The Central Coast Regional District (CCRD) is legislated under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to give the public a right to access information and records.
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPP Act) has two main purposes:
Freedom of Information: To make public bodies more open and accountable by providing the public with a legislated right to access government records, and;
Protection of Privacy: To protect your right to personal privacy by prohibiting the unauthorized collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information by public bodies.
How Do I request Information and/or Records from the CCRD?
Routine Records:
Routine records are defined as records that do not contain personal information or confidential information that is not legally releasable under provincial legislation and do not require a formal FOI request. These items are identified in our Routinely Releasable Documents (see link below). Before submitting a formal request, please view the Routinely Releasable Document by clicking on the button below.
Click here for the list of Routinely Releasable Records
Non-Routine (Formal) Records:
A formal written request is required to access records that are not routinely available. Written requests can be submitted to the CCRD via this FOI Form, by emailing FOI@ccrd.ca or by picking up and submitting a paper copy of the FOI Request form available at the CCRD Office.
Please be aware that fees may be charged for the records requested, including a non-refundable application fee of $10. A request to pay the application fee will be sent to all applicants immediately after the FOI request has been deemed valid. A fee estimate will be sent to you detailing the estimated charges at the beginning of this process (see below).
How to Apply for a Request of Records:
- Submit a written request for information:
- Fill out this online form: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy - Request for Access to Record.
- Fill out a paper copy of "Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy - Request for Access to Record" available at the downtown CCRD Bella Coola Office (626 Cliff Street, Bella Coola V0T 1C0).
- Call the CCRD Office at 250-799-5291 to have a staff member submit a form on your behalf if you are not online or unable to fill out the paper copy of the form.
- Upon reviewing the request (routine or non-routine), staff will inform you of the timeline and if fees will be charged (see below).
To help reduce processing time, service fees, and to minimize taxpayer expense, please specify a date range and narrow the scope of your request as much as possible. Keep your request simple, clear, and focused.
How long will my request take?
Local governments have thirty (30) business days to provide the requested information (see FOIPP Act Section 7). There are occasions where your request may be completed sooner or take longer than 30 days. The CCRD will notify you if the request will extend the 30 days timeline.
Will I be Charged Fees for My Request for Information/Records?
As per FOIPP Act Section 75, local governments may charge fees for routine and non-routine document requests. Fees are set by the Province and are outlined in Schedule 1 of the FOIPP Act.
- All Non-Routine Formal Records will be charged a $10 application fee. The application fee is required to be paid prior to processing your request and does not apply if you are requesting your own personal information.
- Should the requester be unable to pay the application fee, the requester may submit a written application to the CCRD Commissioner of FOI (the Chief Administrative Officer as per Bylaw No. 431) providing reasons to waive the fee application.
- The CCRD may charge you a fee to cover the cost of processing your information request and/or printing documents. We will not charge you for the first three hours spent searching for and retrieving the records. Our fees are charged in accordance with Bylaw No. 431 CCRD Administration of FOIPP Act, and Schedule 1 of FOIPP Act. Please see the Provincial fees outlined below.
- The CCRD may require you to pay a deposit prior to processing or providing the requested information.
Will I get everything I asked for?
Depending on what you ask for, you may not get access to all information contained within the records that respond to your request.
The Act includes several specific exemptions to disclosure, which means that, by law, certain types of records and information is to be protected and not made available to the public. Some exemptions are mandatory while others are exercised at the discretion of the FOI Officer (as defined in our Bylaw No. 431) based on the relevant circumstances surrounding the request.
For example, reasons for refusing access to information held by the CCRD are generally related to the protection of:
- Personal privacy;
- Businesses trade secrets or unit pricing;
- Solicitor-client privilege;
- Deliberations of Board and Council Committees that are authorized to be held in the absence of the public (i.e. closed or "in camera" meetings);
- Policy advice, staff recommendations or draft regulations not yet made public;
- Information that may harm a law enforcement matter (this includes bylaw enforcement matters);
- Information that may harm the financial interests of the CCRD or other public body.
If you do not get access to all information you requested, you will be advised of the reasons for the refusal and the provision(s) of the Act on which the refusal is based. The CCRD is not required to create new documents or records for requesters (FOIPP Act Section 6.2.b).
For More Information:
- For more information on the CCRD’s Administration of the FOIPP Act, see CCRD Bylaw No. 431.
- For the CCRD's Policy on Freedom of Information Requests, see Policy A-39 Freedom of Information Request.
- For the full Freedom of Information and Privacy Act, click here.
Province’s FOIPP Act Information Request Fee Schedule:
Schedule of Fees
| Description of Services | Fees |
| For applicants other than commercial applicants: | |
| (a) for locating and retrieving a record | $7.50 per 1/4 hour after the first 3 hours |
| (b) for producing a record manually | $7.50 per 1/4 hour |
| (c) for producing a record from a machine readable record from a server or computer | $7.50 per 1/4 hour for developing a computer program to produce the record |
| (d) for preparing a record for disclosure and handling a record | $7.50 per 1/4 hour |
| (e) for shipping copies | actual costs of shipping method chosen by applicant |
| (f) for copying records (i) floppy disks |
$2 per disk |
| (ii) CDs and DVDs, recordable or rewritable | $4 per disk |
| (iii) computer tapes | $40 per tape, up to 2 400 feet |
| (iv) microfiche | $3 per fiche |
| (v) microfilm duplication | $25 per roll for 16 mm microfilm, $40 per roll for 35 mm microfilm |
| (vi) microfiche or microfilm to paper duplication | $0.50 per page (8.5" x 11") |
| (vii) photographs, colour or black and white | $5 to produce a negative |
| $12 each for 16" x 20" photograph | |
| $9 each for 11" x 14" photograph | |
| $4 each for 8" x 10" photograph | |
| $3 each for 5" x 7" photograph | |
| (viii) photographic print of textual, graphic or cartographic record, black and white | $12.50 each (8" x 10") |
| (ix) dot matrix, ink jet, laser print or photocopy, black and white | $0.25 per page (8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14" or 11" x 17") |
| (x) dot matrix, ink jet, laser print or photocopy, colour | $1.65 per page (8.5" x 11", 8.5" x 14" or 11" x 17") |
| (xi) scanned electronic copy of a paper record | $0.10 per page |
| (xii) photomechanical reproduction of 105 mm cartographic record/plan | $3 each |
| (xiii) slide duplication | $0.95 each |
| (xiv) audio cassette tape (90 minutes or fewer) duplication | $5 per cassette plus $7 per 1/4 hour of recording |
| (xv) video cassette recorder (VHS) tape (120 minutes or fewer) duplication | $5 per cassette plus $7 per 1/4 hour of recording |
| For commercial applicants for each service listed in Item 1 | the actual cost to the public body of providing that service |