Investigation Report: FIPPA No Response – Manitoba Environment and Climate Change

2025-09-22

Summary

An individual made a request for information to Manitoba Environment and Climate Change (ECC) in November 2024. The public body confirmed receipt of the request and, in January 2025, requested additional information from the individual. By May 2025 a fee estimate was given and paid, but the records had not been provided. The individual then complained to our office that the public body did not respond to their request within the time limit set out under FIPPA. While the complainant did not have a right of complaint under the act (the request was made more than 120 days prior to contacting our office), our office initiated our own investigation because of what appeared to be a significant delay in responding to the request. We communicated with the public body on multiple occasions, but it did not confirm a date when the response would be issued. In July, we advised the public body that our final report with recommendation was nearing completion. Later that month the public body contacted the complainant to make arrangements for them to receive the records package.

Based on our review, we determined that the public body failed to respond to the individual’s request within the time limit set out under FIPPA and this did not comply with the requirements of the Act. We did not issue a recommendation since the response to the request was provided before our report was finalized. In our full report we comment on the delays that occurred in this case and made suggestions to the department and the Access and Privacy Branch. Read the full report for more details.

Case MO-11757