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Athabasca County

Access to Information Requests

Athabasca County follows the Alberta Protection of Privacy Act for the collection, use, and disclosure of information in the custody or control of public bodies. Requests for information are processed under the Access to Information Act and related regulations.

Types of Information Requests

This page is currently being updated and new links may be added.

There are two types of information requests that can be made of the County under the Access to Information Act.

Personal Information:

General information:

If you are acting on behalf of someone else or requesting someone else’s information, a Consent to Disclosure of Personal Information to a Third-Party form must be completed by the owner of the personal information and submitted with your request.

Downloaded forms can also be printed, completed and submitted by mail or in person or scanned and emailed with the $25 request fee payment to Athabasca County. See below for fee payment options.

Depending on the type of request, volume of records and other regulations, an additional processing fee may be applied. The County has 30 business days to respond to information requests, although this deadline may be extended in some cases based on operational requirements.

Requesting information and fees

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 Information request form and mail or deliver to the County with a cheque payment. Please do not mail cash.

Athabasca County
3602 – 48 Avenue
Athabasca, AB
T9S 1M8

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.

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.

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. 

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 calling the Athabasca County office at 780-675-2273 and ask to make an Access to Information request fee payment, referring to the Access to Information request number.

You can also pay in person at the County administration building, or you can mail a cheque for $25 payable to Athabasca County and mailed to:

Athabasca County
3602 – 48 Avenue
Athabasca, AB
T9S 1M8

If you notice inaccuracies in County records containing your personal information or your personal information has changed, you have a right to have those records corrected.

Please complete the Correction of Personal Information form and submit it along with supporting documentation, to have your personal information corrected: Personal Information CORRECTION Form

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, please contact the ATI Coordinator directly to discuss your concern: records@athabascacounty.com.

Privacy law requires that a complaint be submitted to the County before contacting the Information and Privacy Commissioner. You can submit your complaint to the County using this form: 

POPA Privacy Correction Request for Review form

The County has 30 business days to respond to your complaint following submitting the form and providing valid identification as required. If the ATI Coordinator does not provide an acceptable response, you also have a right to ask for a review of the service you have received with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.

The County’s Privacy Management Program consists of policies and procedures related to the collection, use, and disclosure of information. 

You can request a copy of our Privacy Management Program by contacting the ATI Coordinator in writing at: records@athabascacounty.com or deliver your request to:

Athabasca County
3602 – 48 Avenue
Athabasca, AB
T9S 1M8

The County has 30 business days to respond to your request. Technical or security related information will be excluded from disclosure in accordance with Protection of Privacy (Ministerial) Regulation Sec 6(4).

Related Links

Access to Information Request Form

Information Correction Form

Third-Party Authorization Form

Access To Information And Privacy Protection Complaint Form

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