Master of Business Administration (Financial Services)

The purpose of the FOIPOP Act is twofold:• To make public bodies more open and accountable to the public by providing access toinformation contained in records under the custody or control of the public body. (The Actprovides that certain information is or may be exempted from disclosure).• To protect the privacy of personal information in the records of the public body and toprevent their improper disclosure.As of November 23, 2000 the provisions of the FOIPOP Act are extended to Universities in NovaScotia and specific provisions are included in the Act and regulations which affect the rights of thepublic to access to university information.What is covered under FOIPOP and what is not?The FOIPOP Act allows individuals access to records containing their own personal informationand gives them the right to request corrections to that personal information. In addition, it allowsthe public the right to access university records in the custody and control of the Universitysubject to a limited number of specific exemptions from disclosure which are either mandatory ordiscretionary. Decisions taken by the University to claim an exemption from disclosure are subjectto review by an independent body to ensure there has been compliance with the Act.The Act contains certain specific situations when it does not apply. These include requests formaterial that is already available for purchase by the public or that is already on the public record.Insofar as the Act is in addition to and does not replace existing procedures for access toinformation of records within the University, attempts should be made obtain the informationthrough internal informal procedures rather than by making a formal FOIPOP application. TheFOIPOP Coordinator may be contacted to determine whether university records may bedisclosed without the necessity of a FOIPOP application. The University will be endeavoring tomake as much publically releasable information available as is possible in order to avoid thecomplexity of a FOIPOP application.At Dalhousie University any written FOIPOP application received anywhere on campus will bedirected to the Dalhousie FOIPOP Coordinator who will also be available to answer any inquiriesregarding the application of the FOIPOP Act to Dalhousie University. All inquiries or FOIPOPApplications should be directed to:324