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Bylaw 210: Access to Information

01. Types of Information

  1. The Students’ Union shall approach access to information based on balancing the principles of protection of confidential information and access to public information.
  2. Public information shall be available to all members of the Students’ Union.
  3. Confidential information may be made available to only the following;
    a. members of Students’ Council;
    b. members of the Executive Committee;
    c. members of the Discipline, Interpretation, and Enforcement Board;
    d. such employees of the Students’ Union as the Executive Committee considers appropriate; and
    e. any individuals designated by Students’ Council via the process outlined the Standing Orders of Students’ Council.
  4. A Students’ Union document, record, or file shall be treated as confidential

a. where the Standing Orders of Students’ Council designate the document or record as such
b. where it includes the following information

i. Information that reveals the proceedings of any in-camera portion of a meeting;
ii. Information that could compromise the legal position of the Students’ Union;
iii. Information that could compromise the business competitiveness of the Students’ Union;
iv. Information regarding employment of any Students’ Union employee; or
v. Information regarding any Students’ Union volunteers.

02. Member Request for Public Information

1. A member of the Students’ Union may submit a request for access to specific information by contacting the General Manager of the Students’ Union or their designate.
2. The General Manager or their designate shall respond to the request within one month of the request by either providing access to the public information or explaining why the information is confidential.
3. The Students’ Union may charge a fee to the member requesting the information, not exceeding the cost of the document or record’s retrieval and reproduction.

03. Request for Confidential Information

1. A member of the Students’ Union who may be granted access to confidential information, per section 01.3. may submit a request for access to specific information by contacting the General Manager of the Students’ Union or their designate.
2. The General Manager or their designate shall respond to the request within one month of the request by either providing access to the confidential information or explaining why the information is the information cannot be disclosed
3. The General Manager or their designate may use the following reasons to explain why the information is the information that cannot be disclosed;

a. The requested information is pertinent to only members of a particular committee, to which the requesting member is not a member;
b. The requested information is currently in draft form and releasing the information to the requesting member may undermine larger Student Union goals or projects;
c. The requested information only relates to private matters regarding the employment of an individual at the Students’ Union;
d. The release of confidential information to that specific member may undermine any of the items listed under 01.2.b; or
e. Any other reason the General Manager or their designate deems necessary

4. The Students’ Union may charge a fee to the member requesting the confidential information, not exceeding the cost of the document or record’s retrieval and reproduction.

04. Appeal of the General Manager or Designate Decision

1. A decision of the General Manager or their designate may be appealed by the member who made the request to the DIE Board within 7 days of the decision.
2. The DIE Board shall have access to the following information to make their decision and shall not under any circumstances disclose the information beyond the sittting DIE Board members;

a. the communications between member who requestted the information and the General Manager or their designate;
b. any confidential information that was disclosed;
c. the confidential information that was not disclosed; and
d. any other relevant information.

05. Non-disclosure

1. A person with access to confidential documents or records shall not disclose this information to anyone who does not have or is not otherwise privy to that information available to them under this bylaw.
2. A person shall enter into a non-disclosure agreement with the Students’ Union in advance of assuming such office, including where they are;

a. a member of or Councillor-Designate on Students’ Council;
b. a member of the Executive Committee;
c. a member of the Discipline, Interpretation, and Enforcement Board; or
d. a member of a Committee of Students’ Council.

3. Prior to signing a non-disclosure agreement, a person shall not have access to confidential information.

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