Annual report to Parliament: Privacy Act 2022 to 2023

Abstract

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Annual Report to Parliament on the Administration of the Privacy Act is submitted in accordance with section 72 of the Privacy Act. It presents an overview of the Privacy Act activities carried out within Environment and Climate Change Canada during the reporting period of April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023.

During the reporting period, Environment and Climate Change Canada received 92 requests under the Privacy Act and completed 90 requests.

Introduction

The Privacy Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. P-21) was proclaimed into force on July 1, 1983. Section 72 of the Act requires every head of a federal government institution to submit a report to Parliament on the administration of the Act within their institution during the fiscal year.

This report is submitted in accordance with section 72 of the Privacy Act. It presents an overview of the Privacy Act activities carried out within Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) during the reporting period of April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. As the Canada Emission Reduction Incentives Agency was not operational during this reporting period, an Agency report will not be prepared for this period.

Purpose of the Acts

The Access to Information Act enhances the accountability and transparency of federal government institutions in order to promote an open and democratic society, and to enable public debate on the conduct of those institutions. Part 1 of the Act provides the right of access to information found within federal government institutions records, subject to certain specific and limited exceptions. Part 2 of the Act sets out requirements for the proactive publication of various types of information located within federal government institutions that are of interest to the public. The Access to Information Act complements but does not replace existing channels of communications within federal government institutions.

The Privacy Act protects the privacy of individuals with respect to their personal information. The Act sets out provisions that govern the collection, use, retention, disposition and disclosure of personal information by federal government institutions. It also provides individuals with the right of access to their personal information held within government institutions.

About Environment and Climate Change Canada

The Department of the Environment was established by the Government Reorganization Act (1970-71-72, c. 42) on June 10, 1971. A number of acts and regulations provide the Department with its mandate and allow it to carry out its programs. Under the Department of the Environment Act, the powers, duties and functions of the Minister of the Environment extend to and include matters relating to:

• the preservation and enhancement of the quality of the natural environment, including water, air and soil quality;
• renewable resources, including migratory birds and other non-domestic flora and fauna;
• water;
• meteorology;
• the enforcement of any rules or regulations made by the International Joint Commission relating to boundary waters; and
• the coordination of the policies and programs of the Government of Canada respecting the preservation and enhancement of the quality of the natural environment.

With offices from coast to coast, Environment and Climate Change Canada’s main office is located in the National Capital Region. The Department is also comprised of the following three regions: Atlantic and Quebec Regions, Ontario Region and West and North Regions.

For more information about Environment and Climate Change Canada, please visit our website.

Organizational structure

As Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator, the Director of the Access to Information and Privacy Division has delegated authority on matters concerning Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP). The ATIP Division is part of the Corporate Secretariat, found within the Public Affairs and Communications Branch of the Department. It is the central coordinating body for all requests received by Environment and Climate Change Canada under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act.

The ATIP Division directs all activities within Environment and Climate Change Canada relating to the administration, application and promotion of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. It provides advice to senior management on the implementation of the statutes and prepares reports to Parliament, the Treasury Board Secretariat and senior management. The ATIP Division represents the Department in complaints and investigations conducted by the Information Commissioner and Privacy Commissioner of Canada, and in any Federal Court applications arising from ATIP matters.

The ATIP Division is organized into two functional areas: an Operations Unit, and a Policy and Governance Unit. Each unit is led by a manager who reports to the ATIP Director. As of March 31, 2023, the ATIP Division was comprised of 16 officers. To help meet the increase in volume and complexity of requests, the Division also engaged the support of three consultants during the reporting period.

Operations unit

The Operations Unit coordinates the management and processing of ECCC’s access to information and privacy requests. It leads the processing of all ECCC requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and performs a “line-by-line” review of records to support various disclosures including the appropriate sharing of investigation reports. The Operations Unit also serves as the liaison between the Department and the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner on complaints related to requests under the Acts. The Operations Unit consists of one team leader, three senior advisors, two advisors, one analyst, two junior analysts, an administrative officer and a clerical assistant.

Policy and Governance Unit

The Policy and Governance Unit is the focal point for privacy expertise within ECCC. The unit leads the horizontal implementation of departmental privacy policy and conducts risk analyses, including privacy impact assessments and privacy protocols for non-administrative purposes. It delivers privacy compliance support for ECCC’s programs and services. The Policy and Governance Unit plays a key role in the management and prevention of privacy breaches.

