Board spent over $7,000 on freedom of information appeal

The Hamilton Wentworth District School Board spent more than $7,000 fighting a Dundas Star News information request for details of rejected bids on two surplus Dundas Schools. Even though the school board said it is not legally obligated to release the information, and that its legal counsel does not break down time spent on specific freedom of information appeals, the board stated in a press relsease this week it asked its lawyers to estimate the fees for the particular appeal by reviewing their own records, notes, accounting databases, hourly time dockets and hourly rates.

“Accordingly, the board’s legal counsel has advised that legal expenses incurred as a result of (the) request….totaled an estimated $7,360 for the period of Aug. 1, 2008 to May 15, 2009,” according to a school board statement issued Nov. 9.

The board released this information just as the Dundas Star Newsappeal was to be referred to adjudication, meaning no official decision on the board’s original rejection of the request was made.

At the adjudication stage, the main issue was expected to be whether or not any specific record of fees exists. The onus would have been on the institution — in this case the school board — to show a reasonable effort was made to identify and locate records that respond to the request.

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