Saskatchewan Commissioner calls for improvements to privacy and access

The Information and Privacy Commissioner in Saskatchewan has released his annual report for 2006-2007. From the press release:

NEWS RELEASE – July 4, 2007
Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner tables 2006-2007
Annual Report.
Saskatchewan’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Mr. Gary Dickson, has submitted his
Annual Report for 2006-2007 to the Legislative Assembly. The document is available at the
website: www.oipc.sk.ca.
Dickson commented on a number of improvements in terms of compliance by Saskatchewan
public bodies with access and privacy requirements. He made recommendations to the
Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly as to how the province can do an even better job. This
includes:
An open letter from the Premier to each of his Ministers stressing the importance of
compliance with our access and privacy laws.
Making each Deputy Minister explicitly responsible for ensuring that his or her
Department fully complies with our access and privacy laws.
The need for Ministers, CEOs of Crown corporations and local authorities to provide
clear direction and explicit support to the FOIP (access and privacy) Coordinators in
each of their organizations.
Commissioner Dickson discussed a worrisome trend in the introduction of new laws and
regulations that diminish the information rights of Saskatchewan residents.
Dickson’s report includes 9 proposed steps for the Saskatchewan Government that would
promote excellence in meeting access and privacy requirements.