The Policy and Governance Unit works collaboratively with departmental officials to fulfill the proactive publication requirements under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act and oversees its compliance. The unit develops ATIP directives, procedures and statistical reports, delivers training, promotes awareness, and prepares ATIP annual reports. The Policy and Governance Unit consists of two junior analysts.

Capacity development

Environment and Climate Change Canada remains committed to recruiting, training and maintaining a workforce that possesses specialized skills to continue to provide the best possible service to both internal and external clients.

During the 2022-2023 reporting period, ECCC completed several staffing actions, including the recruitment of two new junior analysts.

Environment and Climate Change Canada continues to focus on developing capacity through its ATIP Professional Development Program. The program aims to train employees over a period of three to five years through a combination of competency-based training, professional development training, and work assignments. Candidates enter the program at the PM-01 or PM-02 level and graduate as senior ATIP advisors at the PM-04 level. The program enables the ATIP Division to better manage increasing workloads while facilitating succession planning through the transfer of corporate memory, encouraging staff to remain with the Department for a longer period of time. During the reporting period,one participant joined the ATIP Professional Development Program.

Delegation of Authority

Decision-making responsibility for the application of the various provisions of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act have been formally established and are outlined in the departmental Delegation of Authority Instrument found in Appendix A of this report.

The Delegation Order in effect during the reporting period was approved by the Honorable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, on June 21, 2022.

Interpretation of the Statistical Report

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Statistical Report on the Privacy Act is included in Appendix B of this report.

Between April 1, 2022, and March 31, 2023, ECCC received 92 requests under the Privacy Act. There were 38 requests carried forward from previous reporting periods, for a total of 130 active requests in the 2022–2023 reporting period.

In the 2022–2023 fiscal year, a total of 90 requests were completed, and 40 requests were carried forward to the next reporting period, with seven (7) requests carried over within legislative timelines and 33 carried over beyond legislative timelines.

Of the 92 requests received, 85 were received online, submitted through the ATIP Online Request Service, and seven (7) were received by mail.

There were no informal requests received during the 2022–2023 fiscal year.

Trends

Environment and Climate Change Canada received 42 more requests under the Privacy Act in 2022–2023 than in the previous fiscal year; this represents an increase of approximately 84% in the number of privacy requests received. ECCC continued to note a trend in which privacy requests received this year were largely related to active labour relations and staffing matters. In some cases, it appears that the requests are filed to supplement existing processes/recourse mechanisms.

The number of requests under the Privacy Act received by Environment and Climate Change Canada from 2018–2019 to 2022–2023 is represented in figure 1.

Figure 1 – Number of requests received, Privacy Act, 2018-2023

Environment and Climate Change Canada completed 90 requests under the Privacy Act in 2022–2023. Figure 2 displays the number of requests under the Privacy Act completed by Environment and Climate Change Canada from the 2018–2019 to the 2022–2023 fiscal year. Overall, 72 of the privacy requests completed this fiscal year were closed within the legislative timelines. This represents an 80% compliance rate.

Figure 2 – Number of requests closed, Privacy Act, 2018-2023

Figure 3 shows the number of pages processed by the ATIP Division in response to requests under the Privacy Act from 2018–2019 to 2022–2023.

Figure 3 – Number of pages processed for requests, Privacy Act, 2018-2023

During the 2022–2023 reporting period, a total of 9,571 pages of records were retrieved and reviewed in response to privacy requests. This represents an increase of 19% over the 2021–2022 fiscal year.

The number of pages disclosed by the ATIP Division in processing requests under the Privacy Act from 2018–2019 to 2022–2023 is found in figure 4.

Figure 4 – Number of pages disclosed for requests, Privacy Act, 2018-2023

Corrections

Paragraph 12(2)(a) of the Privacy Act gives individuals the right to request a correction of their personal information held by the federal government.

Environment and Climate Change Canada received one request for a correction in the 2022-2023 reporting period. The ATIP Division made a notation to the file indicating that the correction was requested but not granted.

Disclosure under Subsection 8(2)

Paragraphs 8(2)(e), (f), (g), and (m) of the Privacy Act permit the disclosure of personal information to various investigative bodies and Members of Parliament. Disclosure is also permitted in the public interest.

