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In 2021, my investigative-team colleague @tom_cardoso and I got tired of moaning about Canada's broken freedom of information regime. We decided to turn our reporting skills on the system itself. We had higher ambitions than a traditional story: SecretCanada.com
There is a story. There are going to be lots of them in the #SecretCanada series, but first I want to talk about this website the @globeandmail has created, which is unlike anything that exists in the world.
One of the major flaws with Canada's FOI system (the process by which citizens can make formal requests for records held by public institutions) is that no one knows what's already been released. Well, we filed FOIs with more than 450 institutions for every FOI that they received
We filed with departments/ministries, cities, police forces, universities, schools, transit agencies, Crown corporations, hospitals and then created a database where you can search what's been released. And then we make it easy to piggyback on those FOIs. SecretCanada.com
Through the brilliance of @CarysMills @amiham_singh @daniwebb_ @hyfen @yangsun_ys57f @_mingwong_ @renata @mattfrehner @McarthurGreg and others, SecretCanada.com teaches you how to file FOIs and appeal them. It's got sample letters and a letter generator. I'm so proud of it
Tomorrow, I'll take you through the main investigative story, but for now, please go play around on the website. And help us spread the word! When people think of FOI, I think they think of journalists, but the public and businesses are actually the two biggest request groups.
this should be @RenataDAliesio !!
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