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Report 22 - Access to Information Review Task Force
SURVEY OF ACCESS TO INFORMATION UNITS
IN GOVERNMENT INSTITUTIONS
ANNEX 7
| 6) To assess the ATI staff’s position within the given
institutions Question 6.1- What is the delegation
of authority in place within your department or agency for the processing
of access requests? |
The Deputy head signs off on all requests that are deemed high visibility while the ADM(s) of the branch(es) involved sign(s) off on all other requests. The Deputy head and ADMs have signing authority for all exemptions and exclusions with the exception of section 19(1). The signing authority for section 19(1) is delegated to the ATI Coordinator. The ATI Coordinator has been delegated authority over all other sections of the Act with the exception of section 22 that is delegated to the President.
DELEGATION for release: Senior ATI Officers (PM-5)
DELEGATION for exemptions: most (except s. 14) Senior ATI Officers
DELEGATION for section 14: ATI Coordinator (PM-6)
The Corporate Secretary and the ATI Coordinator have the signing authority
for all sections of the Act.
The scope of instrument of delegation signed by the Minister covers the
Deputy Minister, Assistant Deputy Minister, Directors Generals, the ATI
Coordinator and ATI managers.
The Deputy Minister has full delegation. The Assistant Deputy Minister
and Director General of the branch which includes ATI plus the ATI Coordinator
also have full delegation. ATI managers have full delegation except for
Section 14, 15, 16(1)(2)(3), 17, 18, 20 to 23 inclusive, 25 to 29 inclusive
33,43,44 and 71.
Sections 6, 8, 9, 11 and 27 are delegated to the Head Advisor and Senior
Officers while delegation for all other sections are given to the Corporate
Secretary, ATI Coordinator and Deputy Coordinator.
The Director, Departmental Secretariat, and the departmental Access to
Information and Privacy Coordinator have been delegated full responsibility
for all sections of the Access to Information Act. In order to expedite
matters, all ATI Advisors have been delegated the authority to accept
and extend requests. They can also transfer requests to an institution
of greater interest, charge fees to requesters and give notice of consultations
to any third parties, as per sections 6, 8, 9, 11 and 27 of the Act.
The ATI Coordinator has been delegated authority for administrative functions.
The approval of exemptions is delegated to the Senior Assistant Deputy
Minister and the Deputy Minister.
Sections 13 through 20(1), 20(6) through 24, 26, 71(1) and 71(2) are delegated
to the Deputy Minister and Group Heads while delegation for all other
sections is given to the ATI Coordinator.
The Coordinator has delegation over the day to day administrative functions and to respond to no records responses. The coordinator also has delegation over sections 8(1), 9 to 12(2), 27(1), 28(1) to 33, 43, 44(2) of the Act.
The DM, Senior Associate DM, DM have delegation over sections 7, 13 to 26, 29(1) 37(4), 69 and 71(2) of the Act.
The ATI Director has full authority delegated by the Minister for the administration of the Access to Information Act.
The ATI Coordinator, the Deputy Coordinator, the ADM Finance and the Deputy
Minister all have full delegation under the Act. The three ATI team leaders
have authority to respond to no records responses and sections 9, 11,
27, and 28.
| Question 6.2- Where is the ATI unit or office located within
the organization chart of your department or agency? Question
6.3 - How many steps separate the ATI unit or office from senior
management (ADM and DM) within your department or agency? |
President – VP Public Affairs – Director of Parliament and Cabinet Affairs – Coordinator ATI
The Director, Public Rights Administration (ATI) reports to the DG Executive Services who reports to the ADM Corporate Services who reports to the DM and Associate DM.
The ATI unit reports to the Corporate Secretary, who reports to the President
who reports to the Minister.
The ATI Division reports to a Director General who reports to an Assistant
Deputy Minister. However, the ATI Director has a functional reporting
relationship to the Assistant Deputy Minister.
The ATI unit reports to the Corporate Secretary, who reports to the Deputy
Minister who reports to the Minister.
The ATI Director reports to the Director General, Administration Services
who reports to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Administration and Financial
Services who reports to the Deputy Minister.
It is part of Coordination and Liaison, which is part of the Strategic
Operations Directorate. The Director General, Strategic Operations, reports
directly to the Deputy Minister.
The ATI Coordinator reports to the Director General, Executive Services
who reports to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services who report
to the Deputy Minister.
The ATI Director reports directly to the Director General who reports
to the Assistant Deputy Minister.
The ATI Coordinator reports to the ADM of Law who in turn reports to the
Deputy Minister.
The ATI Office reports directly to the Assistant Deputy Minister of Corporate
Services, who in turn reports to the Deputy Minister.
The ATI Coordinator reports to the ADM Finance, who reports to the Deputy Minister, who reports to the Minister.
The ATI Coordinator reports directly to the ADM Finance and therefore there are no steps that separate the ATI unit from senior management.
