2022-2023: Annual report to Parliament - Access to Information Act

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
2. Organizational Structure
3. Delegation Order
4. Performance 2022-2023
5. Training and Awareness
6. Policies, Guidelines, and Procedures
7. Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA
8. Initiatives and Projects to Improve Access to Information
9. Summary of Key Issues and Actions Taken on Complaints
10. Reporting on Access to Information Fees for the Purposes of the Service Fees Act
11. Monitoring Compliance
Appendix A: Delegation Order
Appendix B: Statistical Report
Appendix C: Supplemental Statistical Report

1. Introduction

The Access to Information Act (ATIA) was proclaimed into force on July 1, 1983 and further amended on June 21, 2019. The purpose of the ATIA is to enhance the accountability and transparency of federal institutions in order to promote an open and democratic society and to enable public debate on the conduct of those institutions.

Part 1 of the ATIA extends the present laws of Canada to provide a right of access to information in records under the control of a government institution in accordance with the principles that government information should be available to the public, that necessary exceptions to the right of access should be limited and specific, and that decisions about the disclosure of government information should be reviewed independently of government.

Part 2 of the ATIA sets out requirements for the proactive publication of information.

This report is prepared and tabled in accordance with section 20 if the Service Fees Act and section 94 of the Act, which requires that the head of every federal institution prepare and submit an annual report to Parliament on the administration of the Act in the institution during the fiscal year. It covers the period from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023.

Mandate of Natural Resources Canada

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) works to improve the quality of life of Canadians by ensuring that our natural resources are developed sustainably, providing a source of jobs, prosperity and opportunity, while preserving our environment and respecting our communities and Indigenous peoples.

The Minister of Natural Resources Canada has responsibilities in relation to more than 30 acts of Parliament. The Minister’s core powers, duties and functions are set forth in the Department of Natural Resources Act, the Resources and Technical Surveys Act, the Forestry Act, the Energy Efficiency Act and the Extractive Sector Transparency Measures Act. The department also works in areas of shared responsibilities with provinces, which includes the environment, public safety, economic development, science and technology, and consultations with Indigenous peoples. To fulfil its responsibilities, the department relies on a number of instruments (e.g. policy, regulation, statutory transfers, grants and contributions) and key activities (e.g. science and technology, partnerships and communications).

NRCan has offices and laboratories across the country. About one-third of our employees are located in the National Capital Region, with the remainder working in regional offices: Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, the Western and Pacific Regions and Northern Canada. NRCan also reports on behalf of the Northern Pipeline Agency (NPA).

2. Organizational Structure

NRCan’s Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Secretariat centralizes the administration of the ATIA for NRCan. Pursuant to section 96 of the Access to Information Act, which allows government institutions to provide services related to access to information to another government institution that is presided over by the same minister, in 2022–23, under a Service Letter of Agreement, the Secretariat also performed ATIP-related services for the NPA.

The ATIP Director has full authority delegated by the Minister for the administration of the ATIA. The Director is accountable for ensuring compliance with the ATIA and its related policy instruments. In addition, the Director is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of effective practices and procedures within NRCan to enable efficient processing of requests under the ATIA.

In 2022-2023, the ATIP Secretariat had a complement of 15 full-time employees: one Director, two Deputy Directors, three Team Leaders, five ATIP Analysts, one Systems Analyst and three Administrative Assistants. To help meet the increase in volume and complexity of requests, the ATIP Secretariat also engaged the support of three consultants.

The ATIP Secretariat is part of the Communications and Portfolio Sector.

The ATIP Secretariat is responsible for:

1. Implementing and managing programs and services related to NRCan’s administration of the ATIA and the Privacy Act
2. Providing advice to NRCan employees as they fulfill their obligations under both acts.

The ATIP Secretariat is led by a Director who is supported by two Deputy Directors. Each of these managers oversees a unit that is responsible for a different functional area:

1. ATIP Operations Unit
2. ATIP Policy and Governance Unit

Core functions of the ATIP Secretariat include:

The ATIP Operations Unit also oversees the management of the ATIP Intake Unit:

ATIP Intake Unit

• Receiving access to information and privacy requests from the public and from other organizations;
• Liaising with sectors to obtain and retrieve documents needed to process ATIP requests;
• Conducting and monitoring performance, reporting and data analytics for the team.

ATIP Operations Unit

• Processing requests under the ATIA and under the Privacy Act;
• Responding to consultations from other government departments regarding the application of the ATIA and the Privacy Act on records involving NRCan;
• Coordinating and reviewing documents that must be published under Part 2 of the ATIA;
• Representing the department in dealings with the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, and other government departments and agencies;
• Developing procedures and practices to ensure the proper administration of the ATIA; and
• Providing advice, as well as promoting awareness, to ensure that legislative obligations are respected.

