Schedule I updated: Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority

Summary#

This is the Order Amending Schedule I to the Access to Information Act (Miscellaneous Program) (registration SOR/2024-184). It updates the list of federal bodies named in Schedule I to the Access to Information Act, removing several defunct or merged entities and adding the newly formed Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority. The order came into force on September 20, 2024.

What it does#

• Removes these bodies from Schedule I to the Access to Information Act:
  • Canadian Advisory Council on the Status of Women
  • Canadian Government Specifications Board
  • Federal-Provincial Relations Office
  • Hamilton Port Authority
  • Indian Residential Schools Truth and Reconciliation Commission
  • Office of Privatization and Regulatory Affairs
  • Office of the Comptroller General
  • Oshawa Port Authority
  • Petroleum Compensation Board
  • Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration
• Adds this body to Schedule I to the Access to Information Act:
  • Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority
• States the order is in force on the day it was registered (see September 20, 2024).

Who's affected#

• People who file access-to-information requests under the Access to Information Act, including:
  • journalists, researchers, and members of the public seeking records from the named bodies.
• Staff and record-holders of the newly named Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority (the merged successor to the former Hamilton and Oshawa port authorities).
• Government officials who maintain lists of institutions covered by federal access and privacy laws.

If you used to request records from any of the removed bodies, those records may now be held by the department or agency that absorbed them, or by the successor body. The regulatory statement also describes related updates to the schedule to the Privacy Act, but this specific order amends Schedule I to the Access to Information Act.

Why it matters#

• It clarifies which federal bodies are officially listed as subject to the Access to Information Act. That tells people where to send access requests and which institutions are responsible for responding.
• The addition of the Hamilton-Oshawa Port Authority reflects a real-world merger of two port authorities, so records and requests that used to go to the old authorities should now go to the merged authority.
• Removing names of institutions that no longer exist reduces confusion when searching for who holds particular federal records.
• The government says these changes do not create new costs for businesses and do not affect small businesses.