Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 07, 2009 12:00 PM
The North Okanagan Regional District will eat the cost of a $36 Freedom of Information request. The board is waiving the fee the Concerned Citizens of Grindrod was billed when it asked regional district staff for 25 pages of documents dealing with a proposed animal waste composting facility. “It’s all about the principle of Freedom of Information,” said director Patrick Nicol. “They should get that information. They are just looking for the information and we should get it to them.”
However, director Wayne Lippert questioned why a group that had 1,130 people sign a petition opposing the facility couldn’t come up with $36. “With the number of people involved, why are they asking for it to be waived? It (36) is not a big number,” he said. In a letter to the regional district, Concerned Citizens of Grindrod cite limited financial resources as the reason for wanting the fee waived. “Our funds to date have been donated by citizens and if the proposal is passed, we will attempt to raise money for legal action,” states the group. “Due to our non-existent funds, we would appreciate it if you would consider excusing your fees to assist us in our endeavours.”
Director Mike Macnabb disagreed with questioning the organization’s ability to pay. “It’s not up to the board to decide if a group is bona fide or not. It’s up to us to decide whether we waive the fee or not,” he said. “And for $36, I think we can afford it.” The Freedom of Information Act indicates fees can be waived when the applicant cannot afford the payment or the record relates a matter of public interest, including the environment, public health or safety. The actual bill for the Concerned Citizens of Grindrod FOI request was $36.25 — $30 for preparing and producing reports for disclosure and $6.25 for copying the records. The act requires that the first three hours be provided at no cost.
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