information requests received during 2023-2024:

Hundred-eighty-nine (189) informal requests were released under the Access to Information Act, which represent a 93% increase from the previous reporting period. These requests concerned documents that were previously disclosed in response to information requests.

In addition, Agency officials respond to informal requests from the public and contact the ATIP Office for guidance on the disclosure of information through informal processes. Agency officials are aware of the importance of the legislation and promptly refer formal information requests to the ATIP Office.

The ATIP Office also reviewed responses to parliamentary questions and audit and evaluation reports for publishing on the Agency’s website and provided strategic advice on Access to Information in support of the Agency’s programs. The ATIP Office also reviewed all material that is subject to proactive disclosure.

The ATIP Office continued delivering responses electronically via Canada Post Connect and ATIP Online.

Training and awareness

Facilitating efficient and transparent access to information and to personal information for Canadians is a priority for Parks Canada.

To ensure that all Agency employees understand their responsibilities and obligations regarding the legislation, including the proactive publication of Part 2, awareness sessions are offered periodically to provide information on the provisions of the Access to Information Act.

The participation of ATIP Office team members in several meetings on new initiatives, programs and services offered by the agency created opportunities to meet with many employees from different sectors. ATIP focused on customized, program-specific training for the different responsibilities of each Parks Canada program and service.

As a result of the relationships built through these meetings, Parks Canada employees have a better understanding of the impact of access to information and privacy on the programs and activities they deliver. They have the knowledge to provide relevant documents with appropriate recommendations for processing requests.

The development of these relationships has been beneficial to the Agency, with employees in Offices of Primary Interest sending ninety-four (94) questions related to the ATIP request.

The Agency put a focus on training its employees as to their responsibilities pertaining to access to information and privacy during the last reporting period. This year, eighteen (18) training sessions were given to Agency employees in 2023-2024. In total, three hundred and ninety-eight (398) employees attended these sessions.

Policies, guidelines, procedures and Initiatives

No new Agency policy regarding administration of the Access to Information Act was implemented during the reporting period.

Proactive publication under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act

The ATIP Office works collaboratively with Parliamentary Affairs, the Executive Coordination Office and Chief Financial Directorate to fulfill the proactive disclosure requirements found in Part 2 of the Access to Information Act.

During the 2023-2024 reporting period, the ATIP Office collaborated with program leads in Parliamentary Affairs, the Executive Coordination Office and Chief Financial Directorate review and publish the relevant information in accordance with the legislative requirements.

Parks Canada’s proactive publications along with a summary list of completed access to information requests can be found on the Parks Canada website under Transparencyand the Open Government Portal

As part of the process, Parks Canada’s team responsible for publishing information related to contracts implemented to better manage the acquisitions of goods and services at Parks Canada within financial system. Reports are pulled from the financial system and data is then validated and corrected to the extent possible. Training and tools were developed for users to improve quality of data going into the system.

Parliamentary Affairs is responsible for proactively publishing packages of briefing materials for Deputy Head’s appearance before a parliamentary committee. As part of the process, Parliamentary Affairs tasks Directorates to prepare materials for the Deputy Head’s appearance before a Parliamentary and advises the ATIP Office of upcoming appearances and the deadline for proactive publication. Parliamentary Affairs provides confirmation to the ATIP Office one the information has been published.

The below noted table lists Parks Canada’s compliance rates of proactive publication requirements for 2023-24.

Proactive Publication Requirements Table

Legislative Requirement	Section	Publication Timeline	Institutional Requirement
All Government Institutions as defined in section 3 of the Access to Information Act
Travel Expenses	82	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	100%
Hospitality Expenses	83	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	100%
Reports tabled in Parliament	84	Within 30 days after tabling	100%
Government entities or Departments, agencies, and other bodies subject to the Act and listed in Schedules I, I.1, or II of the Financial Administration Act
Contracts over $10,000	86	Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter	100%
Grants & Contributions over $25,000	87	Within 30 days after the quarter	100%
Packages of briefing materials prepared for new or incoming deputy heads or equivalent	88(a)	Within 120 days after appointment	N/A
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared for a deputy head or equivalent, that is received by their office	88(b)	Within 30 days after the end of the month received	100%
Packages of briefing materials prepared for a deputy head or equivalent’s appearance before a committee of Parliament	88(c)	Within 120 days after appearance	N/A
Government institutions that are departments named in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act or portions of the core public administration named in Schedule IV to that Act (i.e. government institutions for which Treasury Board is the employer)
Reclassification of positions	85	Within 30 days after the quarter	N/A
Ministers
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for new or incoming ministers	74(a)	Within 120 days after appointment	N/A
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared by a government institution for the minister, that is received by their office	74(b)	Within 30 days after the end of the month received	N/A
Package of question period notes prepared by a government institution for the minister and in use on the last sitting day of the House of Commons in June and December	74(c)	Within 30 days after last sitting day of the House of Common in June and December	N/A
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for a minister’s appearance before a committee of Parliament	74(d)	Within 120 days after appearance	N/A
Travel Expenses	75	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	N/A
Hospitality Expenses	76	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	N/A
Contracts over $10,000	77	Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter	N/A
Ministers’ Offices Expenses *Note: This consolidated report is currently published by TBS on behalf of all institutions.	78	Within 120 days after the fiscal year	N/A

