Want to know how much CBC pays its top employees? Hurry up and wait. Want to obtain a spreadsheet file of purchases by the City of Windsor, Ontario? Get ready to write a BIG cheque. Want use-of-force reports from officers using Tasers in Saskatoon, Regina, Hamilton or Saint John? You can just forget it.
The fourth annual Canadian Newspaper Association freedom of information audit shows vast inconsistencies in how governments and public agencies fulfill their obligation to be open with the people who elect them. Information available in little time and at no cost from some institutions was unavailable, or only available at high cost or with long delays, from others.