No disclosures under subsection 8(2), including under paragraph 8(2)(m), were completed in the 2022–2023 reporting period.

Consultations

In 2022–2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada did not receive external consultations. The ATIP Division received five (5) new internal consultations from labour relations to review investigation reports. In total, four (4) internal consultations were closed during the reporting period.

Costs

In the 2022–2023 reporting period, the total cost of administering the Privacy Act was $290,069. This included $260,594 for salaries and $29,475 for goods and services.

COVID-19 operational impact and transition to a hybrid model

The exceptional measures put in place at the outset of the global COVID-19 pandemic posed challenges to the operations of ECCC’s ATIP Division. This challenging environment contributed to increasing the backlog of ATIP requests. The backlog was carried over into the current fiscal year.

At the start of 2022-2023 reporting period, ATIP Division employees continued to work predominantly from home. In June 2022, the ATIP Division transitioned to a hybrid work model.

The pandemic prompted the ATIP Operations Unit to transition to new electronic processes including Epost Connect, the use of an encrypted shared drive and digital signatures. Paper records continued to be used in some situations, including handling certain classified information and to meet the needs of requesters and third parties.

The pandemic accelerated the digitization of government services, which significantly impacted the policy work within the ATIP Division. The ATIP Policy and Governance Unit continued to provide advisory services on many new initiatives and update and assess business processes as they transition into digital solutions. This included privacy advice on matters such as contracts, digital solutions, the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, information sharing arrangements, and research projects involving behavioural analysis.

Monitoring compliance

The ATIP Division engaged departmental officials at various levels to ensure privacy requests were processed in a timely and efficient manner.

The ATIP Director met regularly with managers and team leaders to review performance data. Analysts are responsible for tracking timelines for requests. This was supplemented with regular bilateral meetings between analysts and management to obtain guidance and ensure compliance with legislative requirements.

In delivering its mandate, ECCC is involved in many horizontal initiatives. The ATIP Division continues to collaborate with program officials to streamline the need for consultations both within ECCC and with other government institutions. In addition, ECCC has enhanced its collaborative efforts with the Departmental Legal Services Unit. The ATIP Division also works collaboratively with programs to ensure that access and privacy requirements are reflected in contracts, MOUs, and information sharing agreements. ATIP is also focused on the development of tools, guides and policies to raise awareness, maintain compliance and report on access and privacy processes and procedures within ECCC. These tools will be implemented next fiscal year.

The ATIP Division produces weekly and monthly reports to senior management in order to monitor performance within Environment and Climate Change Canada. This includes reporting on the number of incoming requests, number of closed requests, and timelines of retrieval of records.

Training activities

The ATIP Division provides daily advice to departmental officials on the processing of ATIP requests as well as the interpretation of the Acts to ensure the efficient and consistent processing of all requests received by the Department.

In 2022-2023, the ATIP Division continued to focus on providing targeted training and assistance to help ECCC staff respond to requests. During the 2022–2023 fiscal year, the ATIP Division conducted four (4) formal information and training sessions that were attended by approximately 90 ECCC employees. The sessions included an overview of the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act as well as a description of internal policies and procedures.

Policies, procedures and initiatives

ATIP modernization

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s ATIP Division continued its modernization initiative by implementing digital solutions. Last fiscal year, the initiative focused on refining procedures and processes to improve efficiency in electronic processing of access to information and privacy requests. This strategy continued over the course of this reporting year, and included developing a business case to procure a new case management system. The implementation of a new and modern case management system will help streamline the processing of requests and enable effective monitoring of privacy policy initiatives. These renewal exercises are expected to enhance operational effectiveness once completed.

Strategic partnerships and interdepartmental collaboration

Over the reporting period, ECCC participated in TBS-led community of practice meetings on a variety of operational and privacy policy topics. These meetings provided opportunities to connect with other functional specialists and practitioners in the Government of Canada and facilitated the sharing of best practices. It also enabled ECCC to learn about different modernization initiatives and innovative practices impacting the ATIP community as a whole.

Participation in Policy Horizons Canada Futures Week Symposium

Policy Horizons Canada (Policy Horizons) is a strategic foresight organization within the Government of Canada with a mandate to help the Government develop future-oriented policies and programs that are more robust and resilient in the face of disruptive changes ahead. They empower the Government of Canada with a future-oriented mindset and outlook to strengthen decision-making.

