This is interesting. Remember a while back when I reported on how the RPL Board refused to provide me with some documents about the central branch redevelopment I’d asked for through an Access to Information request?
Well, I submitted a Request for Review with the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner (in other words, I appealed to the province) right after that because I kind of disagree with the grounds on which my application was rejected.
And I received a letter from the provincial commissioner a couple days ago saying that, because of a lack of departmental resources and a big honking backlog, they aren’t going to be able to take any action on my request for 12 to 18 months!
Actually, here’s what they say exactly….
Please be advised that our office has a considerable case file backlog and is inadequately resourced. As a result, we anticipate that we will be unable to take any action on your file for approximately 12 to 18 months, other than to provide notice to the public body/trustee in question that we have opened the file. For your information, we have attached a copy of a News Release announcing cutbacks in service due to the lack of resources. If you have concerns about the level of resources for our office we encourage you to speak with your MLA.
A year and a half? My daughter will have finished grade one by then. My son will be talking and probably be potty trained. I’ll have seen the Avengers.
Why, we’ll have survived the Mayan Apocalypse!
What strange, futuristic marvels will be common place once the Information and Privacy Commissioner finally sits down with my Request For Review, I wonder?
The mind reels.
Along with the letter there was also a press release from Feb 22, 2010, explaining how the province keeps refusing to provide the information and privacy office with an additional investigator. And as a result, everything is going to be moving at a snail’s pace.
Have to say, I’ve never contacted a government agency before and had them encourage me to contact the actual government to complain about their lack of funding. And I’ll probably follow through on their suggestion because accessing information from public institutions in a timely manner seems a pretty important thing. For democracy and all.
As for my request for information from the library, considering how long this is going to take, I’m almost tempted to email the information commissioner to say, “Don’t bother,” except I wouldn’t be surprised if we still won’t have heard anything from the RPL board about the central branch in the summer of 2013.
Of course, books might be obsolete by then and we’ll be downloading media directly into our cerebral cortex thus making libraries unnecessary and my whole request moot. Who knows?
