Access to Information Act
Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
Annual Report to Parliament
April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2025

The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS) is pleased to present to Parliament its annual report on the administration of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) for the fiscal year commencing April 1, 2024 and ending March 31, 2025.

The purpose of the Access to Information Act (ATIA) is to provide a right of access to information in records under the control of a government institution. The ATIA maintains that government information should be available to the public; that necessary exceptions to the right of access should be limited and specific; and that decisions on the disclosure of government information should be reviewed independently of government.

This report is prepared in accordance with Section 94 of the Access to Information Act which requires that the head of every federal government institution submit an annual report to Parliament on the administration of the ATIA and related fees during the fiscal year. This report outlines CCOHS’ accomplishments in carrying out its access to information responsibilities and obligations during the 2024-25 reporting period.

CCOHS is Canada's trusted source for the advancement of workplace health and safety. Created by Parliament in April 1978, CCOHS promotes the right of workers in Canada to a healthy and safe working environment. CCOHS is governed by a tripartite council representing governments (federal, provincial and territorial), employers, and labour. It is a departmental corporation under Schedule II of the Financial Administration Act and is accountable to Parliament through the Minister of Jobs and Families and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario. CCOHS is subject to the Access to Information Act and Privacy Act.

More information about CCOHS is available on its website.

As CCOHS is a small department with very few requests, minimal time is spent administering the ATIA. The President and Chief Executive Officer (PCEO) directly manages all requests, supported by the Corporate Secretary. Proactive publication under Part 2 of the ATIA is managed by the PCEO, with support from the Corporate Secretary and the Finance Department. For a breakdown of the group(s) and/or position(s) responsible for meeting each applicable proactive publication requirement under Part 2 of the Access to Information Act, see the section “Proactive Publication under Part 2 of the ATIA”, below.

Under Section 96 of the Access to Information Act, institutions within the same ministerial portfolio can work together to process requests. CCOHS was not party to any service agreements with other government departments related to access to information during the reporting period.

Section 95(1) of the Access to Information Act empowers the head of the institution to delegate any of the powers, duties or functions assigned to them to employees of the institution. During the current reporting period, the responsibilities under the ATIA were administered by the PCEO. Some responsibilities were delegated to the Corporate Secretary.

A signed and dated copy of the Delegation Order can be found in Annex A.

The following section provides key statistics and analysis of CCOHS’ accomplishments in the past 5 fiscal years.

CCOHS received two formal Access to Information requests during 2024-25, both of which were closed within legislated timelines (1-30 days). One request resulted in no records being released as there were no records related to the request. The other request was disclosed in part, resulting in 334 pages being released, and some information was withheld as it contained personal information.

CCOHS received nine informal requests during 2024-25. No new information was released, and 16,953 pages were re-released.

There were no active requests at the end of the reporting period. No active requests were outstanding from previous reporting periods.

Table 1: Number of requests received and completed

Table 1 shows the total number of requests received and completed, as well as the percentage of requests completed within legislated timelines, for the past five fiscal years.

The Access to Information Act allows, and in some instances requires, information to be exempted and withheld. In 2024-25, one request had information withheld under the mandatory exemption of personal information (section 19 of the ATIA).

The Access to Information Act also allows for the exclusion of certain types of information from its application, specifically records that are already available to the public (section 68) and confidences of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada (section 69), which require consultation with the Department of Justice. No exclusions were applied to any information contained in records for completed requests during the previous five fiscal years.

In 2024-25, CCOHS received two consultation requests from other Government of Canada institutions. Both requests were closed within 30 days, and a total of 207 pages were reviewed.

There were no active complaints at the end of the fiscal year.

In 2024-25, CCOHS continued to build on its mandatory training for employees to raise awareness of obligations under the Access to Information Act. All managers, leadership team members, and human resources team members were required to complete a mandatory online training course. This course will be mandatory for all new managers and leadership team members in the future.

CCOHS did not implement any new policies, guidelines, or procedures in 2024-25.

Table 2: Proactive Publication Requirements and Compliance Rates

Table 2 lists the sections of Part 2 of the ATIA that CCOHS is responsible for and compliance rates for 2024-25.

CCOHS implemented internal processes and tracking to ensure that all proactive publication requirements are met. The Finance Department is responsible for the proactive publication of travel and hospitality expenses, as well as contracts over $10,000. All required information was published on open.Canada.ca in 2024-25, however the compliance rates reflect that some information was posted late. CCOHS has reviewed these compliance rates and is adjusting processes for the next year.

The Corporate Secretary is responsible for the proactive publication of reports tabled in parliament. Reports are published on the CCOHS Website for approximately 3 years. Reports are also made available on open.Canada.ca where they will be retained for a minimum of 10 years.

CCOHS does not have a mandate to provide grants or contributions, therefore there are no records to disclose related to this requirement.

As a small department, CCOHS does not often prepare briefing materials for memoranda for a deputy head or equivalent. There were no documents related to this requirement in this reporting period.

CCOHS did not implement any initiatives to improve access to information within the institution during the reporting period.

Individuals are entitled under the Access to Information Act to file a complaint related to their request for a record with the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC). No complaints were received during the reporting period.

Due to the low volume of requests received, CCOHS does not have an automated tracking system monitor requests. Instead, a manual record is used to track the progress of each request which is monitored by the PCEO and the Corporate Secretary. Monitoring is ongoing as requests are processed.

CCOHS includes standard language in many of its contracts and terms and conditions that highlight the application of the Access to Information Act. CCOHS is not part of any information sharing agreements or arrangements in the reporting period.

CCOHS also monitors the accuracy and completeness of proactively published information through internal review and a manual tracking system maintained by the Corporate Secretary.The PCEO and Vice President, Finance are informed of all publications.

Access to Information Act and Privacy Act Delegation Order

The President and CEO of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, pursuant to section 73 of the Access to Information Act and section 73 of the Privacy Act, hereby designates the persons holding the positions set out in the schedule hereto, or the persons occupying on an acting basis those positions, to exercise the powers, duties and functions of the Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator of the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, under the provisions of the Act and related regulations set out in the schedule opposite each position. This designation replaces all previous delegation orders.

Schedule