Policy Horizons Futures Week is an annual event that allows policy and foresight practitioners both within and outside government to explore the future. The ATIP Division, Policy and Governance Unit participated in the Futures Week series to facilitate lateral thinking on transformation and its effects on the right to privacy and the protection of personal information.

Privacy guidance and tools

Over the reporting period, ECCC continued to develop tools and guidance documents related to Privacy Act compliance in alignment with the evolving privacy policy instruments. These activities included the incorporation of privacy provisions within contractual agreements involving personal information, and taking a risk-based approach to conducting privacy assessments.

In addition, the ATIP Division continued to provide advisory services on many new initiatives, and update and assess business processes as they transition into digital solutions. This included privacy advice on matters concerning digital solutions, the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, information sharing arrangements, and research projects involving behavioural analysis stemming from stakeholder engagements.

Strategic partnerships and internal collaboration

The ATIP Division continues to foster strategic partnerships and build relationships to optimize the need for inter-institutional consultations. These efforts have yielded increased collaboration and strengthened the Department’s working relationship with the Departmental Legal Services Unit on ATIP requests as well as privacy requirements, which are reflected in contracts and information sharing arrangements.

The Policy and Governance Unit is developing a strategic approach to align with the development of serviceable tools and policies with IT Security and various project management advisory teams. Enhanced integration efforts with IT Security are expected to result in elevating ECCC’s privacy posture awareness to prepare for Privacy-by-Design, in accordance with privacy policy instruments.

Access to Information and Privacy Community Development Office (APCDO) Membership

The Access to Information and Privacy Community Development Office (APCDO) was established to address capacity issues in the Access to Information and Privacy communities across Government of Canada institutions subject to the Acts. In 2022-2023, ECCC joined the newly formed APCDO. During the reporting period, ECCC’s ATIP Division staff were active participants in several training sessions offered by the APCDO.

The APCDO will contribute to the development and sustainability of the Access to Information and Privacy communities via recruitment, retention, learning, networking, and partnership activities with a spirit of diversity, inclusivity, and accessibility through community engagement.

Reporting

The ATIP Division regularly monitors the timeliness and trends associated with the processing of requests through ongoing communication with branch and directorate liaisons. This includes providing performance reports on the status of branch retrievals to branch head offices on a regular basis. In addition, weekly reports on the number of access to information requests received are provided to the Deputy Minister’s Office and to the Communications Directorate.

During the 2022-2023 reporting period, ECCC was invited to join new Governance Committees such as the ECCC Project Management Advisory Committee (PMAC) and the TB Submissions. As a strategic partner, the ATIP Division continues to engage and participate in other Departmental Committees as required.

In early 2023, the ATIP Division was invited to join the Enterprise Architecture Group as a participant. The Enterprise Architecture Group reviews data architecture of new projects and provides recommendations to ECCC’s Architecture Change Management Board. Over the coming year, the ATIP Policy and Governance Unit will continue to enhance this partnership to ensure that legislative requirements and policy obligations are reflected in decisions made by the department’s Architecture Change Management Board.

Publicly accessible information and inquiry points

Info Source is a series of publications containing information on the Government of Canada and its data collection activities. Info Source is intended to help the public access government information and to exercise their rights under the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act.

The ATIP Division is responsible for providing updates on Environment and Climate Change Canada’s activities and information holdings for publication in Info Source on the Department’s website. In the 2022-2023 reporting period, ECCC updated its Info Source Chapter to reflect newly published documents and updated manuals available to the public. These changes are scheduled to be published on ECCC’s website early in fiscal year 2023-2024.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s comprehensive website provides information on the Department’s policies, its organizational structure and the means to contact departmental officials. In accordance with the federal government’s policy of proactive disclosure, the Department’s website also allows access to internal evaluations and audits, as well as information on hospitality expenses, contracts and grants.

Environment and Climate Change Canada’s website has an access to information and privacy webpage that provides background information on both the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act. It also contains a Frequently Asked Questions section and links to access to information request forms, personal information request forms and summaries of completed access to information requests.

In order to facilitate public access to information and to comply with the Act, a designated public reading room is located in the Place Vincent Massey Annex, 351 St. Joseph Boulevard, Gatineau, Quebec.

Data sharing activities

The Department did not undertake any new internal or external data sharing activities in 2022–2023.

Exempt banks

Environment and Climate Change Canada has no exempt banks under the Privacy Act.

