Last week, the Public Access Ombudsman published an Appendix to the Annual Report of the Public Information Act Compliance Board (PIACB). 

The report details the actions of the Ombudsman including outreach and training to record custodians. Also included are statistics on record request disputes including length of time to close mediation, information on requestors, and type of dispute.  The report also addresses the impact of COVID-19 on the Ombudsman’s activities.

From Appendix C of the report:

While most agencies have continued to process PIA requests during the covid-19 public health crisis, the additional duties and needs created by the pandemic combined with staffing and operational limitations affecting many agencies have had the overall effect of slowing the PIA response process as well as the Ombudsman’s ability to handle mediation matters. Apart from the impacts of the covid crisis, the Ombudsman’s caseload has remained largely consistent in many respects with program experience in prior years. For example, the Ombudsman has continued to receive requests for assistance from a wide variety of requestors and from agencies concerning a wide range of issues.

For more information visit the Ombudsman’s website.