City council will receive an updated Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act bylaw for consideration at its regular meeting Tuesday, June 12. Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

City council will receive an updated Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act bylaw for consideration at its regular meeting Tuesday, June 12. Monica Lamb-Yorski photo

Williams Lake aims to update its Freedom of Information act

The 24-year-old-policy has not been amended since it was adopted in 1994

The City of Williams Lake is hoping to update its 24-year-old Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA).

Council will consider an updated bylaw at Tuesday’s regular meeting and be asked to give first three readings.

In a report about the move, legislative services co-ordinator Rena Schill described the existing bylaw as “overly lengthy.”

Many municipalities when creating FOIPPAs duplicated section for convenience, she noted.

“This often resulted in ineffective and unenforceable bylaws as they were not always brought up to date with amendments to the FOIPPA, creating inconsistencies with this superseding provincial legislation.”

Under the proposed bylaw, if an applicant is required to pay a fee for service, they will receive a written estimate of the total cost beforehand, and a 50 per cent deposit of that estimated cost will be required if the total is going to be more than $50.

However, no fees will be charged for someone who is requesting their own information.

Williams Lake Tribune