Open by default in Stratford

New bylaw passes first reading to prepare for FOIPP changes

Freedom of information legislation will apply to P.E.I. municipalities on April 1, and the Town of Stratford is taking early action to increase transparency.

Stratford council passed first reading of an open government bylaw on Feb. 20.

The bylaw proposes open access to town data, with committee agendas to be posted on the town’s website three days in advance.

If the bylaw passes at the March 14 council meeting, a litany of information will be made available within six months: approved financial plans and statements; assessment information; compensation and expenses paid out to each councillor; strategic plans and auditor reports.

Stratford Mayor Steve Ogden says the open by default strategy aims to release as much information as possible, including some data that doesn’t have to be disclosed under the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection Act (FOIPP).

“We’re going to make as much information public as possible, I guess, is the bottom line. We’re going to look on a case-by-case basis at what we can release.”

Data that contains personal information or proprietary information about third parties will not be disclosed.

Committee meetings will be open to the public, and residents can submit a request for decision (RFD) on a particular issue, which will then be discussed in committee. The bylaw also allows members of the public to submit comments that add value to discussion of a particular item, Ogden said.

“Somebody might see something on there to do with planning and if they have expertise or something to add to the discussion, we can be aware of it.”

Ogden is concerned about the resource cost of moving to a new system. Employees may find themselves with a bigger workload in responding to requests for data.

“That’s sort of the wild card,” he said. “It depends how many people ask for information and how much work it is to make that information available.”

On the other hand, it’s easier to direct people to a website than to produce the materials for them, Ogden said.

According to the bylaw document, it also aims to get residents more engaged in decision-making and make more evidencebased decisions. It says it follows open data principles adopted by the provincial and federal governments.

Once the bylaw passes third reading, there will be no looking back, Ogden said.

“There might be an expectation or a request to go back (to the old system), which we won’t be able to do, based on our current resources.”