Privacy Impact Assessments

A Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is a risk management process that helps institutions ensure they meet legislative requirements and identify the impacts their programs and activities will have on the privacy of individuals. To fulfill its mandate, some of ECCC’s responsibilities require the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

As a trusted custodian of this information, the Department uses PIAs as a means of ensuring compliance with the legal requirements set out in the Privacy Act, in adherence with TBS’s policies and directives. A PIA assists in the identification and management of privacy breaches, however, it may not eliminate risk. A PIA serves to evolve a project’s design to reveal an effective method with minimal risk to the privacy of individuals.

One PIA was completed during the 2022-2023 fiscal year. Below is a brief description of the PIA.

Science Horizons Youth Internship Program

The Science Horizons Youth Internship Program falls under the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS). YESS is a horizontal initiative, led by Employment and Social Development Canada, involving twelve federal departments and agencies. The Initiative is the Government of Canada’s commitment to help young people, particularly those facing barriers to employment, get the information and gain the skills, work experiences and abilities they need to make a successful transition into the labour market.

In the 2022-23 reporting period, a PIA was completed to identify the privacy risks associated with the collection, use and disclosure of participants’ personal information. Two medium-level risks and three compliance issues were identified. The mitigation strategies to address these risks are being implemented and scheduled for completion in 2023-2024.

Material privacy breaches

During the 2022-2023 fiscal year, Environment and Climate Change Canada had no material privacy breaches.

Complaints, audits, investigations and appeals

Applicants have the right to register a complaint with the Information Commissioner of Canada regarding any matter relating to the processing of a request. The Department works collaboratively with the Commissioner’s Office to resolve complaints, providing the requester with a resolution.

During the 2022–2023 reporting period, there were two (2) complaints filed against Environment and Climate Change Canada with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner related to requests under the Privacy Act. One of these complaints, as well as a complaint from the previous reporting period, were closed.

Summary of key issues and actions taken on complaints

Both complaints closed during the reporting period involved delays. These complaints were resolved with the release of the records.

Applications/appeals to the Federal Court or Federal Court of Appeal

There were no applications or appeals filed to the Federal Court or Federal Court of Appeal during the 2022-2023 reporting period.

Interpretation of supplementary statistical report

As previously detailed in the COVID-19 Operational Impact section, ECCC’s ability to process requests continued to be affected by the measures put in place to address COVID-19. Environment and Climate Change Canada was able to receive requests by mail, email and through the online portal throughout the 2022–2023 fiscal year. In addition, the Department was able to fully process unclassified and protected B electronic records over the reporting period.

However, the Department’s ability to process paper records and records above protected B continued to be reduced during the 2022–2023 reporting period as most departmental employees were working remotely.

As a result of the measures put in place to curb COVID-19, the carryover of active requests and complaints increased. Over the coming year, the Department will continue to focus on building capacity and will work diligently to close files and complaints carried over into the 2023–2024 fiscal year. Increased onsite presence will further facilitate these efforts.

Table 1 presents a breakdown of the requests carried over to the next reporting period.

Table 1 – Number of requests carried over, Privacy Act, 2022-2023

Fiscal year open requests were received	Open requests that are within legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023	Open requests that are beyond legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023	Total
Received in 2022-2023	4	12	16
Received in 2021-2022	2	5	7
Received in 2020-2021	0	3	3
Received in 2019-2020	0	7	7
Received in 2018-2019	0	1	1
Received in 2017-2018	0	2	2
Received in 2016-2017	1	3	4
Received in 2015-2016	0	0	0
Received in 2014-2015	0	0	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0	0	0
Total	7	33	40

Table 2 presents a breakdown of active complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, carried over to the 2023–2024 fiscal year.

Table 2 – Number of active complaints carried over, Privacy Act, 2022-2023

Fiscal year open complaints were received by institution	Number of open complaints
Received in 2022-2023	0
Received in 2021-2022	0
Received in 2020-2021	0
Received in 2019-2020	0
Received in 2018-2019	0
Received in 2017-2018	0
Received in 2016-2017	0
Received in 2015-2016	0
Received in 2014-2015	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0
Total	0

Appendix A: Delegation Order Instrument

Access to Information and Privacy Acts Delegation Order

I, the undersigned, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby delegate the persons holding the positions set out in the Delegation of Authority Schedule attached hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties and functions of the Minister as head of Environment and Climate Change Canada, under the provisions of the Act and related regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position. This delegation replaces all previous delegation orders.

