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Access to Information and Privacy Acts

The Access to Information Act (ATIA) gives Canadian citizens the right to access information in federal government records. The Privacy Act (PA) gives citizens the right to access their personal information held by the government. It also protects that information against unauthorized use and disclosure. All information collected by the Canada Council for the Arts is subject to these laws.

How do I request information under the ATIA 
How do I request my personal information under the PA?
How does the Canada Council use and disclose my personal information?
Why does the Canada Council ask for a Social Insurance Number on grant applications?
Principles for Assisting Applicants
What is Info Source?
How can I get more information?

How do I request information under the Access to Information Act (ATIA)

  1. Before you submit a formal ATIA request, contact the Canada Council’s Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) Coordinator informally. The information you’re requesting may already be published or accessible in a public format.
  2. If the information you’re requesting isn’t available in a public format, complete a Request Form or a written request mentioning the act. Describe the information you want and any relevant details to help us find it. 
  3. Send your request to the Council’s ATIP Coordinator. Enclose an application fee of $5.00 payable to the “Canada Council for the Arts.” You may be asked to pay additional fees to help cover processing costs. 

Note: You may not be given complete access to the information requested. For example the ATIA protects information that could be expected to injure private or public interests. The Privacy Act protects specific types of personal information. 

How do I request information under the
Privacy Act (PA)?

  • Submit a precise description of the information you’re requesting in writing to the Council’s ATIP Coordinator. No fee is required.  
  • The PA only allows you to seek access to your own personal information. It does not give you access to personal information about another individual.

How does the Canada Council use and disclose personal information?
The Canada Council receives personal information from people and organizations who apply for grants, members of the committees who assess applications, and many others in the course of its activities. All personal information held by the Council is subject to the ATIP Acts.

The Canada Council may only use personal information for the purposes for which it was originally collected or for uses consistent with that purpose. The following information is protected and can only be disclosed with the individual’s consent:

  • home address
  • telephone number
  • social insurance number
  • gender
  • date of birth
  • written comments about an individual

Once a grant has been approved and the recipient of the prize or grant has been notified in writing, the Council may release the following information without consent:

  • name and location of the individual/organization 
  • amount and purpose of the grant (this may include a summary of the project as well as the expenditures of the grant)

The Canada Council may use this personal information in the following ways:

  • annual reporting of successful applications
  • statistical reporting, studies, issue and trend analysis
  • the Council website’s “Searchable Grant Listing”
  • mailing lists to inform clients and stakeholders of Council news, program updates, publications and other information

Information voluntarily provided by applicants and collected on artists and arts organizations (e.g. artistic practice, language, region, gender, age, and cultural and racial diversity) is used by the Council to advance equal opportunity and access to its programs and services.

Peer assessors
The identity of external peer assessors (individuals who make up the committees that review grant applications) is protected by the ATIP Acts and is not divulged to anyone unless the assessor wishes to be identified.

Once the peer assessor’s term has ended, the names and locations of the members of the peer assessment committees are available upon request. The names of the members who served on committees during one fiscal year are published on the Council's website.

Grant applications
The Canada Council keeps the contents of applications confidential. Peer assessors reviewing the applications must agree to protect the information entrusted to them. They must also keep the deliberations of the committee meetings, and their written assessments and reports confidential.

On a confidential basis, the Council may share information related to applications and awards with officials in other arts funding agencies for program planning and evaluation.

If you’ve submitted a grant application, you may request to review the contents of your file and the artistic assessments pertaining to the application. The full text of the assessments will be released, except for the name of the assessor and any information that might reveal the assessor's identity as well as personal comments made about other individuals.

Notes are generally not taken in peer assessed committee meetings. A peer committee may choose to make comments about a specific application which are conveyed to the applicant concerned through the letter of announcement. In keeping with the Council's policy of confidentiality, the comments are not attributed to individual peer committee members.


Why does the Canada Council ask for a Social Insurance Number on grant applications?
The Canada Council is required by the Income Tax Act to include the individual's Social Insurance Number on the T4As it issues to individuals' grants and services performed.

Principles for Assisting Applicants
In processing your access request under the Access to Information Act, we will:
1. Process your request without regard to your identity.
2. Make a reasonable effort to assist with the request.
3. Inform you as appropriate when your request needs to be clarified.
4. Make reasonable efforts to locate and retrieve the requested records.
5. Apply limited and specific exemptions to the requested records.
6. Provide accurate and complete responses.
7. Provide timely access to the requested information.
8. Provide records in the format and official language requested, as appropriate.
9. Provide an appropriate location within the government institution to examine the requested information.


What is Info Source?
Info Source is a government publication that contains descriptions of programs and classes of documents held by federal institutions, including the Canada Council for the Arts. It is a key reference tool for citizens wishing to exercise their rights under the ATIA and PA Acts. It is available in most public and academic libraries or via the Internet.


How can I get more information?

Contact:
Debbie Stenson
Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator

Canada Council for the Arts
350 Albert Street  P.O. Box 1047
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5V8
Telephone: (613) 566-4414, ext. 4696
Toll free: 1-800-268-5533, ext. 4696
Facsimile (613) 566-4390