Canadian privacy & access decisions

A federal institution applied to the Information Commissioner for approval to decline to act on an access request, citing subsection 6.1(1) of the Access to Information Act. The institution argued that the request was vexatious and constituted an abuse of the right of access. The Commissioner reviewed the institution's submission and found that the institution successfully demonstrated that the access request in question was indeed an abuse of the right of access. Consequently, the Commissioner determined that the circumstances justified granting the institution's request to decline to process the access request. The application was therefore granted, allowing the institution to refuse to act on the request.

• Whether the access request was vexatious
• Whether the access request constituted an abuse of the right of access under s.6.1(1) ATIA