Schedule

Position	Access to Information Act, and Regulations	Privacy Act and Regulations
Deputy Minister of the Environment	Full authority	Full authority
Associated Deputy Minister of the Environment	Full authority	Full authority
Director General, Corporate Secretariat	Full authority	Full authority
Director, Access to Information and Privacy	Full authority	Full authority
Manager, Access to Information and Privacy	Full authority	Full authority
Team Leader, Access to Information and Privacy	7(a), 8, 9 & 11	15

Dated at the City of Gatineau, Quebec, this June 21, 2022

(signed)

The Honourable Steven Guilbeault
Minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada

Appendix B: Statistical Report on the Privacy Act

Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Reporting period:  2022-04-01  to  2023-03-31

Section 1: Requests under the Privacy Act

1.1 Number of requests received

Category		Number of requests
Received during reporting period		92
Outstanding from previous reporting periods		38
Outstanding from previous reporting period	16
Outstanding from more than one reporting period	22
Total		130
Closed during reporting period		90
Carried over to next reporting period		40
Carried over within legislated timeline	7
Carried over beyond legislated timeline	33

1.2 Channels of requests

Source	Number of requests
Online	85
E-mail	0
Mail	7
In person	0
Phone	0
Fax	0
Total	92

Section 2: Informal requests

2.1 Number of informal requests

Source		Number of requests
Received during reporting period		0
Outstanding from previous reporting periods		0
Outstanding from previous reporting period	0
Outstanding from more than one reporting period	0
Total		0
Closed during reporting period		0
Carried over to next reporting period		0

2.2 Channels of informal requests

Source	Number of requests
Online	0
E-mail	0
Mail	0
In person	0
Phone	0
Fax	0
Total	0

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

Completion time
1 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

2.4 Pages released informally

Less than 100 pages released		100-500 pages released		501-1000 pages released		1001-5000 pages released		More than 5000 pages released
Number of requests	Pages released	Number of requests	Pages released	Number of requests	Pages released	Number of requests	Pages released	Number of requests	Pages released
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Section 3: Requests closed during the reporting period

3.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition of requests	Completion time
	1 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
All disclosed	1	0	2	1	1	0	0	5
Disclosed in part	0	1	3	3	2	2	7	18
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
No records exist	1	3	1	0	0	0	0	5
Request abandoned	56	0	0	0	0	0	1	57
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	4	1	0	0	0	0	5
Total	58	8	7	4	3	2	8	90

3.2 Exemptions

Section	Number of requests
18(2)	0
19(1)(a)	0
19(1)(b)	0
19(1)(c)	0
19(1)(d)	0
19(1)(e)	0
19(1)(f)	0
20	0
21	0
22(1)(a)(i)	0
22(1)(a)(ii)	0
22(1)(a)(iii)	0
22(1)(b)	0
22(1)(c)	0
22(2)	0
22.1	0
22.2	0
22.3	0
22.4	0
23(a)	0
23(b)	0
24(a)	0
24(b)	0
25	5
26	21
27	6
27.1	0
28	0

3.3 Exclusions

Section	Number of requests
69(1)(a)	0
69(1)(b)	0
69.1	0
70(1)	0
70(1)(a)	0
70(1)(b)	0
70(1)(c)	0
70(1)(d)	0
70(1)(e)	0
70(1)(f)	0
70.1	0

3.4 Format of information released

Paper	Electronic				Other
	E-record	Data set	Video	Audio
1	22	0	0	0	0

3.5 Complexity

3.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and e-record formats

Number of pages processed	Number of pages disclosed	Number of requests
9571	5720	85

3.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper and e-record formats by size of requests

Disposition	Less than 100 pages processed		100-500 pages processed		501-1000 pages processed		1001-5000 pages processed		More than 5000 pages processed
	Number of requests	Pages processed	Number of requests	Pages processed	Number of requests	Pages processed	Number of requests	Pages processed	Number of requests	Pages processed
All disclosed	5	131	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	5	133	9	2565	3	1862	1	4880	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	57	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	5	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	72	264	9	2565	3	1862	1	4880	0	0