ATIP Policy and Governance

• Providing guidance on the collection, protection, use, retention and disclosure of personal information in accordance with the Act, including new or modified programs;
• Representing the department in dealings with the Treasury Board Secretariat, Office of the Privacy Commissioner, and other government departments and agencies regarding the application of the Act;
• Developing procedures and practices to ensure the proper administration of both Acts including privacy management;
• Promoting awareness and training, to ensure that legislative obligations are respected;
• Monitoring departmental compliance with the Act, its regulations, and relevant procedures and policies;
• Coordinating, reviewing, approving and publishing new entries and modifications to Info Source, an annual Government of Canada publication that assists members of the public in exercising their right of access under the Act;
• Reviewing Personal Information Banks (PIBs); and
• Preparing the annual report to Parliament and other statutory reports, as well as other materials that may be required by central agencies.

Subject matter experts throughout the department make recommendations related to the disclosure of records subject to requests. Sector Liaison Officers play a key role in the processing of requests and consultations. Their duties include coordinating the retrieval of documents in a timely manner.

Proactive Publication

Bill C-58, an act to amend the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act and to make consequential amendments to other acts, received royal assent and came into force on June 21, 2019. Bill C-58 modified the Access to Information Act to include Part 2, adding a requirement for mandatory proactive publication of specific records produced by government institutions and Ministers’ offices. NRCan’s ATIP Secretariat plays a coordination and review function in relation to the proactive publication requirements. Collaboration between the ATIP Secretariat and key branches ensures that the department’s legislative proactive publication requirements are met. Section 7 of this report provides more detail on roles and responsibilities to ensure that proactive publication requirements are met.

3. Delegation Order

Section 95 of the ATIA provides that the head of a government institution may, by Delegation Order, designate one or more officers or employees of that institution to exercise or perform any of the powers, duties or functions of the head related to the administration of the ATIA.

Consistent with best practices, the ATIP Director maintains full-delegated authority and is the principal administrator of the ATIA for NRCan. Full delegation also rests with the ATIP Deputy Director, the Director General responsible for ATIP, the Associate Deputy Minister and the Deputy Minister.

A copy of NRCan’s Delegation Order can be referenced at Appendix A.

4. Performance 2022-2023

Multi-year trends 2020-2021 to 2022-2023

Requests received: In 2022-2023, NRCan received 563 new access to information requests, a decrease of 7% from2021-2022. The number of pages processed was 58,584 pages, an increase of 33, 702 pages from 2021-2022.

Number of requests completed within legislated timelines: From April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023, 746 requests were completed, 665 of which were closed within their legislative timeframe, representing a compliance rate of 89.1%. During the 2021-2022 reporting period, 457 requests were completed, 421 of which were completed within their legislative timeframe, resulting in a compliance rate of 92.1%. In the 2020-2021, 520 requests were completed, 284 of which were completed within their legislative timeframe, resulting in a compliance rate of 84.8%.

The decrease in compliance rate this year was due to the efforts made to close more backlog files. Although the compliance rate for 2022-2023 decreased from the previous reporting period, the number of on-time files closed was higher. In 2022-2023, 665 requests were completed within their legislative timeframe; whereas in 2021-2022, 421 requests were completed within legislative timeframe, an increase of 244 on-time requests.

The following tables illustrate the number of requests completed, broken down by completion times and the percentage of requests completed within their legislative timelines.

Number of active requests outstanding from previous reporting period: In total, 507 requests were carried over from last fiscal year. These requests consist of 220 requests received in 2021-2022 and 287 requests carried over from previous years.

Number of active requests carried over to next reporting period: In total, 324 requests were carried over to next reporting period. Out of the 324 requests, 218 were within legislative timeline and 106 were beyond legislative timeline.

Number of active complaints outstanding from previous reporting period: In total, 15 active complaints were carried over from past reporting periods, including 11 from 2022-2023, one from 2021-2022, one from 2018-2019, and 2 received in prior reporting periods.

Application of exemptions and exclusions:

• Exemptions: The multi-year trend from 2020-2021 to 2022-2023 shows that the nature of exemptions and the number of times the exemptions were applied remained consistent from one reporting period to the next. The exemptions applied were mostly related to personal information, third party information and operations of government. In this reporting period, these exemptions were applied 133 times, 289 times, and 650 times, respectively. During the 2021-2022, these exemptions were applied 110 times, 169 times and 364 times, respectively. During the 2020-2021 reporting period, these exemptions were applied 66 times, 134 times and 259 times, respectively.
• Exclusions: In relation to the application of exclusions, section 69 was applied 352 times during the 2022-2023 reporting period. This represents a significant increase from the 2021-2022 reporting period where exclusions were applied 137 times.

Application of extensions: During the current reporting period, NRCan applied extensions to 59% of requests completed. This is an increase from the 2021-2022 and 2020-2021 reporting periods where extensions were applied in 52% and 33% of cases, respectively. For all three reporting periods, extensions were mainly taken to conduct necessary consultations with other government departments. Extensions were also applied to voluminous requests where meeting the original due dates would interfere with the operations of the institution, as well as to conduct consultations with organizations outside of the federal government (third party consultations).

