Alberta's Secretive FOIP Tactics Unveiled: What Calgarians Need to Know
Calgarians, brace yourselves: a recent investigation by Alberta's Information and Privacy Commissioner has exposed troubling practices within the provincial government regarding access to information. A report released in May 2025 uncovered an "Access Request Playbook" that coached staff on denying records and narrowly interpreting requests under the former Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP). The playbook aimed to create "legal deniability," suggesting a deliberate shift away from transparency and a potential breach of the law.
The investigation also revealed a strategy of actively avoiding record creation to prevent FOIP-accessible documents, stifling historical records and public oversight. Misuse of the "advice from officials" exception led to widespread redactions, and some responses falsely claimed "no records exist" despite internal evidence. Political interference was also found, with requests "flagged to senior political staff" for review, blurring critical lines between non-partisan civil service and political agendas.
These revelations hit close to home for Calgarians, who are already grappling with concerns about transparency in local governance. A 2024 report by the C.D. Howe Institute gave the City of Calgary a D+ grade for financial transparency, noting a decline from the previous year. Citizen satisfaction surveys have also shown a drop in trust in the City of Calgary, with only 38 percent of Calgarians reporting trust in the city in spring 2024. This broader trend underscores the importance of transparent governance.
The former FOIP Act was repealed and replaced by the Access to Information Act (ATIA) and the Protection of Privacy Act (POPA) on June 11, 2025. Under the new ATIA, public bodies are no longer explicitly obligated to create records for an applicant if the record could be created by manipulating an existing database. While the new legislation aims to modernize access and strengthen privacy, these past practices highlight a critical need for vigilance from citizens to ensure transparency remains a cornerstone of Alberta's governance, from provincial ministries to local Calgary City Hall.