3.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

Number of minutes processed	Number of minutes disclosed	Number of requests
0	0	0

3.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

Disposition	Less than 60 minutes processed		60 - 120 minutes processed		More than 120 minutes processed
	Number of requests	Minutes processed	Number of requests	Minutes processed	Number of requests	Minutes processed
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0

3.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

Number of minutes processed	Number of minutes disclosed	Number of requests
0	0	0

3.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

Disposition	Less than 60 minutes processed		60 - 120 minutes processed		More than 120 minutes processed
	Number of requests	Minutes processed	Number of requests	Minutes processed	Number of requests	Minutes processed
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0

3.5.7 Other complexities

Disposition	Consultation required	Legal advice sought	Interwoven information	Other	Total
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	2	0	2
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	5	0	0	5
Total	0	5	2	0	7

3.6 Closed requests

3.6.1 Requests closed within legislated timelines

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines	72
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%)	80

3.7 Deemed refusals

3.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines	Principal reason
	Interference with operations/workload	External consultation	Internal consultation	Other
18	16	0	0	2

3.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

Number of days past legislated timelines	Number of requests past legislated timeline where no extension was taken	Number of requests past legislated timeline where an extension was taken	Total
1 to 15 days	0	0	0
16 to 30 days	0	0	0
31 to 60 days	1	0	1
61 to 120 days	0	4	4
121 to 180 days	0	3	3
181 to 365 days	0	2	2
More than 365 days	1	7	8
Total	2	16	18

3.8 Requests for translation

Translation requests	Accepted	Refused	Total
English to French	0	0	0
French to English	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0

Section 4: Disclosures under subsections 8(2) and 8(5)

4.1 Disclosures under subsections 8(2) and 8(5)

Paragraph 8(2)(e)	Paragraph 8(2)(m)	Subsection 8(5)	Total
0	0	0	0

Section 5: Requests for correction of personal information and notations

5.1 Requests for correction of personal information and notations

Disposition for correction requests received	Number
Notations attached	1
Requests for correction accepted	0
Total	1

Section 6: Extensions

6.1 Reasons for extensions

Number of requests where an extension was taken	15(a)(i) Interference with operations				15(a)(ii) Consultation			15(b) Translation purposes or conversion
	Further review required to determine exemptions	Large volume of pages	Large volume of requests	Documents are difficult to obtain	Cabinet Confidence Section (Section 70)	External	Internal
22	0	3	19	0	0	0	0	0

6.2 Length of extensions

Length of extensions	15(a)(i) Interference with operations				15(a)(ii) Consultation			15(b) Translation purposes or conversion
	Further review required to determine exemptions	Large volume of pages	Large volume of requests	Documents are difficult to obtain	Cabinet Confidence Section (Section 70)	External	Internal
1 to 15 days	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30 days	0	3	19	0	0	0	0	0
31 days or greater								0
Total	0	3	19	0	0	0	0	0

Section 7: Consultations received from other institutions and organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations

Consultations	Other Government of Canada	Number of pages to review	Other organizations	Number of pages to review
Received during the reporting period	0	0	0	0
Outstanding from the previous reporting period	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0
Closed during the reporting period	0	0	0	0
Carried over with negotiated timelines	0	0	0	0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines	0	0	0	0

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

Recommendation	Number of days required to complete consultation requests
	1 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
Disclosed entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exempt entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exclude entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Consult other institution	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada

Recommendation	Number of days required to complete consultation requests
	1 to 15 days	16 to 30 days	31 to 60 days	61 to 120 days	121 to 180 days	181 to 365 days	More than 365 days	Total
Disclosed entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exempt entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exclude entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Consult other institution	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Section 8: Completion time of consultations on Cabinet confidences

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

Number of days	Fewer than 100 pages processed		101-500 pages processed		501-1000 pages processed		1001-5000 pages processed		More than 5000 pages processed
	Number of requests	Pages disclosed	Number of requests	Pages disclosed	Number of requests	Pages disclosed	Number of requests	Pages disclosed	Number of requests	Pages disclosed
1 to 15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Number of days	Fewer than 100 pages processed		101-500 pages processed		501-1000 pages processed		1001-5000 pages processed		More than 5000 pages processed
	Number of requests	Pages disclosed	Number of requests	Pages disclosed	Number of requests	Pages disclosed	Number of requests	Pages disclosed	Number of requests	Pages disclosed
1 to 15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Section 9: Complaints and investigations notices received

