5821-01072 — Department of Justice Canada
The complainant alleged that the Department of Justice Canada (Justice) took an unreasonable 2,280 days to respond to an access request. Justice claimed an extension under paragraphs 9(1)(a) and 9(1)(b) of the Access to Information Act due to the large volume and complexity of records and the need for consultations. The Information Commissioner found that while the volume of records and the need for consultations were valid reasons for an extension, Justice failed to sufficiently justify the length of the extension claimed under paragraph 9(1)(a). Therefore, the complaint was found to be well-founded, and the Commissioner ordered Justice to provide a final response forthwith.
- Reasonableness of time extension claimed due to volume of records (s. 9(1)(a) ATIA)
- Reasonableness of time extension claimed for consultations (s. 9(1)(b) ATIA)
- Justification for the duration of specific processing steps
- Failure to demonstrate the reasonableness of the claimed extension period
Complaint well founded — disclosure ordered
The Commissioner determined that while the institution demonstrated the need for an extension due to the volume of records and the necessity of consultations, it failed to provide sufficient justification for the extended timeline claimed. Specifically, the institution did not adequately explain how it arrived at the duration of the processing steps or why certain steps could not be performed concurrently.
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The Minister of Justice was ordered to provide a final response forthwith.
- s.7 ATIA
- s.9(1)(a) ATIA
- s.9(1)(b) ATIA
- s.10(3) ATIA
- s.36.1 ATIA
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