Access to information | Protecteur du Citoyen

Access to information

Access to information held by the Québec Ombudsman is governed primarily by the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, the Public Protector Act or the Act respecting the Health and Social Services Ombudsman, as applicable.

Want to request release of personal information, access to a document or correction of personal information?

OR

Principles specific to the Québec Ombudsman

In accordance with section 83 of the Act respecting access to information held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information, anyone whose personal information is held by the Québec Ombudsman has the right to obtain it.

However, sections 24 and 34 of the Public Protector Act and section 35 of the Act respecting the Health and Social Services Ombudsman stipulate that the investigations carried out by the Québec Ombudsman are private and the Québec Ombudsman cannot be compelled to produce a document that contains information obtained by it in the performance of its duties. In other words, the information and documents obtained by the Québec Ombudsman during an investigation are confidential and cannot be accessed, even by the person concerned.

Therefore when someone makes a written request for personal information concerning himself or herself, the person in charge of access conveys only the personal information he or she has the right to release. When the information or documents are held by other public departments or agencies, the applicant must contact the department or agency in question.

Procedure for requesting personal information or for having it corrected:

  1. Applications must be in writing (s. 94 of the Act respecting access to information); 

  2. Applicants must provide proof of their identity (concerned person, heir, estate liquidator, life insurance beneficiary, or holder of parental authority);

  3. Applicants must identify the personal information they wish to obtain, as well as the desired method of consultation—either at the office of the Québec Ombudsman or after receipt of the information by mail;

  4. Applicants may also request a correction to personal information if it is incomplete, inaccurate, or ambiguous (s. 89 of the Act respecting access to information);

  5. Applications for correction may be used to change personal information only, not opinions, conclusions, or recommendations of the Québec Ombudsman.

Procedure for requesting access to documents from the Québec Ombudsman:

  1. Applications may be made verbally or in writing (s. 43, Act respecting access to information); note that only written applications may be reviewed by the Commission d’accès à l’information.

  2. Applications must identify the document(s) for which access is being requested as well as the desired method of consultation—either at the office of the Québec Ombudsman or after receipt of the information by mail.

  3. For institutional documents produced for communication purposes or public release (leaflets, brochures, speeches, annual reports, news releases, etc.), applications may be sent directly to publications@protecteurducitoyen.qc.ca.

Upon receipt of your application for access to documents, or for release or correction of personal information, the officer responsible for access sends an acknowledgement and contacts you with a decision within twenty (20) days, or thirty (30) days if the officer feels that he or she cannot provide a response within 20 days without hindering the normal operations of the Québec Ombudsman. 

The officer responsible for document access is Mr. Hugo Lafontaine. He is mandated to help citizens gain access to information under the Act respecting access to documents held by public bodies and the Protection of personal information.

Hugo Lafontaine
Responsable de l'accès à l'information
Protecteur du citoyen
800, place D'Youville, 19e étage
Québec (Québec)  G1R 3P4 Canada

Phone : 1 800 463-5070
Fax : 1 866 902-7130
Email address : acces@protecteurducitoyen.qc.ca

Distribution of information

The Québec Ombudsman is not subject to the Regulation respecting the distribution of information and the protection of personal information. However, it has voluntarily adopted a policy in keeping with most of the regulation’s provisions, adjusted to reflect its own characteristics as an institution.

In compliance with this policy, various documents are posted on this website, along with information, including the organization chart, the classification Plan (French version only - PDF, 79 KiB), the acts and regulations that the Québec Ombudsman is tasked to apply and the intervention reports whose dissemination is deemed to be in the public interest and which is authorized by law. 

Information concerning contracts

Information about expenses

Travel expenses
The Québec Ombudsman provides services from two locations: its Québec City office and its Montréal office. To carry out investigations, employees are regularly required to travel to different regions of Québec, in particular to health and social services institutions and to correctional facilities.

Official expenses of senior managers
Official expenses or representation costs of senior managers for which they have been reimbursed by the institution upon its receipt of supporting documents. 

Hospitality expenses
Hospitality expenses, in particular, for visits by organization representatives or dignitaries or for official ceremonies. Expenses for activities held pursuant to the policy respecting recognition of retirement, for example.

Training
Costs incurred (cost of registration and instructional material, if any) for the participation of one or several personnel members in a training activity, symposium, or convention. Travel expenses figure in the tables entitled Frais de déplacement du personnel and Frais de déplacement des titulaires d’un emploi supérieur.

Advertising and promotion contracts
Contracts concerning various activities in connection with a publicity strategy that includes strategic thinking, conception, production and media planning as well as promotional activities. These contracts may also involve media buying (print, radio, television, billboards, internet).

Mobile telecommunication contracts
Information about mobile telecommunication contracts (types of equipment, acquisition costs, number of packages, service costs).

Leases for space rental
Information about each lease for space occupied by the Québec Ombudsman.

Indemnities, allowances and annual salaries
Annual salary (information as at March 30 of every year), indemnities and allowances of senior managers (i.e. the Ombudsperson and Deputy Ombudspersons).

Documents sent within the context of an access to information request 

2018

Salaries (PDF, 63 KiB, French version only)

Ad expenses for social media (PDF, 81 KiB)

2019

Access to the Québec Ombudsman’s brief entitled Homelessness in Québec (PDF, 2 MiB, French version only)

Report by the Québec Ombudsman on certain sources of injustice stemming from application of the Automobile Insurance Act and on recommended solutions (PDF, 7,5 MiB, French version only)

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