Notice under subsection 30(5), 2021 OIC 16

The Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) ceased an investigation into a complaint alleging that a federal institution failed to conduct a reasonable search for records created in the 1990s. The OIC invoked paragraph 30(4)(b) of the Access to Information Act, which permits ceasing an investigation if it is unnecessary, such as when the matter has already been investigated. The OIC had previously investigated and issued a final report on an identical complaint regarding the same institution and type of records. The complainant was given an opportunity to provide representations on why the investigation should continue but did not respond. As no new evidence was presented to differentiate this complaint from the prior one, the OIC concluded that continuing the investigation was unnecessary.