5823-03707 — Canada Post
The complainant alleged that Canada Post improperly withheld records related to a health and safety strategy report and invoicing, citing personal information, trade secrets, and confidential third-party information. The Information Commissioner found that Canada Post failed to demonstrate that certain information met the requirements for exemption under subsections 18.1(1) and paragraph 20(1)(b) of the Access to Information Act. Specifically, Canada Post could not prove the information was a trade secret, had a reasonable expectation of confidentiality, or was exclusively supplied by the third party. The Commissioner ordered Canada Post to disclose certain withheld information, and Canada Post agreed to comply.
- Whether information on an invoice is confidential third-party commercial information (s. 20(1)(b))
- Whether information constitutes a trade secret or confidential commercial information belonging to Canada Post (s. 18.1(1))
- Whether withheld information is publicly available
- Whether information was supplied by a third party
Complaint well founded — disclosure ordered
Canada Post failed to demonstrate that the withheld information met all the requirements for exemption under paragraph 20(1)(b) (e.g., not publicly available, reasonable expectation of confidentiality) and subsection 18.1(1) (e.g., not a trade secret, not solely belonging to Canada Post, not consistently treated as confidential).
AI-generated summary for reference only. Always verify against the official decision ↗
Canada Post was ordered to disclose certain information from the invoice and the PowerPoint presentation that was improperly withheld under subsections 18.1(1) and paragraph 20(1)(b).
- s.19(1) ATIA
- s.18.1(1) ATIA
- s.20(1)(b) ATIA
This is an informational summary and not legal advice.