FOI & Harrison

Executive Summary

The Real Question: Why Isn’t Council Addressing the Root Cause?

Harrison residents are being told that FOI requests are costly, time consuming, and a burden on staff.

That may be true.

But here is the bigger question Council should be asking:

Why are residents being forced to use FOI so often in the first place?

FOI is not a problem by itself. FOI is a legal tool residents use when basic information is not provided clearly, consistently, or voluntarily.

When public questions are answered directly and records are posted upfront, FOI requests drop. That is how transparency works.

FOI Is a Symptom

FOI volume usually increases when:

• questions are repeatedly not answered

• information is buried, delayed, or hard to access

• documents are not proactively posted

• residents are told “that is a staff matter” even when it affects public policy

• the public is pushed toward FOI instead of being given clear records

In other words, FOI becomes the only remaining option.

What Council Should Be Doing

Council is responsible for governance and public accountability.

That means Council should not be treating FOI as a nuisance, or something to blame residents for.

Council should be asking:

• What questions keep coming up repeatedly?

• What documents are being requested over and over?

• Why are residents not able to get basic answers through normal channels?

• What information could be posted publicly to reduce repeat FOIs?