| Question 6.4 - What are the position titles, job classifications and levels of the ATI coordinator, ATI analysts and ATI support staff? |
ATI Coordinator – PM6 (1)
Senior ATI Analysts – PM4 (2)
Junior ATI Analysts – PM2 (2)
ATI Coordinator and Director – EX-1
ATI Analysts:
1) Senior Public Rights Administrators (PM-5)
2) Public Rights Analysts (PM-3)
3) Public Rights Officers (PM-2, PM-1)
ATI Support:
1) Public Rights Support Specialists (CR-4)
ATI Coordinator – AS 7
Senior ATI Advisor – PM 4
ATI Advisor – PM 3
ATI Analyst – PM 2
Assistant – CR 5
ATI Director PM6
ATI Manager PM5
ATI Senior Consultants PM4
ATI Consultants PM3
ATI Processing Officers PM1
ATI Clerk CR4
ATI Coordinator – AS 8
Deputy Coordinator – PM 6
Head Advisor – PM 5
ATI Advisor – PM 4
ATI Analyst – PM 3
ATI Officer – PM 2
Project Manager – PM 3
Request Administrator – AS 2
ATI Clerk – CR 4
Director ATI - EX1
Team Leader - PM 5
ATI Analysts - PM 3
Chief Policy - PM 2
Support Staff - AS 1, CR 3 or 4
Head ATI Unit – PM6
ATI Analysts – PM3
Administrative Officer – AS1
ATI Coordinator – PM 6
ATI Advisors – PM 4
Clerical staff – CR 4
Director - EX-1
Team leaders–PM-5
Analysts-PM-3
Support staff varies from AS-1 to CR-4
ATI Coordinator – EX-1
ATI Analysts – PM 4
ATI Junior Analysts – PM 2
Administration Staff – CR 5
ATI Director, EX 1
Counsel, LA 2
Senior ATI Advisor, PM 4
ATI Advisor, PM 4
ATI Analyst, PM 2
Processing Assistant, CR 5
ATI Coordinator – EX1
Deputy Coordinator – PM 6
Team Leaders – PM 5
Senior analysts – PM 4
Analysts – PM 3 & PM 2
Policy and training Team leader – PM 5
Communications Advisor – IS 4
Administrative personnel – CR 3 and CR 4
| Question 6.5 - Without naming individuals specifically, what are the professional origins and the typical career paths of ATI analysts working in your department or agency? When ATI analysts leave your unit, what type of position do they usually move to? (Example: ATI in another department, administration, etc.) |
The ATI office has only been in existence for a little over a year now. The senior and junior analysts had prior ATI experience in other departments or agencies.
Typically, ATI analysts have had previous departmental experience in administration or delivery of programs. Some of the PM-5 officers have legal training and experience, while others worked in regional or NHQ programs. A few staff came with previous ATI experience obtained in other departments, but they are the exception rather than the norm. As 85% of our requests relate directly to client files, a strong knowledge of the program aids the officers considerably in understanding the meaning of the records.
Movement from the ATI area in the past year has been principally to other ATI offices in government or in areas related to ATI. A few staff moved on to operational or administrative functions within the department or with other departments.
Only 1 in recent years has come from an ATI background, all others have
come from within the institution. They were executive assistants or program
managers. This institution has retained the services of an ATI consultant
to aid with volume.
The majority of staff consists of individuals who have come to ATI from a variety of operational areas. Smaller portions of staff members have come from entities external to our organization.
Staff who leave the division usually move to another ATI unit of a department/agency, to the office of the Information Commissioner, or to a headquarters or operational area of the institution.
A total seven- (7) people have come to the ATI Unit from outside the ATI
community. They come from positions in Security, Records Management, claims
and government programs. Some used to be Sector/Region Liaison Officer
before coming to ATI. Those who are no longer with the ATI Unit have gone
on to other departments to work in ATI, have retired or have left the
field altogether.
Most of the ATI staff comes from departmental programs or from ATI offices in other departments or agencies. Those who leave our ATI office, leave to pursue promotions to PM4 positions in other departments' ATI offices or to one of the Commissioners’ offices.
Past work has been in ministerial correspondence and administrative work. Those that leave tend to continue in the ATI field.
ATI staff is recruited from other ATI sections in other institutions and
from program staff within the department. These tend to be program officers.
All of the Analysts that we have hired are just starting in the field of access to information and privacy. The ones that have left have mainly stayed in ATI and have become investigators with the Privacy Commissioner or they have been offered higher paying opportunities in ATI shops in other departments.
A number of analysts have recently been hired, most having a university degree, which may indicate that the entry level at PM-3 is interesting and/or more people are interested in ATI.
This department’s staffing has been fairly stable over the years.
Most of the incoming staff is home grown, coming from within the department.
Most were program officers or administrative staff. As mentioned, staffing
has been stable and therefore not too many individuals have left the department.
Advisors have various professional backgrounds. In the past two years,
one advisor relocated to another city, one was deployed to the ATI of
another department (higher classification), and one accepted a position
as an investigator with the Office of the Information Commissioner.
This institution has gone to great lengths to fill its personnel needs
by recruiting capable individuals that may not have prior ATI experience.
In the past, this institution relied heavily on the services of consultants
and while they still do use the services of consultants, their roles are
limited to specific files and for determined periods of time. This new
philosophy has enabled ATI clerical staff to compete for analyst positions.
It should be noted that in the past, this institution had difficulty in
keeping its employees because they would take positions in ATI shops in
other departments however, over the past 12 months, staffing has been
very stable. Current ATI staff has come from ATI shops in other departments,
they were grievance officers, program officers, and one from the private
sector.
| Question 6.6 – What is the professional origin and typical career path of the present and past ATI coordinators occupying or having occupied this position within your department or agency? **Please note that the information provided will be depersonalized with no link to a specific department or agency in the reporting stage of this project** |
None of the ATI Coordinators in this institution have been “career
path ATI practitioners” since 1995.
Recent Coordinators have come from managerial positions in the correspondence unit, from the Parliamentary Relations office and a liaison officer with the Minister’s Office. Two of these individuals have moved on to other positions outside of the ATI community.
Past coordinators’ professional origins: two unknown, one who worked in ATI at another institution. Two moved on to jobs in another program branch within the institution (one has since left for another department (position unknown). One was journalist prior to joining government.
Coordinators have had various professional backgrounds.
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