Consultations completed from other institutions: During the current reporting period 152 consultations were completed. This represents a moderate decrease in comparison to 2021-2022, where 156 were completed, but a significant increase from the 2020-2021 reporting period, where 137 were completed. All consultations completed during the current reporting period were completed on time and within a timeframe of 30 to 90 days.

Requests for which records were “all disclosed” and “disclosed in part”:

From April 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023, 71 requests were completed for which the records were all disclosed, and 466 requests were completed for which the records were disclosed in part. This represents 10% and 62%, respectively, of the total requests completed during the reporting period.

Impact of COVID-19-related measures on NRCan’s ability to fulfill its Access to Information Act responsibilities and implemented mitigation measures:

NRCan ATIP operations were not impacted by COVID-19 related measures during the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

NRCan 2022-2023 Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

For more information, a copy of the 2022-2023 Statistical Report can be referenced at Appendix B.

2022-2023 Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act:

For more information, a copy of the 2022-2023 Supplemental Statistical Report can be referenced at Appendix C.

5. Training and Awareness

As part of our continued efforts to promote general ATIP awareness at NRCan, in 2022-2023, the ATIP Secretariat held 5 one-hour web seminars with various program areas. A total of 110 employees participated.

In an effort to create ATIP awareness in the department, the ATIP Secretariat participated in a departmental information booth during Security Awareness Week, as well as communicated information via a departmental newsletter.

6. Policies, Guidelines, and Procedures

The ATIP Secretariat continuously reviews its ATIP practices and performance to maintain the highest standards of service.

Format of information released: To support the Interim Directive on the Administration of the ATIA, the ATIP Secretariat continued to provide records in the format requested by the applicant, including machine-readable and reusable formats.

ATIP Online Request Service (AORS): NRCan has been actively participating in the Treasury Board Secretariat’s ATIP Online Request Service. This initiative simplifies the process of requesting government records by providing a convenient solution, which enables Canadians to submit their ATIP requests and application fees online. In 2022-2023, NRCan received 99% of its access to information requests (559 via the AORS). Notably, NRCan has experienced a consistent multi-year trend in the percentage of requests received through the AORS. In 2021-2022, NRCan received 99% of its access to information requests (596) through the AORS.

Professional Development Program (PDP): To address the government-wide labour shortage of skills and expertise in the ATIP community and strengthen recruitment and retention of ATIP professionals, in May 2019, the ATIP Secretariat developed and finalized a PDP. This program aims to build capacity to meet current and future demand by recruiting new entry-level ATIP officers and supporting them through additional training on an accelerated journey to a Senior ATIP Analyst position. Through the reporting period, the ATIP Secretariat continued to recruit and promote candidates in the program.

Open Government: The ATIP Secretariat continues to collaborate and support sectors in meeting their obligations with respect to the Open Government Initiative and the proactive publication requirements.

ATIP Community Working Groups: The ATIP Secretariat participated in the ATIP community working groups related to the Access to Information Act.

Duty to Assist: In order to ensure transparency in the ATIP process and in relation to the “Duty to Assist” requirements, the ATIP Secretariat proactively communicated with applicants to provide timely and complete responses.

7. Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA

Natural Resources Canada is a government institution for the purpose of Part 2 of the ATIA. The proactive publication process at NRCan has been developed in consultation with the departmental sector leads. Each sector lead processes the required information subject to the proactive publication requirement. Prior to publishing, the information is reviewed in consultation with the ATIP Secretariat. Following review and approval, the sector lead publishes the proactive publication requirement within the prescribed legislative timeline.

The table below outlines key information related to the proactive publication process at NRCan:

