|
The Ministry of Health (the institution) received a request for all correspondence between a named doctor, the Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office (the PPAO), and a named Patient Advocate.
The records identified by the institution as responsive to the request consist of seven letters between the persons mentioned in the request.
The institution granted partial access to the records, claiming section 21 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the Act) as the basis for denying access to the remainder. The requester appealed the institution's decision to this office.
During the course of mediation, the Patient Advocate consented to the release of any of her personal information, and the institution released those parts of the records which contain this information to the appellant. The doctor did not consent to the release of any of his personal information contained in the records.
As a result of mediation efforts, the records which remain at issue in this appeal were reduced to three severed letters, two from the doctor to the PPAO Provincial Co-ordinator, and one from the PPAO Provincial Co-ordinator to the doctor. Two of the letters are dated August 3, 1990 and November 1, 1990, and the third is undated.
Further attempts to mediate the appeal were not successful, and the matter proceeded to inquiry. Notice that an inquiry was being conducted to review the decision of the head was sent to the appellant, the institution, the doctor, the PPAO Provincial Co-ordinator, and two other individuals referred to in the records. Enclosed with each Notice of Inquiry was a report prepared by the Appeals Officer, intended to assist the parties in making their representations concerning the subject matter of the appeal. Written representations were received from all the parties. The two other individuals referred to in the records either felt that the records did not contain their personal information or consented to its release.
|