Initiatives and projects to improve access to information

Parks Canada’s ATIP Office implemented new initiatives and projects to improve access to information within the institution during the reporting period. This includes activities such as:

Following the resolution of many complaints with the Office of the Information Commissioner, ATIP Office has created specifics tools for the Access to Information Act Officer and the Office of Primary Interest to provide guidance on how to meet the ATI exemptions as well as rational that demonstrate the current, probable and specific injury. As well as the creation of template for the Agency discretion when applying exemption for ATI.

Summary of Key Issues and Actions Taken on Complaints

During the reporting period under review, six (6) complaints were filed with the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada.

Four (4) complaints concerned exemptions and two (2) For missing records. Parks Canada has worked closely and collaboratively with the Office of the Commissioner to resolve these complaints and of those complaints, four (4) were completed during the reporting period.

Monitoring Compliance

The Agency monitors the time required to process access to information requests. When the need for improvements are identified, internal processes are adjusted. Parks Canada met its statutory deadlines for all requests during the reporting period.

Parks Canada has implemented a weekly report that provide Agency executives details on the status of active requests. The reports are shared with program liaisons and departmental senior managers as well as with the President & Chief Executive Officer’s office to ensure that office of primary interests contribute to the Agency internal policy for no late requests.

ATIP Office reviewed and ensured the publishing the accuracy and completeness of proactively published information under Part 2 of the Act. No monitoring was conducted during the reporting period.

Parks Canada’s ATIP Office implemented a practice to seek approval when extending the legislative deadlines of ATI request. All extension notices over 120 days require approval of the Vice-President, External Relations and Visitor Experience Directorate. All extension notices over 150 days require the President & Chief Executive Officer’s approval. This approach was developed to ensure compliance with the Act including extensions taken for inter-institutional consultations.

Reporting on Access to Information fees for the purposes of the Service Fees Act

The Service Fees Act requires a responsible authority to report annually to Parliament on the fees collected by the institution.

With respect to fees collected under the Access to Information Act, the information below is reported in accordance with the requirements of section 20 of the Service Fees Act.

In accordance with the Interim Directive on the Administration of the Access to Information Act, issued on May 5, 2016, and the changes to the Access to Information Act that came into force on June 21, 2019, Parks Canada waives all fees prescribed by the Act and Regulations, other than the $5 application fee set out in paragraph 7(1)(a) of the Regulations.

The total fees collected were $725. The total of application fees waived was $45.

A total of $626,284 was incurred by the Access to Information Act Secretariat to administer the Access to Information Act, including $602,114 in salary costs and $24,170 in material costs.

Statistical report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Parks Canada Agency

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2024-03-31

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Section 1: Requests under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Number of requests

1.2 Sources of requests

1.3 Channels of requests

Section 2: Informal requests

2.1 Number of informal requests

2.2 Channels of informal requests

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

2.4 Pages released informally

2.5 Pages re-released informally

Section 3: Applications to the Information Commissioner on declining to act on requests

Section 4: Requests closed during the reporting period

4.1 Disposition and completion time

4.2 Exemptions

4.3 Exclusions

4.4 Format of information released

4.5 Complexity

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and e-record formats

4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper and e-record formats by size of requests

4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

4.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

4.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

4.5.7 Other complexities

4.6 Closed requests

4.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines

4.7 Deemed refusals

4.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

4.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

4.8 Requests for translation

Section 5: Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

5.2 Length of extensions

Section 6: Fees

Section 7: Consultations received from other institutions and organizations

7.1  Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada

Section 8: Completion time of consultations on cabinet confidences

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Section 9: Investigations and reports of finding

9.1 Investigations

9.2 Investigations and Reports of finding

Section 10: Court action

10.1 Court actions on complaints

10.2 Court actions on third party notifications under paragraph 28(1)(b)

Section 11: Resources related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated costs

11.2  Human resources

Supplemental statistical report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Name of institution: Parks Canada Agency

Reporting period: 2023-04-01 to 2024-03-31

Section 1: Open requests and complaints under the Access to Information Act

1.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods

1.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods

Section 2: Open requests and complaints under the Privacy Act

2.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods

2.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods

Section 3: Social Insurance Number

Section 4: Universal access under the Privacy Act