Legislative Requirement	Section of the ATIA	Responsible Sectors	Publication Timeline	Compliance
All Government Institutions as defined in section 3 of the Access to Information Act
Travel Expenses	82	Lead Sector: Corporate Management and Services Sector	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	100% (12 publications)
Hospitality Expenses	83			100% (12 publications)
Reports tabled in Parliament	84	Lead Sector: Parliamentary Affairs Unit	Within 30 days after tabling	100%
Government entities or Departments, agencies, and other bodies subject to the Act and listed in Schedules I, I.1, or II of the Financial Administration Act
Contracts over $10,000	86	Lead: Finance and Procurement Branch	Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter	100% (4 times)
Grants & Contributions over $25,000	87	Lead: The Center of Expertise for Grants & Contributions (COE)	Within 30 days after the quarter	100% (4 times)
Packages of briefing materials prepared for new or incoming deputy heads or equivalent	88(a)	Lead: Stakeholder Engagement Unit	Within 120 days after appointment	100%
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared for a deputy head or equivalent, that is received by their office	88(b)	Lead: Executive Document Unit (EDU)	Within 30 days after the end of the month received	100% (12 times)
Packages of briefing materials prepared for a deputy head or equivalent’s appearance before a committee of Parliament	88(c)	Lead: Parliamentary Affairs Unit	Within 120 days after appearance	100%
Government institutions that are departments named in Schedule I to the Financial Administration Act or portions of the core public administration named in Schedule IV to that Act (i.e. government institutions for which Treasury Board is the employer)
Reclassification of positions	85	Lead: Human Resources Branch	Within 30 days after the quarter	100% (6 times)
Ministers
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for new or incoming ministers	74(a)	Lead: Stakeholder Engagement Unit	Within 120 days after appointment	100%
Titles and reference numbers of memoranda prepared by a government institution for the minister, that is received by their office	74(b)	Lead: Executive Document Unit (EDU)	Within 30 days after the end of the month received	100% (12 times)
Package of question period notes prepared by a government institution for the minister and in use on the last sitting day of the House of Commons in June and December	74(c)	Lead: Parliamentary Affairs Unit	Within 30 days after last sitting day of the House of Common in June and December	100%
Packages of briefing materials prepared by a government institution for a minister’s appearance before a committee of Parliament	74(d)		Within 120 days after appearance	100%
Travel Expenses	75	Lead: Corporate Management Services Sector	Within 30 days after the end of the month of reimbursement	100% (12 publications)
Hospitality Expenses	76			100% (12 publications)
Contracts over $10,000	77	Lead: Finance and Procurement Branch	Q1-3: Within 30 days after the quarter Q4: Within 60 days after the quarter	100% (4 times)
Ministers’ Offices Expenses *Note: This consolidated report is currently published by TBS on behalf of all institutions.	78	Lead: TBS	Within 120 days after the fiscal year	N/A

The publications are available at the following web links:

• Open Government | Open Government, Government of Canada
• Natural Resources Canada.

In accordance with the TBS Directive on Proactive Publication under the Access to Information Act, which was published on June 28, 2023, NRCan is working with program areas to review the existing procedures and make adjustments as required.

8. Initiatives and Projects to Improve Access to Information

ATIP and Indigenous Reconciliation: In an effort to improve services and advance reconciliation with Indigenous peoples at NRCan, the ATIP Secretariat has initiated discussions with internal program areas to gather information on providing more culturally appropriate services (i.e. via ATIP consultations with Indigenous peoples), as well as, understanding Indigenous data held by NRCan. The Secretariat has included a component in its departmental ATIP training sessions to increase awareness of this commitment. This initiative is ongoing.

IT modernization: In 2022-2023, NRCan ATIP continued the process of procuring and implementing a new ATIP request processing software solution (RPSS) to replace and improve upon its existing system. NRCan has also adopted the use of Power BI software in order to provide management with improved dashboard updates. The dashboard provides a quick look at ATIP Operations including the status of active files (month to month, multi-year, and overall compliance), as well as a breakdown of sector workload when it comes to ATIP requests.

ATIP Online Request Service (AORS): NRCan has been actively participating in the Treasury Board Secretariat’s ATIP Online Request Service. This initiative simplifies the process of requesting government records by providing a convenient solution, which enables Canadians to submit their ATIP requests and application fees online. In 2022-2023, NRCan received 99% of its access to information requests (559 via the AORS. Notably, NRCan has experienced a consistent multi-year trend in the percentage of requests received through the AORS. In 2021-2022, NRCan received 99% of its access to information requests (596) through the AORS.

9. Summary of Key Issues and Actions Taken on Complaints

In 2022-2023, NRCan received 19 complaints pursuant to the ATIA, including 8 delay complaints and 7 exemption and exclusion complaints and 4 reasonable search complaints. In addition, during the reporting period, NRCan received 13 findings from the OIC regarding the completed processing of complaints related to the failure to provide certain relevant records, processing delays, extensions applied as well as the application of exemptions.

10. Reporting on Access to Information Fees for the Purposes of the Service Fees Act

The Service Fees Act requires a responsible authority to report annually to Parliament on the fees collected by the institution. With respect to fees collected under the ATIA, the information below is reported in accordance with the requirements of section 20 of the Service Fees Act.

• Enabling authority: ATIA
• Fee payable: $5.00 application fee is the only fee charged for an ATI request
• Total revenue: $1,530
• Fees waived: During the reporting period, NRCan did not charge fees other than the $5 application fee. A total of $1,285 were waived during the reporting period to facilitate the processing of requests.
• Cost of operating the program: $1,445,977

11. Monitoring Compliance

The ATIP Secretariat routinely monitors the processing time for access to information requests using statistical reports and dashboards. This information is provided to senior officials on a weekly basis, including the Minister’s office, and highlights the overall year to date compliance rate for the department, the number of requests received, and the number of requests closed. The department’s performance statistics, reporting on trends and changes to the ATIP process are communicated through weekly meetings with departmental and senior officials and using the ATIP Planner.

