The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) will soon charge a $10 application fee for all non-personal Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
Whistler council voted unanimously on Sept. 6 to introduce the new fee.
The change to Whistler's FOI bylaw brings it in line with the provincial government, which controversially changed its own system to introduce application fees in November 2021.
The BC NDP government was roundly criticized for the move, with critics saying it unnecessarily moves the province away from its purported goals of increased accountability and transparency.
Whistler’s current FOI bylaw was passed in 1995, and has never been amended. It currently includes fees related to locating and retrieving a record; preparing a record for disclosure; shipping and handling a record; and providing a copy of the record.
The amendment—which council gave first three readings on Sept. 6—also includes some housekeeping items, such as updating the wording in the bylaw to match current titles at the municipal hall.
Read more about Whistler's FOI system here.
