Canadian Privacy Decisions

An institution applied for approval to decline acting on a 42-page, 196-item access request, arguing it was vexatious, made in bad faith, and an abuse of the right of access. The institution had split the request into 196 separate requests without the requester's consent, leading the Commissioner to consider the application for the entire request. The Commissioner found that the breadth and complexity of the request placed an unreasonable burden on the institution, constituting an abuse of the right of access. The Commissioner also found the institution made reasonable efforts to assist the requester. Consequently, the application was granted.

• Whether the access request constitutes an abuse of the right of access
• Whether the institution made reasonable efforts to assist the requester
• Whether the modifications made by the requester after the application were timely
• Procedural fairness of the OIC's process