FOIPOP Response Rates Among Best in Canada

The Province managed a record-breaking volume of freedom of information requests in 2024-25 and completed 89 per cent of them on time – one of the highest rates in Canada.

The number of requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) Act reached more than 3,800, an increase of 15 per cent from 2023-24. That is the highest number of applications submitted to the government in the 30 years the legislation has been in place.

“Nova Scotians want and deserve to have a government that is responsive, transparent and accountable,” said Jill Balser, Minister of Service Nova Scotia. “The team did an incredible job in being a leader in compliance rates across the country while managing the most requests we have ever received.”

The statistics are included in the 2024-25 annual report of Information Access and Privacy Services, released today, September 22. Other highlights include:

• 80 per cent response rate to FOIPOP requests within 30 days
• more than 426,000 pages of records reviewed
• the largest response to an application was 10,155 pages
• among applicant groups, businesses and private individuals/public filed the highest number of requests.

The report was issued as part of Right to Know Week, an annual event that promotes the public’s right to access government-held information. It runs from September 22 to 28 this year.

The report is available at: https://beta.novascotia.ca/documents/information-access-and-privacy-services-annual-report-2024-2025

Quick Facts:

• the compliance rate takes into account the full set of time deadlines and any extensions under the act
• a cross-Canada jurisdictional scan found Nova Scotia’s compliance rate to be among the highest in the country

Additional Resources:

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/freedom%20of%20information%20and%20protection%20of%20privacy.pdf

FOIPOP disclosure website: https://openinformation.novascotia.ca/browse?category=FOI+Requests&sortBy=newest&pageSize=20&page=1

Information Access and Privacy Services’ FOIPOP request website: https://beta.novascotia.ca/apply-access-information-under-freedom-information-and-protection-privacy-foipop-act-form-1