In 2022–2023, the ATIP Secretariat increased its emphasis on data analytics with the intent of identifying emerging trends and process efficiencies. The ATIP Secretariat developed individualized sector performance reports aimed at creating awareness within sectors of their performance with respect to their ATIP obligations. These monthly reports are shared with senior officials on a quarterly basis.

The ATIP Secretariat also worked closely with sectors that experience high volumes of ATIP requests to coordinate and expedite responses from those program areas. This collaboration with sectors creates awareness of existing compliance data and identifies any gaps in the process to further improve procedures and performance.

Using the guidance issued by TBS in the Access to Information Implementation Notice 2022-01: Inter-institutional Consultations, NRCan limits inter-institutional consultations by only consulting when necessary and by sending out courtesy consultations when possible. To limit inter-institutional consultations, NRCan also exercises its discretion in the application of certain exemptions when possible.

NRCan is evaluating the feasibility of making frequently requested types of information available to the public by other means. In the reporting period, NRCan did not have additional requested types of information that can be made accessible online without analysis and review.

NRCan is in the process of developing additional measures to support the right of public access to information reflected in contracts, agreements, and arrangements through consultation with program officials. A centralized procedure is underway. Monitoring will be incorporated into the final procedure.

NRCan monitors the accuracy and completeness in accordance with the proactive publication due dates. This is done through a verification process of the information published, as well as, through liaising with the lead sectors.

Appendix A: Delegation Order

Delegation Order – Access to Information Act and Access to Information Regulations

The Minister of Natural Resources, pursuant to section 95 of the Access to Information Act (ATIA), hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties and functions of the Minister as the head of Natural Resources Canada, under the provisions of the ATIA and related regulations set out in the schedule below. This designation supersedes all previous delegation orders.

Original signed by: The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, P.C., M.P. Minister of Natural Resources Canada
Date: November 17, 2021

Appendix B: Statistical Report

Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act

Name of institution: Natural Resources Canada
Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2023-03-31

Section 1: Requests Under the Access to Information Act

1.1  Number of requests

	Number of Requests
Received during reporting period	563
Outstanding from previous reporting periods	507
• Outstanding from previous reporting period	220
• Outstanding from more than one reporting period	287
Total	1070
Closed during reporting period	746
Carried over to next reporting period	324
• Carried over within legislated timeline	218
• Carried over beyond legislated timeline	106

1.2  Sources of requests

Source						Number of Requests
Media						270
Academia						37
Business (private sector)						19
Organization						32
Public						82
Decline to Identify						123
Total						563

1.3  Channels of requests

Source						Number of Requests
Online						559
E-mail						1
Mail						3
In person						0
Phone						0
Fax						0
Total						604

Section 2: Informal Requests

2.1 Number of informal requests

	Number of Requests
Received during reporting period	314
Outstanding from previous reporting periods	315
• Outstanding from previous reporting period	134
• Outstanding from more than one reporting period	181
Total	629
Closed during reporting period	79
Carried over to next reporting period	550

2.2  Channels of informal requests

Source						Number of Requests
Online						310
E-mail						4
Mail						0
In person						0
Phone						0
Fax						0
Total						314

2.3 Completion time of informal requests

Completion Time

1 to 15 Days	16 to 30 Days	31 to 60 Days	61 to 120 Days	121 to 180 Days	181 to 365 Days	More Than 365 Days	Total
7	14	8	22	2	18	8	79

2.4 Pages released informally

Less Than 100 Pages Released		100-500 Pages Released		501-1000 Pages Released		1001-5000 Pages Released		More Than 5000 Pages Released
Number of Requests	Pages Released	Number of Requests	Pages Released	Number of Requests	Pages Released	Number of Requests	Pages Released	Number of Requests	Pages Released
0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

2.5 Pages re-released informally

Less Than 100 Pages Re-released		100-500 Pages Re-released		501-1000 Pages Re-released		1001-5000 Pages Re-released		More Than 5000 Pages Re-released
Number of Requests	Pages Released	Number of Requests	Pages Released	Number of Requests	Pages Released	Number of Requests	Pages Released	Number of Requests	Pages Released
72	1927	6	1464	0	0	1	1961	0	0

Section 3: Applications to the Information Commissioner on Declining to Act on Requests

	Number of Requests
Outstanding from previous reporting period	0
Sent during reporting period	0
Total	0
Approved by the Information Commissioner during reporting period	0
Declined by the Information Commissioner during reporting period	0
Withdrawn during reporting period	0
Carried over to next reporting period	0

Section 4: Requests Closed During the Reporting Period

4.1 Disposition and completion time

Disposition of Requests	Completion Time
	1 to 15 Days	16 to 30 Days	31 to 60 Days	61 to 120 Days	121 to 180 Days	181 to 365 Days	More Than 365 Days	Total
All disclosed	8	38	15	6	0	2	2	71
Disclosed in part	65	90	61	138	31	42	39	466
All exempted	0	2	0	2	1	0	1	6
All excluded	2	3	2	1	0	0	5	13
No records exist	16	44	2	0	0	1	0	63
Request transferred	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	4
Request abandoned	84	10	11	7	3	2	6	123
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	179	187	91	154	35	47	53	746

