2 Sept 2025
Former Pouce Coupe Mayor claims price village charges for Freedom of Information requests unfair...
The former mayor of Pouce Coupe is taking issue with the village over a pair of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and a lack of transparency.
Lorraine Michetti filed two FOI requests in June. Michetti was looking for information about the footprint of the Northwinds Drug Rehab Centre. The former mayor said she was also inquiring about zoning issues, nearby schools and why neighbours weren’t consulted about the project.
The second FOI was asking the village why there haven’t been any town hall meetings about the project and other issues.
The village asked Michetti for $600 to process the request saying it would take 8 hours of work to complete. Michetti said she knows how the archive system works and if everything has been digitized as it’s supposed to, the amount charged by the village was way too high.
The village then consulted a law firm in Vancouver to help with the request. The former mayor said the legal fees being charged are not fair to village taxpayers.
However, village officials responded by saying, “If there’s no one to process the request due to staffing shortages or workflow issues, we have to use external help.”
The former mayor said there’s more staff in the office now, than when she was there and the population of Pouce Coupe hasn’t grown significantly. Michetti added that transparency is lacking from village officials.
Village officials said that fee estimates can be increased or reduced if the scope of an FOI is expanded or narrowed. In this case, the village dropped the price from $600 to $165.
“Broad requests require time to administer, and the village charges fees per the regulation. Conversely, narrow requests take less time to administer and we’re usually able to turn those around at less cost and a better turnaround time for applicants,” said the village in a statement.
Michetti said that price is still too high as the FOI’s were made on behalf of fellow taxpayers. Michetti has sent a complaint to the BC Privacy Commissioner and expects to hear back within the next 2 weeks.
M. Popove
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