Tips for submitting a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request

To help staff process your request efficiently, please remember:

1. Clarify your request

FOI requests must be requests for records, not for general information or answers to questions. Please provide enough detail to staff so they can identify the records you are requesting.

If your request is for general information, please contact the appropriate City department directly. Contact information for City departments and staff can be found in the Contacts section.

2. Be specific

Submit focused requests for faster processing and to reduce the likelihood of fees being incurred (if applicable).
Where possible, include:

• Dates or timeframes
• Subject matter or keywords
• Relevant departments or program areas
• Additional context (e.g., project names or background details)

Before submitting a formal request, you may wish to contact the appropriate department or Legislative Services. Department staff can help identify the types of records that may exist and can assist in clarifying or refining the wording of your request.

3. Is the information already publicly available?

Some information may be available online. Searching the City’s website first may save you time.

4. Does the City have these records?

Submitting your request to the correct public body helps avoid delays. For government and public body roles, as well as local contact information, please refer to our Government Services Guide. A list of common contacts has been provided below for quick reference:

• Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) records: submit through the federal Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) service
  https://atip-aiprp.apps.gc.ca/atip/welcome.do
• Regional District of Nanaimo (RDN) records:
  https://www.rdn.bc.ca/foi
• Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) (for fire investigation reports – the City only processes FOI requests for fire incident reports):
  https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/public-safety/fire-safety/contact-us
• The Province of British Columbia records:
  https://foirequestform.gov.bc.ca/?general=

 5. Understand how FOI works

FOIPPA provides access to existing records in the custody or control of the City (e.g., emails, reports, permits, correspondence). Under FOIPPA, staff processing FOI requests are not required to:

• Conduct research that the applicant can conduct themselves via publicly available resources (e.g., www.nanaimo.ca)
• Answer general questions (e.g., “Why did the City approve this?”)
• Interpret or explain records (e.g., “What does this report mean?”)
• Analyze information or create summaries

6. Submit your request early

Under FOIPPA, public bodies have 30 business days to respond (limited extensions are permitted under specific circumstances). While staff aim to respond as quickly as possible, timelines may vary depending on request volume and complexity.