4.2 Exemptions

Section		Number of Requests	Section	Number of Requests	Section	Number of Requests	Section	Number of Requests
13(1)(a)		17	16(2)	61	18(a)	2	20.1	0
13(1)(b)		5	16(2)(a)	0	18(b)	14	20.2	0
13(1)(c)		21	16(2)(b)	0	18(c)	1	20.4	0
13(1)(d)		3	16(2)(c)	6	18(d)	6	21(1)(a)	346
13(1)(e)		1	16(3)	0	18.1(1)(a)	0	21(1)(b)	251
14		125	16.1(1)(a)	0	18.1(1)(b)	2	21(1)(c)	42
14(a)		2	16.1(1)(b)	1	18.1(1)(c)	0	21(1)(d)	11
14(b)		0	16.1(1)(c)	0	18.1(1)(d)	0	22	6
15(1)		11	16.1(1)(d)	0	19(1)	133	22.1(1)	0
15(1) - I.A.*		113	16.2(1)	0	20(1)(a)	2	23	61
15(1) - Def.*		0	16.3	0	20(1)(b)	184	23.1	0
15(1) - S.A.*		14	16.4(1)(a)	0	20(1)(b.1)	0	24(1)	7
16(1)(a)(i)		0	16.4(1)(b)	0	20(1)(c)	86	26	1
16(1)(a)(ii)		0	16.5	0	20(1)(d)	17
16(1)(a)(iii)		0	16.6	0
16(1)(b)		2	17	0
16(1)(c)		5
16(1)(d)		0

* I.A.: International Affairs  Def.: Defence of Canada  S.A.: Subversive Activities

4.3 Exclusions

Section		Number of Requests		Section		Number of Requests		Section		Number of Requests
68(a)		7		69(1)		1		69(1)(g) re (a)		162
68(b)		0		69(1)(a)		0		69(1)(g) re (b)		1
68(c)		0		69(1)(b)		0		69(1)(g) re (c)		51
68.1		0		69(1)(c)		1		69(1)(g) re (d)		32
68.2(a)		0		69(1)(d)		10		69(1)(g) re (e)		49
68.2(b)		0		69(1)(e)		20		69(1)(g) re (f)		57
				69(1)(f)		7		69.1(1)		0

4.4  Format of information released

Paper		Electronic					Other
		E-record		Data set	Video	Audio
0		535		0	0	0	0

4.5 Complexity

4.5.1 Relevant pages processed and disclosed for paper and e-record formats

Number of Pages Processed	Number of Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests
58684	38532	679

4.5.2 Relevant pages processed per request disposition for paper and e-record formats by size of requests

Disposition	Less Than 100 Pages Processed		100-500 Pages Processed		501-1000 Pages Processed		1001-5000 Pages Processed		More Than 5000 Pages Processed
	Number of Requests	Pages Processed	Number of Requests	Pages Processed	Number of Requests	Pages Processed	Number of Requests	Pages Processed	Number of Requests	Pages Processed
All disclosed	65	1228	6	1253	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	382	8236	65	15071	8	5622	11	22639	0	0
All exempted	6	41	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	13	177	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	116	112	4	1043	1	533	2	2729	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	582	9794	75	17367	9	6155	13	25368	0	0

4.5.3 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for audio formats

Number of Minutes Processed	Number of Minutes Disclosed	Number of Requests
0	0	0

4.5.4 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for audio formats by size of requests

Disposition	Less Than 60 Minutes Processed		60 - 120 Minutes Processed		More than 120 Minutes Processed
	Number of Requests	Minutes Processed	Number of Requests	Minutes Processed	Number of Requests	Minutes Processed
All disclosed		0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part		0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0

4.5.5 Relevant minutes processed and disclosed for video formats

Number of Minutes Processed	Number of Minutes Disclosed	Number of Requests
0	0	0

4.5.6 Relevant minutes processed per request disposition for video formats by size of requests

Disposition	Less Than 60 Minutes Processed		60 - 120 Minutes Processed		More than 120 Minutes Processed
	Number of Requests	Minutes Processed	Number of Requests	Minutes Processed	Number of Requests	Minutes Processed
All disclosed	0	0	0	0	0	0
Disclosed in part	0	0	0	0	0	0
All exempted	0	0	0	0	0	0
All excluded	0	0	0	0	0	0
Request abandoned	0	0	0	0	0	0
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0	0	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0

4.5.7 Other complexities

Disposition	Consultation Required	Legal Advice Sought	Other	Total
All disclosed	15	0	0	15
Disclosed in part	246	0	0	246
All exempted	3	0	0	3
All excluded	3	0	0	3
Request abandoned	15	0	0	15
Neither confirmed nor denied	0	0	0	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	0	0	0
Total	282	0	0	282

