Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinators
SUBJECT:
Survey on the CAIR System
As you are no doubt aware, the Treasury Board Secretariat is conducting a review of its entire policy suite. As part of the overall
review process, the Treasury Board Policy for the Coordination of Access to Information Requests (CAIR Policy) and the CAIR
System are being reviewed. To this end, the Information, Privacy and Security Policy Division (IPSPD) would like to obtain the views
of the ATIP Community on the benefits of the CAIR System and on the frequency of its use.
As I understand it, at most institutions, the Coordinator delegates the responsibility for entering data on the CAIR System. I would
greatly appreciate it if the ATIP Coordinator could review the attached CAIR Policy with the appropriate officials from your office who work with the CAIR System, fill out the enclosed questionnaire together and return it to Francis Larose of IPSPD by Friday,
February 27, 2004. We wish to obtain one reply per institution. The ATIP Coordinator's direct participation in this short survey, which should take only five to ten minutes to complete, will be most helpful in allowing us to determine the effectiveness of the CAIR System
within the ATIP Community.
You may respond by fax at (613) 952-7287, or by mail to the following address:
Francis Larose
Administrative Coordinator
Information, Privacy and Security Policy Division
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
L'Esplanade Laurier, East Tower
140 O'Connor Street, 8th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R5
The survey will also be sent by e-mail and you may answer the ten survey questions electronically. When sending your response,
please ensure that you save the completed questionnaire and forward it as an attachment to
Larose.Francis@tbs-sct.gc.ca.
Should you have any questions, please contact Francis Larose at (613) 946-4955 or Terry Murray at (613) 941-4462 or at
Murray.Terry@tbs-sct.gc.ca.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for completing this survey, thus helping us to improve our service and meet your
expectations.
Anne Brennan
Senior Director
Information, Privacy and Security Policy Division
Chief, Information Officer Branch
NOTE: The CAIR System was created as a means of complying with the Treasury Board
Policy for the Coordination of Access to Information Requests (CAIR Policy, 1989). The original intent of the CAIR System was to ensure that requests received under the
Access to Information Act, which raise matters that are interdepartmental in scope or involve major legal or policy issues, are identified and coordinated.
1. Name of institution:
2. Prior to this survey, were you familiar with the requirements of the Treasury
Board Policy for the Coordination of Access to Information Requests (CAIR)?
Yes
No
3. How often does your institution input details of its ATI requests onto the CAIR
System?
Within two days of receiving requests
Weekly
Monthly
Never
Other
4. How often does your institution conduct searches of the CAIR System to
determine whether or not other institutions have received ATI requests
on a specific topic?
Once a year
Two to five times per year
Six to ten times per year
More than ten times per year
Never
5. Do you currently use alternatives to the CAIR System to determine whether
other institutions have received ATI requests on a specific topic?
NO
YES
If Yes, please indicate below all that apply:
Telephone check with other ATIP offices
E-mail check with other ATIP offices
Other alternatives - please specify:
6. Does your institution use the CAIR System for any purpose(s) other than to
determine whether or not other institutions have received requests on a
specific topic?
No
Yes. If Yes, please specify:
7. Please identify any specific experiences that you may have had when using
the CAIR System. Check all that apply:
The CAIR System is user-friendly
The CAIR System is useful in our daily work
The CAIR System is slow/tedious
The CAIR System is not user-friendly
The CAIR System is not updated by all institutions
The information on the CAIR System is not useful to our institution
Other - Please specify:
8. How often have you sought technical assistance during the past fiscal year
regarding the CAIR System?
Never
Once
Two to five times
Six to ten times
More than ten times
9. What improvements can you suggest to the CAIR System?
10. Do you consider the CAIR System to be a necessary tool for your
organization?
