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The Municipal Government Act (MGA) which provides authority for most of the activities and operations of municipal governments in Nova Scotia, also contains provisions relating to freedom of information and protection of privacy (FOIPOP). These provisions are found in Part XX of the Act.
(The Nova Scotia FOIPOP Act)
The intent of the FOIPOP legislation is to balance two principles:
Freedom of Information (FOI): whenever possible, information held by the Municipality should be made available to the public;
Protection of Privacy (POP): the Municipality should not improperly collect or disclose personal information.
FOIPOP provides that the public have:
- the right to request access to information held by the Municipality;
- the right to access personal information about themselves held by the Municipality;
- the right to request correction to their personal information held by the Municipality;
- controls on the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, by the Municipality; and
- the right to request independent review of decisions made under FOIPOP.
During the course of conducting municipal business, a great deal of information is produced and accumulated. The legislation supports the belief that every document held by government, regardless of format, is subject to release to the general public. Exemptions from release are designed to protect against the unreasonable invasion of personal privacy; to prevent unfair advantages occurring in commercial or government transactions; to protect law enforcement activities; and to safeguard the business conducted by government.
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