4.6 Closed requests

4.6.1  Requests closed within legislated timelines

Number of requests closed within legislated timelines	665
Percentage of requests closed within legislated timelines (%)	89.14209115

4.7 Deemed refusals

4.7.1 Reasons for not meeting legislated timelines

Number of requests closed past the legislated timelines	Principal Reason
	Interference with operations/ Workload	External Consultation	Internal Consultation	Other
81	25	19	37	0

4.7.2 Requests closed beyond legislated timelines (including any extension taken)

Number of days past legislated timelines	Number of requests past legislated timeline where no extension was taken	Number of requests past legislated timeline where an extension was taken	Total
1 to 15 days	2	0	2
16 to 30 days	1	3	4
31 to 60 days	2	4	6
61 to 120 days	1	5	6
121  to 180 days	1	3	4
181 to 365 days	5	9	14
More than 365 days	23	22	45
Total	35	46	81

4.8  Requests for translation

Translation Requests	Accepted	Refused	Total
English to French	0	0	0
French to English	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0

Section 5: Extensions

5.1 Reasons for extensions and disposition of requests

Disposition of Requests Where an Extension Was Taken	9(1)(a) Interference With Operations/ Workload	9(1)(b) Consultation		9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
		Section 69	Other
All disclosed	1	0	12	3
Disclosed in part	30	99	183	54
All exempted	0	2	3	0
All excluded	0	2	1	0
Request abandoned	19	3	8	18
No records exist	0	0	1	0
Declined to act with the approval of the Information Commissioner	0	0	0	0
Total	50	106	208	75

5.2 Length of extensions

Length of Extensions	9(1)(a) Interference With Operations/ Workload	9(1)(b) Consultation		9(1)(c) Third-Party Notice
		Section 69	Other
30 days or less	15	5	42	22
31 to 60 days	7	77	56	44
61 to 120 days	26	16	60	7
121 to 180 days	2	5	38	1
181 to 365 days	0	3	12	1
365 days or more	0	0	0	0
Total	50	106	208	75

Section 6: Fees

Fee Type	Fee Collected		Fee Waived		Fee Refunded
	Number of Requests	Amount	Number of Requests	Amount	Number of Requests	Amount
Application	306	$1,530.00	257	$1,285.00	0	$0.00
Other fees	0	$0.00	0	$0.00	0	$0.00
Total	306	$1,530.00	257	$1,285.00	0	$0.00

Section 7: Consultations Received From Other Institutions and Organizations

7.1 Consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions and other organizations

Consultations	Other Government of Canada Institutions	Number of Pages to Review	Other Organizations	Number of Pages to Review
Received during the reporting period	146	5177	8	66
Outstanding from the previous reporting period	34	881	1	805
Total	180	6058	9	871
Closed during the reporting period	152	5315	9	871
Carried over within negotiated timelines	11	459	0	0
Carried over beyond negotiated timelines	17	284	0	0

7.2 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other Government of Canada institutions

Recommendation	Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests
	1 to 15 Days	16 to 30 Days	31 to 60 Days	61 to 120 Days	121  to 180 Days	181 to 365 Days	More Than 365 Days	Total
Disclose entirely	25	46	18	0	0	1	5	95
Disclose in part	3	19	18	2	0	2	2	46
Exempt entirely	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1
Exclude entirely	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
Consult other institution	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	3
Other	3	0	1	0	0	1	2	6
Total	33	66	37	3	0	4	9	152

7.3 Recommendations and completion time for consultations received from other organizations outside the Government of Canada

Recommendation	Number of Days Required to Complete Consultation Requests
	1 to 15 Days	16 to 30 Days	31 to 60 Days	61 to 120 Days	121 to 180 Days	181 to 365 Days	More Than 365 Days	Total
Disclose entirely	1	3	2	0	0	0	0	6
Disclose in part	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2
Exempt entirely	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Exclude entirely	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1
Consult other institution	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Other	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	2	4	2	1	0	0	0	9

Section 8: Completion Time of Consultations on Cabinet Confidences

8.1 Requests with Legal Services

Number of Days	Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed		100-500 Pages Processed		501-1000 Pages Processed		1001-5000 Pages Processed		More Than 5000 Pages Processed
	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed
1 to 15	47	489	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30	70	1368	3	93	1	132	0	0	0	0
31 to 60	19	173	2	148	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120	4	15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365	1	20	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365	3	31	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	144	2096	5	241	1	132	0	0	0	0

8.2 Requests with Privy Council Office

Number of Days	Fewer Than 100 Pages Processed		100‒500 Pages Processed		501-1000 Pages Processed		1001-5000 Pages Processed		More Than 5000 Pages Processed
	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed	Number of Requests	Pages Disclosed
1 to 15	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
16 to 30	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
31 to 60	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
61 to 120	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
121 to 180	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
181 to 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
More than 365	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Section 9: Investigations and Reports of finding

