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Welcome to the Nova Scotia Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Review Office Website |
Nova Scotia was the first province in Canada to enact a Freedom of Information Act in 1977. Since that time, all other jurisdictions in the country have followed suit. The Act was replaced in 1993 by the considerably improved Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (in force 1994). All government departments and agencies were brought under the Act. Subsequently in 1999, a new Municipal Government Act was passed. It included access and privacy provisions similar to the provincial Act and applied to all municipalities and municipal bodies. In 1999, the provincial Act was also extended to cover local public bodies including hospitals, universities, colleges and school boards.
Pursuant to the Acts, all public bodies, municipalities and local public bodies are obliged to adopt a policy of accountability, openness and transparency and to provide a right of access to information with limited exceptions. They are also obliged to ensure the protection of individuals' personal privacy.
...the legislation in Nova Scotia is deliberately more generous to its citizens and is intended to give the public greater access to information that might otherwise be contemplated in the other provinces and territories in Canada. Nova Scotia's lawmakers clearly intended to provide for the disclosure of all government information (subject to certain limited and specific exemptions) in order to facilitate informed public participation in policy formulation; ensure fairness in government decision making; and permit the airing and reconciliation of divergent views. No other province or territory has gone so far in expressing such objectives.
- O'Connor v. Nova Scotia, N.S.C.A., 2001
This site contains a variety of information pertaining to the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPOP), the municipal Part XX Municipal Government Act (MGA) and the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Review Office (Review Office).
The purpose of this site is to provide you with the information needed to understand and use the two Acts. It also provides access to Review Reports, Court Cases and other publications from the Review Office.
Although we make every effort to ensure all information posted on our website is accurate and complete, we cannot guarantee it is free from error.
If there is any discrepancy between the information posted on website and the original paper versions, the paper originals are the authoritative documents.