Freedom of Information Requests
British Columbia’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (called the “Act”) establishes a process by which any person can request access to information contained in records under the custody or control of the Town of Smithers.
The Act gives individuals rights to request records from the Town of Smithers, correct their personal information held by the Town of Smithers, and to receive information in a timely manner. The Act also protects the privacy of individuals by placing restrictions on the Town of Smithers when collecting or disclosing personal information.
FOIPPA's definition of a record: “Record” includes books, documents, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, vouchers, papers and any other thing on which information is recorded or stored by graphic, electronic, mechanical or other means, but doesn’t include a computer program or any other mechanism that produces records."
Freedom of Information (FOI) requests are processed through the Corporate Services Department at the Town Hall. Requests for records should be as specific as possible and include sufficient detail to allow the Town to locate, access, and retrieve the relevant records as quickly as possible.
Privacy Management
The Corporate Officer and Deputy Corporate Officer are the designated privacy contacts (i.e., Privacy Coordinator) for the Town. The Privacy Coordinator may be contacted by phone at 250-847-1600 or by email at front@smithers.ca.
When collecting personal information (e.g., forms, surveys, applications), the Town will communicate:
• The purpose for collecting the information;
• The Town's legal authority for collecting the information;
• The contact information for an officer or employee of the public body who can answer the individual's questions about the collection (s. 27 FO/PPA).