About Access to Information and Privacy

• Introduction to access to information and privacy
• How to make a request
  • Access to information request
  • Personal information request
  • Registry request
  • Informal request
  • Send your request
• Completed access to information requests
• Contact us

Introduction to access to information and privacy

The Access to Information Act gives Canadian citizens as well as people and corporations present in Canada the right to have access to federal government records that are not of a personal nature or subject to certain limited and specific exceptions. The Access to Information Act complements, but does not replace other procedures for obtaining government information. It is not intended to limit in any way the access to government information that is normally available to the public upon request.

The Privacy Act protects the privacy of all Canadian citizens and permanent residents regarding personal information held by a government institution. It also gives individuals, including those in Canada who are not permanent residents or citizens, the right to access their own personal information.

How to make a request

Access to information request

To make an Access to information request for information held by the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (the Agency), you may complete the Access to information request form or send a letter mentioning the Access to Information Act and describing the information you are seeking to the Access to Information and Privacy Office. Please include any relevant details to help us find the information you are looking for.

Please note that an application fee of $5 applies to each request and additional costs may be charged. This application fee entitles you to five hours of search and preparation time for the requested records. You will be notified in advance if there are additional costs and you may be asked to make a deposit. You may send the application fee in the form of a cheque or money order made payable to the Receiver General for Canada. The Agency also accepts MasterCard, Visa and American Express.

Personal information request

To access your own personal information held by the Agency, you may complete the Personal information request form or send a letter mentioning the Privacy Act and describing the information you are seeking to the Access to Information and Privacy Office. Please include any relevant details to help us find the information you are looking for.

In addition, if you are requesting personal information that does not concern you, you must include a consent document indicating the name of the person giving his or her consent and to whom consent is being given. The consent document must be dated and signed by the person giving the consent.

There is no charge for information under the Privacy Act.

Registry request

As required under the Impact Assessment Act, the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry facilitates public access to information and records related to proposed projects subject to the federal impact assessment process. For more information on how to access Registry records, you can consult the Registry Frequently Asked Questions page.

Informal request

The Government of Canada encourages the release of information through requests outside of the Access to Information and Privacy process. To make an informal request, use the contact information on the Agency's Contact us page.

Send your request

Send access to information and privacy requests as well as requests for previously completed access to information requests to the following address:

Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
22nd Floor, Place Bell
160 Elgin Street
Ottawa ON K1A 0H3
By email: atip-aiprp@iaac-aeic.gc.ca
By fax: 613-960-1517

Completed access to information requests

Summaries of the Agency’s completed Access to Information requests are posted on the Open Government Portal. If you wish to obtain a copy of the records released in response to these requests informally, please contact us. You must include your full name and complete mailing address as well as the file number(s) requested.

Contact us

If you need advice on the process for completing an access to information request or a personal information request, please contact us using one of the following options:

• Phone: 613-957-0700
• Toll free: 1-866-582-1884
• Fax: 613-960-1517
• Email address: atip-aiprp@iaac-aeic.gc.ca
• By mail:
  Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator
  Impact Assessment Agency of Canada
  22^nd Floor, Place Bell
  160 Elgin Street
  Ottawa ON K1A 0H3