Saskatchewan police departments to come under FOI legislation

Police departments in Saskatchewan could soon be subject to freedom of information requests under legislative amendments introduced by the government.

The proposed amendments to Saskatchewan's FOI and privacy laws received first reading in the Legislature on Monday.

Among the proposed changes is an extension of existing FOI legislation to include police services.
That will put Saskatchewan in line with most other provinces (the remaining exception being P.E.I).

Other changes include:

• anti-snooping provisions to prevent people from accessing personal information they're not supposed to be looking at.
• increasing penalties for violating the legislation.

In a news release, the government said it will work with police departments and others to implement the changes and develop regulations before the amendments come into force in 2017.