D-0001 · National Defence starts the statutory clock on the day it opens the file
8 September 2026 · Department of National Defence
Obligation. The Access to Information Act counts thirty days from the day the request is received by the institution.
Conduct. A request sent on 29 August 2026 was entered as received on 31 August 2026. The department declined to correct the date and gave its own rule for it: “a file is deemed received when it is entered into our system.”
Why it scores where it does. Reach 2, because the rule is not about one file and applies to every request the department receives. Harm 1, time and a shortened statutory clock. Absence of a remedy 2, because the only route is a complaint to the Information Commissioner, measured in months. Persistence 3, because the department stated the rule in writing and kept it after being told. Total 8, High, 400 dollars, doubled to 800 because the rule reaches everyone the programme serves.
Evidence. Files A-2026-01143, A-2026-01144 and A-2026-01154, and the department’s own written answer. Dates published in the register of requests.
Since. Complaints to the Information Commissioner on 20 September 2026, files 5826-04346, 5826-04347 and 5826-04348; a further complaint on the moved dates of receipt on 29 September 2026.