FOI Overview
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request is a formal way to access information held by the government or public bodies. It’s like submitting an official inquiry to obtain specific documents or details that might not be readily available to the public. By making such a request, you can ask for reports, emails, or other relevant records. You also need to mention the specific timeframe you’re interested in, so they know when to look for the information. The primary purpose of FOI requests is to ensure transparency and accountability in government operations. It empowers individuals to stay informed about important matters that may affect them and promotes a more open and accountable government.
There are a number of FOI requests, for the purposes of this post we’re just going to focus on 2.
- A request for documentation and emails.
- How to FOI your own FOI.
How To Get Started
In our experience, most FOI requests are sent to find emails and correspondence between staff, elected officials, and one of the many businesses, groups, stakeholders, etc. It’s a great starting point if you’re trying to better understand what’s happened behind some of those closed doors.
Outlined below, you’ll find 2 examples of the most common FOI’s we’ve seen. The first, is basically a request for emails and documents between an elected official and an external source. This allows you to see who or what has been corresponding with council members, or staff, and may provide additional information to a recent council meeting you’ve reviewed.
Typically you can browse your local town or municipality website for the official email to send the request to. Some areas use an online form you fill out and submit via the website. There are forms you can submit physically as well, if you visit your local office.
Here’s an example of both;
North Cowichan FOI Landing Page
North Cowichan Online FOI Form
FOI Example 1 (Documentation & Emails)
To whom it may concern,
This is a request under this jurisdiction’s freedom of information legislation for records held by (Town/Muni IE North Cowichan).
All correspondence, including (but not limited to) internal and external e-mails and messages in applications such as Slack, Office tools and mobile (where applicable) related to (Topic IE Garbage Collection), sent to or from (Persons IE Mayor, Councillor, Staff, Business, Group, etc) between (Dates, IE Jan 2023) and (Dates, IE Dec 2023).
Exclude (Topic/Conditions IE Duplicates, Meetings, Analytics, Logistics). If this request would result in a large number of records, I am open to adjusting search parameters once I hear back from the initial request.
I would prefer to access this information electronically.
(Your contact details)
In the above example, you may be looking for specific information you believe was emailed to your local office. You would include any and all persons you believe would have this information, this includes staff, contractors, councillors, mayor, etc. Simply name the varied departments, businesses, people, and if they are included in the records they’ll become part of the FOI.
FOI Example 2 (FOI your own FOI)
To whom it may concern,
This is a request under this jurisdiction’s freedom of information legislation for records held by (Town/Muni IE North Cowichan).
On (Date you filed FOI), I filed request number (File Number) to your institution. That request was completed and closed on (Date you received FOI).
I am requesting access to all records generated as a result of that request, including but not limited to: including (but not limited to) internal and external e-mails and messages in applications such as Slack, Office tools and mobile (where applicable), handwritten notes, memos, and reports, between (Date you filed FOI) and (Date you received FOI), including the processing file/tracking record for that request. The above would include all records in or attached to the FOI’s processing file/tracking record for that request that reference the information requested, exemptions, or discussions of the request. Please exclude the original release package.
I would like this information sent electronically.
(Your contact details)
In the above example, you are requesting all documentation generated while the office created your FOI document. This is especially helpful if your FOI request did not bring you the results you were hoping for. In some cases you can determine where you may have excluded information, and you can do a new FOI request for the missing information. You may also discover results that you simply didn’t expect, and when you review the supporting documents it may add another piece to the puzzle.