9.1 Complaints and investigations notices received

Section 31	Section 33	Section 35	Court action	Total
2	0	0	0	2

Section 10: Privacy Impact Assessments (PIA) and Personal Information Banks (PIB)

10.1 Privacy Impact Assessments

Number of PIAs completed	1
Number of PIAs modified	0

10.2 Institution-specific and Central Personal Information Banks

Personal Information Banks	Active	Created	Terminated	Modified
Institution-specific	13	0	0	0
Central	50	0	0	0
Total	63	0	0	0

Section 11: Material privacy breaches

11.1 Material privacy breaches reported

Number of material privacy breaches reported to TBS	0
Number of material privacy breaches reported to OPC	0

11.2 Non-material privacy breaches

Number of non-material privacy breaches

0

Section 12: Resources related to the Privacy Act

12.1 Allocated costs

Expenditures		Amount
Salaries		$260,594
Overtime		$0
Goods and services		$29,475
Professional services contracts	$29,475
Other	$0
Total		$290,069

12.2 Human resources

Resources	Person years dedicated to privacy activities
Full-time employees	3.500
Part-time and casual employees	0.000
Regional staff	0.000
Consultants and agency personnel	0.100
Students	0.000
Total	3.600

Note: Enter values to three decimal places.

Appendix C: Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Name of institution: Environment and Climate Change Canada

Reporting period: April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023

Section 1: Capacity to receive requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Enter the number of weeks your institution was able to receive ATIP requests through the different channels.

Capacity to receive requests	Number of weeks
Able to receive requests by mail	52
Able to receive requests by email	52
Able to receive requests through the digital request service	52

Section 2: Capacity to process records under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

2.1 Enter the number of weeks your institution was able to process paper records in different classification levels.

Classification level	No capacity	Partial capacity	Full capacity	Total
Unclassified paper records	0	0	52	52
Protected B paper records	0	0	52	52
Secret and top secret paper records	0	0	52	52

2.2 Enter the number of weeks your institution was able to process electronic records in different classification levels.

Classification level	No capacity	Partial capacity	Full capacity	Total
Unclassified electronic records	0	0	52	52
Protected B electronic records	0	0	52	52
Secret and top secret electronic records	0	0	52	52

Section 3: Open requests and complaints under the Access to Information Act

3.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal year open requests were received	Open requests that are within legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023	Open requests that are beyond legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023	Total
Received in 2022-2023	139	358	497
Received in 2021-2022	71	438	509
Received in 2020-2021	31	317	348
Received in 2019-2020	3	245	248
Received in 2018-2019	2	127	129
Received in 2017-2018	0	47	47
Received in 2016-2017	0	68	68
Received in 2015-2016	0	29	29
Received in 2014-2015	0	11	11
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0	20	20
Total	246	1660	1906

3.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal year open complaints were received by institution	Number of open complaints
Received in 2022-2023	10
Received in 2021-2022	5
Received in 2020-2021	1
Received in 2019-2020	0
Received in 2018-2019	0
Received in 2017-2018	0
Received in 2016-2017	2
Received in 2015-2016	0
Received in 2014-2015	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0
Total	18

Section 4: Open requests and complaints under the Privacy Act

4.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal year open requests were received	Open requests that are within legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023	Open requests that are beyond legislated timelines as of March 31, 2023	Total
Received in 2022-2023	4	12	16
Received in 2021-2022	2	5	7
Received in 2020-2021	0	3	3
Received in 2019-2020	0	7	7
Received in 2018-2019	0	1	1
Received in 2017-2018	0	2	2
Received in 2016-2017	1	3	4
Received in 2015-2016	0	0	0
Received in 2014-2015	0	0	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0	0	0
Total	7	33	40

4.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal year open complaints were received by institution	Number of open complaints
Received in 2022-2023	0
Received in 2021-2022	0
Received in 2020-2021	0
Received in 2019-2020	0
Received in 2018-2019	0
Received in 2017-2018	0
Received in 2016-2017	0
Received in 2015-2016	0
Received in 2014-2015	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0
Total	0

Section 5: Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Did your institution receive authority for a new collection or new consistent use of the SIN in 2022-2023

No

Section 6: Universal access under the Privacy Act

How many requests were received from confirmed foreign national outside of Canada in 2022-2023?

0