Making A Request

Submitting an Access to Information Request

The Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 gives people the right to access information and records in the custody or under the control of any municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Anyone can request information. You do not need to be a journalist and you do not need a lawyer to request information. Municipalities can withhold information if it falls under certain exceptions (e.g. someone else’s personal information).

The following is a step-by-step guide for submitting an Access to Information Request:

Every municipality has an Access to Information and Protection of Privacy, ATIPP, Coordinator who is responsible for processing access to information requests.

For the Town of Paradise, the ATIPP Coordinator is the Director of Corporate Services, Terrilynn Smith.

You can find out who the ATIPP Coordinator is with any municipality in Newfoundland and Labrador from the provincial government's complete listing of Municipal ATIPP Coordinators.

Let the ATIPP coordinator know what information you want to request – some information can be given out without a formal access to information request.

Under the Municipalities Act, 1999, the following records should be available without a formal request:

For an Access to Information Request, you must complete the form and submit to the Town of Paradise.

Make only one request per form, and try to be as clear as possible about the information you want.

If you need assistance completing the form, please contact the provincial ATIPP Office at 729-7072 or toll-free at 1-877-895-8891. You can also reach us via email.

After you have completed the form, you should email, or mail the form to the ATIPP Coordinator with the municipality. The form can also be brought into the Town Hall Offices during business hours.

Upon receipt of your request by email, the Town will provide an Acknowledgment of Request Letter. If you do not receive an Acknowledgment Letter within five business days, please follow up with the Town by phone or in person to confirm receipt. 

Town of Paradise
28 McNamara Drive,
Paradise, NL A1L 0A6
Fax: (709) 782-3601/3603

 

There is no cost for submitting an access to information request.

In rare circumstances, you may be asked to pay costs for copying records, mailing records, or for time spent locating the records you have requested. However, you will be told if costs are expected and will have a chance to approve any costs before the Coordinator proceeds with your request.

What to Expect

You should be aware of the following:

  • The Coordinator has a duty to assist you. Please feel free to ask any questions about the request. Also keep in mind that they may ask for clarification about what information you are looking for.
  • Requests should be completed in 20 business days. You should be told in writing if your request will take longer. To determine when you can anticipate a response to an access to information or correction of personal information request, you can use the Estimated Response Time Calculator on the Office of the Information & Privacy Commissioner website.
  • For most requests, the Coordinator should not tell anyone else who submitted the request. If you are requesting your own personal information, the coordinator may need to tell other people who submitted the request in order to locate records.
  • When you receive the requested documents, some information may be blacked out. This is because the municipality may withhold certain information, such as personal information. Where information is blacked out, you should be told why it was blacked out.

If you have concerns about how a request was processed

You have the right to appeal any decision about access to records made by a municipality, including how your access to information request was processed.

You can make a complaint to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner
2 Canada Drive
P.O. Box 13004, Stn. A
St. John’s, NL A1B 3V8
Telephone: (709) 729-6309
Toll-Free: 1-877-729-6309
Facsimile: (709) 729-6500

Contact Us

Town of Paradise
28 McNamara Drive Paradise, NL A1L 0A6,
Map this location
T. 709-782-1400,
Email Us