How Canada’s municipalities performed on FOI

The Globe requested data on completed freedom of information requests from every municipality in Canada with a population of at least 100,000 people. The resulting analysis, spanning from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023, offer a snapshot of how each local government has performed on FOI.

The Globe requested data from 56 municipalities. Thunder Bay, Ont. declined, stating it doesn’t track FOI requests. Lévis, Que., claimed it was unable to provide the requested data. Ajax, Ont., didn’t provide information on completion dates, so none of its 40 requests could be analyzed. Richmond, B.C., Saanich, B.C., Longueuil, Que., Terrebonne, Que., and Trois-Rivières, Que., meanwhile, didn’t provide information on dispositions. Langley, B.C.’s data didn’t differentiate between full and partial releases.