9.1 Investigations

Section 32 Notice of intention to investigate	Subsection 30(5) Ceased to investigate	Section 35 Formal Representations
19	14	1

9.2 Investigations and Reports of finding

Section 37(1) Initial Reports			Section 37(2) Final Reports
Received	Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner	Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner	Received	Containing recommendations issued by the Information Commissioner	Containing orders issued by the Information Commissioner
1	0	1	13	0	1

Section 10: Court Action

10.1 Court actions on complaints

Section 41

Complainant (1)		Institution (2)		Third Party (3)		Privacy Commissioner (4)				Total
0		0		0		0				0

10.2 Court actions on third party notifications under paragraph 28(1)(b)

Section 44 - under paragraph 28(1)(b)
0

Section 11: Resources Related to the Access to Information Act

11.1 Allocated Costs

Expenditures		Amount
Salaries		$911,104
Overtime		$0
Goods and Services		$534,873
Professional services contracts	$528,206
Other	$6,667
Total		$1,445,977

11.2  Human Resources

Resources	Person Years Dedicated to Access to Information Activities
Full-time employees	10.122
Part-time and casual employees	0.955
Regional staff	0.000
Consultants and agency personnel	2.568
Students	0.019
Total	13.664

Note: Enter values to three decimal places.

Appendix C: Supplemental Statistical Report

Supplemental Statistical Report on the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Name of institution: Natural Resources Canada
Reporting period: 2022-04-01 to 2023-03-31

Section 1: Capacity to Receive Requests under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

Enter the number of weeks your institution was able to receive ATIP requests through the different channels.

	Number of Weeks
Able to receive requests by mail	52
Able to receive requests by email	52
Able to receive requests through the digital request service	52

Section 2: Capacity to Process Records under the Access to Information Act and the Privacy Act

2.1 Enter the number of weeks your institution was able to process paper records in different classification levels.

  

	No Capacity	Partial Capacity	Full Capacity	Total
Unclassified Paper Records	0	0	52	52
Protected B Paper Records	0	0	52	52
Secret and Top Secret Paper Records	0	0	52	52

2.2 Enter the number of weeks your institution was able to process electronic records in different classification levels.

  

	No Capacity	Partial Capacity	Full Capacity	Total
Unclassified Electronic Records	0	0	52	52
Protected B Electronic Records	0	0	52	52
Secret and Top Secret Electronic Records	0	0	52	52

Section 3: Open Requests and Complaints Under the Access to Information Act

3.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal Year Open Requests Were Received	Open Requests that are Within Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2023	Open Requests that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2023	Total
Received in 2022-2023	105	16	121
Received in 2021-2022	68	27	95
Received in 2020-2021	16	24	40
Received in 2019-2020	28	15	43
Received in 2018-2019	1	14	15
Received in 2017-2018	0	7	7
Received in 2016-2017	0	3	3
Received in 2015-2016	0	0	0
Received in 2014-2015	0	0	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0	0	0
Total	218	106	324

3.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the Information Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal Year Open Complaints Were Received by Institution	Number of Open Complaints
Received in 2022-2023	12
Received in 2021-2022	1
Received in 2020-2021	0
Received in 2019-2020	1
Received in 2018-2019	0
Received in 2017-2018	0
Received in 2016-2017	0
Received in 2015-2016	0
Received in 2014-2015	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	2
Total	16

Section 4: Open Requests and Complaints Under the Privacy Act

4.1 Enter the number of open requests that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal Year Open Requests Were Received	Open Requests that are Within Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2023	Open Requests that are Beyond Legislated Timelines as of March 31, 2023	Total
Received in 2022-2023	2	1	3
Received in 2021-2022	0	0	0
Received in 2020-2021	0	0	0
Received in 2019-2020	0	0	0
Received in 2018-2019	0	0	0
Received in 2017-2018	0	0	0
Received in 2016-2017	0	0	0
Received in 2015-2016	0	0	0
Received in 2014-2015	0	0	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0	0	0
Total	2	1	3

4.2 Enter the number of open complaints with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada that are outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Fiscal Year Open Complaints Were Received by Institution	Number of Open Complaints
Received in 2022-2023	0
Received in 2021-2022	0
Received in 2020-2021	0
Received in 2019-2020	0
Received in 2018-2019	0
Received in 2017-2018	0
Received in 2016-2017	0
Received in 2015-2016	0
Received in 2014-2015	0
Received in 2013-2014 or earlier	0
Total	0

Section 5: Social Insurance Number (SIN)

Has your institution begun a new collection or a new consistent use of the SIN in 2022-2023?	Yes

Section 6: Universal Access under the Privacy Act

How many requests were received from confirmed foreign nationals outside of Canada in 2022-2023?	0