Ontario environment ministry deliberately falsified dates on FOI requests
Information and Privacy Commissioner Brian says management became aware last June that staff in the environment ministry’s Corporate and FOI Services office were deliberately changing the dates recorded in the FOI tracking system.

TheStar.com
Dec. 19, 2016

Auditors are investigating five Ontario government ministries after staff at the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change altered dates on freedom of information requests to improve their compliance statistics.

Information and Privacy Commissioner Brian Beamish says there were concerns with the accuracy of the compliance statistics submitted by the ministry in 2015.

Beamish says management became aware last June that staff in the ministry’s Corporate and FOI Services office were deliberately changing the dates recorded in the FOI tracking system.

He says auditors concluded dates “were systematically adjusted by staff” in the FOI office to show completion of requests within the 30-day requirement period.

Beamish says falsifying statistics is a serious issue, and can erode the trust and confidence of people who should be able to rely on their accuracy.

The commissioner says he remains “deeply concerned” about the fact staff altered the dates, but adds he is satisfied the issue was “addressed swiftly and thoughtfully” by the ministry.

“I am also pleased that the government intends, at my request, to conduct audits of five other ministries in order to determine whether the issues that arose in this ministry are more widespread,” Beamish said in a statement.

“My office will continue to work with the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change, and the broader Ontario Public Service, to provide guidance and support as they ensure their compliance with Ontario’s access laws.”