Poorly written Act is at heart of access to information spat, says von Finckenstein

By Perry Hoffman

OTTAWA - There is an easy fix to the ongoing dispute between the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. and the Office of the Information Commissioner of Canada, according to the chair of the CRTC, Konrad von Finckenstein. In an appearance before the House of Commons Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics Committee, von Finckenstein said Parliament just needs to change the Access to Information Act. The former judge and Competition Bureau chief noted the current dispute hinges on a double exemption contained in section 68.1 of the Act. This section of the Act says that CBC’s journalistic, programming and creative activities are...