Access to Information Requests

There are two types of information requests:

1. Personal information – if you are requesting personal information about yourself, such as your employment records with the County, there is no initial fee to apply; however, fees may be charged for copying large volumes of records. For privacy protection and identity verification, you must provide Government-issued photo ID before personal records can be released. Requests about your property are not considered personal information.
2. General Information – if you are requesting general information, like a fire investigation report, an agreement the County signed, a bylaw enforcement matter related to your property, or historical permits and inspections property, there is an initial fee of $25, and in some cases, additional fees may be assessed as set out in Provincial regulations. For property information, please be aware that the records provided to you are historical and may not reflect the current state of a property.

If you cannot to submit your general request online, please print and fill out the General Information request form and mail or deliver to the County with a cheque payment. Please do not mail cash.

County of Grande Prairie No.1

Access and Privacy Officer

10001 - 84 Avenue

Clairmont, AB

T8X 5B2

The Access to Information Act allows anyone to formally request access to any record in the custody or under the control of the County, that is not routinely disclosed or otherwise publicly available. The County recognizes that access to information is a cornerstone of democracy and will take the greatest care in balancing this right of access with the need for protection of privacy as required by law. Information will only be withheld if an exception to disclosure found in the Protection of Privacy Act or the Access to Information Act applies to the request. In that case, you will be advised of the exception to disclosure that was applied to any redacted information.

In order to request records pertaining to unpaid Regional Enforcement violation tickets and ongoing court prosecution records, please contact our Regional Enforcement department directly for their disclosure process: 780-532-9727. Such records are excluded from the scope of the Access to Information Act under Sec. 4(1)m until all phases of the court matter have been settled. Once the violation ticket is paid or the court matter is resolved, then these records can be requested through the Access to Information Act.

The County has 30 business days to respond to your request. However, days spent clarifying the scope of your request or awaiting payment of fees do not count towards the 30-business day deadline.

The County may extend the time allotted by an additional 30 business days if the scope of your request is large or if we need to consult with a third party about the records, or if required to do so based on operational needs. In these cases, you will be notified of a time extension and the reason for it. Any additional time extensions are approved by the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.

Some requests typically take a shorter amount of time, such as property permits and inspections. 

We have an environmental inquiry request process that serves a different purpose and is faster than a formal access request. You can order an environmental inquiry report on a property at the above link, if you are interested in real estate purchase or sale.

The Province of Alberta set the $25 initial fee for requesting general information in Section 13 of the Access to Information Act. Section 7(2) requires payment of the fee before the 30 business day timeline for the request begins.

Payment can be made by credit card online after you fill out the online request form. If making the request by downloadable form, payment can be made by credit card over the phone. Please call the County administration at 780-532-9722 and ask to make an Access to Information request fee payment, and County staff will assist you.

You can also pay in person at the County administration building, or you can mail a cheque for $25 payable to the County of Grande Prairie No.1 and mailed to:

County of Grande Prairie No.1

Access and Privacy Officer

10001 - 84 Avenue

Clairmont, AB T8X 5B2

Provincial Regulation sets out the fees related to Access to Information requests.

Personal Request Fees

Fees for processing personal requests are charged only if the cost of copying the records is more than $10. You will receive a fee estimate for the cost with a chance to decline payment, or pay at least half the cost for the request processing to begin. The balance will have to be paid before the records are released to you.

General Request Fees

Additional fees for general requests are charged only if the cost of processing (i.e. Search time, applying exceptions to disclosure, photocopying) amounts to more than $150. In this case, you will receive a fee estimate with a chance to decline payment, or to continue with the request by paying at least half of the cost estimate before work begins on your request. The balance is due before records are released to you.

For property information, an Access to Information General Request can provide copies of historical property records. These records may no longer represent the current state of the property. An environmental site inquiry report provides an up-to-date report about any outstanding bylaw or Safety Codes violations that the property may have but does not provide a copy of the historical records. An environmental site inquiry report is also faster, typically taking 3 weeks. You can submit an Environmental Site Inquiry Request online.

If you have received records in response to an Access to Information Personal or General request and you notice inaccuracies in your personal information, you have a right to have those records corrected. Please contact the Access and Privacy Officer for details on correcting your personal information.

The County strives for excellence in public information access, transparency, and accountability while protecting privacy as required by law. If you are not satisfied with the service you have received in response to your Access to Information request, please contact the Access and Privacy Officer directly to discuss your concern. If the Officer does not provide an acceptable response, you also have a right to ask for a review of the request service you have received, with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.