RICHARD BRENNAN
QUEEN'S PARK BUREAU
Jun. 23, 2005. 02:33 PM
The
Toronto police force continues to have a substandard record in abiding by the
province's freedom of information law.
Its record of responding to freedom of information requests was so bad that it dragged down the overall compliance rate of Ontario's police forces, Information and Privacy Commissioner Ann Cavoukian noted in her 2004 report.
"The Toronto Police Service compliance rate continues to be substandard," states the report, released yesterday.
It is the second year in a row that Canada's largest municipal police force has been singled out for not meeting its freedom-of-information responsibilities.
In 2004, only 32 per cent of requests filed with the Toronto police were responded to within 30 days, down from 32.5 per cent the previous year.
"In 2004, police services achieved an overall 30-day compliance rate of 71.6 per cent, down from 77.3 per cent in 2003.
However, when Toronto Police Services is excluded, the overall compliance rate for police services is 87.1 per cent," her 56-page report states.
Cavoukian told reporters the Toronto force cited a loss of experienced staff to do the job, including the co-ordinator, as a reason.
The commissioner met with Alan Heisey, then head of the Toronto Police Services Board last year, and was assured that steps were being taken to improve compliance, including an internal audit to review practices and operational policies.
Meaghan Gray, speaking for Toronto Police Services, said, "Since January of this year, every month we have seen a compliance rate of at least 70 per cent and we expect that to continue for the rest of the year."
The Toronto force had by far the most information requests with 2,589 in 2004 — more than twice those Hamilton received, in second spot with 1,153.
Cavoukian also called on the Ontario government to include under freedom of information legislation all publicly funded agencies, including hospitals and Children's Aid Societies.
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