The Acting Information and Privacy Commissioner, Jacqueline Lake Kavanagh, has released her Report A-2024-029 under authority of the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015. A summary of the Report is included below.
To view the Report in its entirety, please go to https://www.oipc.nl.ca/reports/reports/.
| Report: | A-2024-029 |
| Report Date: | June 26, 2024 |
| Public Body: | Memorial University |
| Summary: | The Complainant made an access to information request to Memorial University for records relating to the drafts of the Auditor General’s performance audit of the University that was released in October 2023. The University withheld all responsive records related to this request on the grounds that they were “audit working papers.” Pursuant to section 30(2) of the Auditor General Act, 2021, the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 2015 does not apply to the disclosure of audit working papers. The Complaint claimed that the definition of audit working papers was too broad and that the exception could not be applicable to records created after the final draft of the audit report was delivered to the Provincial Government but not yet tabled in the House of Assembly. This Office agreed with the University’s classification of the records as audit working papers, noting that the withheld records dealt explicitly with matters relating to the preparation and execution of the audit. With respect to the date upon which an audit is deemed completed, this Office determined that all of the responsive records were subject to section 30(2) of the Auditor General Act, 2021. |
-30-
Media contact
Sean Murray
Director of Research & Quality Assurance
709-729-6309
2024 06 27
11:25 am