Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (RTIPPA)
New Brunswick's Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the “Act”) allows you access to information held by the Greater Moncton Wastewater Commission (GMWC). You have the right to request any record in the custody or control of the Commission. This includes records containing your personal information.
Overview
Any person is entitled to request and receive information related to the public business of public bodies; have access to records containing personal information about themselves; or request corrections to records containing personal information about themselves in the custody and control of public bodies in accordance with the provisions of the Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (RTIPPA).
Eligibility
The Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act states that any person is entitled to request and receive records relating to the public business of public bodies, have access to their personal information and to request corrections to records containing their personal information in the custody and control of a public body in New Brunswick. Record is defined as information contained in a record that is written, photographed, recorded or stored by graphic, electronic or mechanical means. Public business includes any activity or function carried on or performed by a public body. Personal information means recorded information about an identifiable individual. There is no right to access certain types of information prescribed under sections 17 to 33 of RTIPPA.
RTIPPA does not replace existing procedures for accessing any information that is normally available to the public; nor does it affect any fees that may be charged for such access; nor should it become the sole vehicle by which personal information may be accessed or corrected.
Description
The Right to Information and Protection of Privacy Act sets out a legislated process by which people can exercise their right to access information respecting public business; have access to their own information; or request correction of their own personal information.
Information you are looking for can, in most cases, be obtained by simply contacting the appropriate public body or by checking out their website, where many reports and other materials are made available.
If you were unable to access the information you need or request to correct your personal information using an informal approach, you can make a request under RTIPPA, in writing, to the head of the public body that you believe has the information. You can either use the appropriate form available (see below) or write a letter outlining your request under RTIPPA.
Oral requests are accepted from applicants with limited ability to read and write English or French or with a disability that prevents them from completing a written request.
If you need to exercise someone’s right under RTIPPA, you will need written authorization (letter, Power of Attorney, etc.) to do so. See section 79 of RTIPPA for more details.
If you have been denied access, in whole or in part, the head of the public body must state the reason(s) for the decision and specify the provision(s) of RTIPPA on which the refusal is based (sections 17 to 33), and inform you of your rights to have the decision reviewed by the Access to Information and Privacy Commissioner or a judge of the Court of Queen’s Bench, as prescribed in RTIPPA; or if your request for correction has been refused, the head must notify you of the refusal to correct, the reason for the refusal, attach the request for correction to the record in question and advise you of your right to file a complaint with the Commissioner.
Start with an informal request
There is a great deal of information already available either online or via the informal channel. We recommend you begin your search by consulting the GMWC’s website. You may make an informal request by contacting the management team member you believe might have the information. You may find the Management Team directory on the Contact Us page of our web site. You may also wish to contact the main Customer Service line at (506) 387-7977 ext 0. Your informal request may be free of charge, or come at a cost, depending on the information you are seeking.
Make a right to information request
If you are unable to get access the information you are seeking, then file a formal Right to Information (RTI) request with the General Manager’s Office.
The Act requires the Commission to respond to your RTI request within 30 days of receiving it. If your request is complex, we may extend this time within what the Act allows, but will inform you of this within the 30 days.
The Act allows us to withhold information if the release would be an invasion of privacy or cause harm by one of the means listed in the Act. Only in exceptional situations can you get access to someone else’s personal information.
Right to information and protection of privacy
Mailing Address:
Communications and Marketing Manager
355 Hillsborough Road Riverview, NB E1B 1S5
Tel. (506) 387-7977 ext 258
Fax. (506) 387-7389