The Access to Information Act (ATIA) and the
Privacy Act came into effect in July 1983.
The Access to Information Act
establishes the rights of all individuals (Canadian citizens and permanent residents within the meaning of subsection 2. (1) of the
Immigration and Refugee Protection Act) and corporate entities present in Canada to have access to information contained in federal government records. The right of access is subject to certain specific and limited exceptions of the Act.
The Privacy Act
gives all individuals in Canada the right to access their personal information held by the government and manages how their personal information is collected, kept, used, protected and disclosed [
sections 4-8 of the Privacy Act].
Info Source is a directory of federal government information and related guides. Info Source publications support the federal government's ongoing commitment to promoting openness and the accessibility of information regarding its activities. It is a key reference tool to assist members of the public in exercising their rights to
request government information under the
Access to Information Act and the
Privacy Act.
Quicklinks
Informal Requests
The Government of Canada encourages the release of information through informal requests. When an Access to Information request is for material which may be provided without recourse to the Act, the ATIP office will inform you that an access request is not required and that the information is being provided in accordance with normal government practice.
The Access to Information Act is intended to complement, not replace, established channels of communication. NSERC has always operated transparently and promoted open channels of communication with the research community and the public. We encourage you to contact us before using the ATI Act to request information.
Formal Requests
Any person or entity present in Canada pursuant to section 4 of the Access to Information Act
and section
12. (1) of the Privacy Act has the legal right to request and obtain information that is under the control of a government institution.
You can submit a request for information held by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) by using the forms from the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada below:
The following procedures should be followed when making a formal request under the Access to Information Act or the Privacy Act.
If a letter or e-mail is submitted instead of the Access to Information Request or Privacy Request form, the following information must be included:
In processing your request under the Access to Information Act or
Privacy Act, the NSERC ATIP office will:
Applicants may be required to pay a fee for:
Fees cannot be charged for the following:
If costs are less than $25.00, fees are generally waived.
If costs exceed $25.00, all costs are payable in full and the applicant must send a deposit before NSERC proceeds with the request. All computer costs are payable in full by the applicant. All fees must be paid by the applicant before access is granted.
There are no fees or charges for the processing of requests made under the Privacy Act.
The legislated timeframe for responding to Access to Information or Privacy requests is 30 calendar days. Section 9 of the Access to Information Act permits an institution to extend the time limit to respond to a request beyond the 30 calendar days if:
Section 15 of the Privacy Act permits an institution to extend the time limit to respond to a request for a maximum of 30 calendar days beyond the initial 30 days if:
Info Source: Sources of Federal Government and Employee Information provides information about the functions, programs, activities and related information holdings of government institutions subject to the
Access to Information Act and the
Privacy Act. It provides individuals and employees of the government (current and former) with relevant information to access personal information about them held by government institutions subject to the Privacy Act and to exercise their rights under the Privacy Act.
The Introduction to Info Source: Sources of Federal Government and Employee Information and the
List of institutions subject to the
Access to Information Act and the
Privacy Act are available centrally.
The Access to Information Act and the
Privacy Act assign overall responsibility to the President of Treasury Board (as the designated Minister) for the government-wide administration of the legislation.
The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) posts monthly on its Web site a list of requests processed under the Access to Information Act. The list is chronological by year, month and request number.
The list may not include all requests for information that NSERC’s Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Office received. Requests that contain primarily personal information may not be posted.
You may wish to review the summary of Completed Access to Information Requests processed by NSERC’s ATIP Office. To obtain a copy of the records released, contact the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator.
The records will be disclosed as they were released originally including format and language(s), with the exemptions and exclusions that were applied under the Access to Information Act (exemptions and exclusions may be reviewed and modified prior to release, if necessary).
If you have any questions about access to information and privacy, contact NSERC’s Access to Information and Privacy Office.
ATIP coordinator
NSERC
350 Albert Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1H5
Tel.: 343-552-9138 (Diane Latulippe) or 343-572-8324 (Joanne Gaumond)
Email:
ATIP-AIPRP@NSERC-CRSNG.GC.CA