PO-2435

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care (the Ministry) received a request under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (the Act) for access to all records relating to the province’s e-Physician Project (ePP), including the Smart Systems for Health Agency (SSHA). Specifically, the requester sought access to records including Request for Proposals, contracts, invoices, timesheets, reports and memos related to consultants hired for the project.

The Ministry issued an interim decision letter including a fee estimate of $8,820 for processing the request. The requester then narrowed his request to the following:

Based on the narrowed request, the Ministry issued a revised fee estimate in the amount of $1,788.14. The requester, now the appellant, appealed the fee estimate.

During mediation, the appellant requested that the Ministry waive the fee, and the Ministry denied this request. The issues of the amount of the fee estimate and the denial of a fee waiver were resolved by Order PO-2255, which upheld the decision of the Ministry not to waive the fee, but ordered the Ministry to reduce the fee to $193.00.

On receipt of the fee payment of $193.00, the Ministry issued a decision granting partial access to the records. The Ministry denied access to portions of the records pursuant to the mandatory exemptions at sections 17(1) (third party information) and 21(1) (invasion of privacy) of the Act.

The appellant appealed the Ministry’s decision.

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• FIPPA
• 17(1)(a), (b) & (c)
• 2(1) personal information
• 21(1)

• Personal Information (Definition)
• business/personal information