Kwantlen Polytechnic University

KORA: Kwantlen Open Resource Access
All Faculty Scholarship

Faculty Scholarship

2015

'FOI' 101 Workshop Materials
Mike Larsen
Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Follow this and additional works at: http://kora.kpu.ca/facultypub
Part of the Information Literacy Commons, Legal Writing and Research Commons, and the
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KORA Citation
Larsen, Mike, "'FOI' 101 Workshop Materials" (2015). KORA Faculty Scholarship: Paper 41.
http://kora.kpu.ca/facultypub/41

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FOI 101
Facilitated by Mike Larsen, Criminology Department, Kwantlen
Polytechnic University (mike.larsen@kpu.ca)

‘Flag for Follow-Up’
Exercise
Objective: Demonstrate the
practice of reviewing documents
obtained through ATI/FOI in
order to generate ideas for
follow-up requests.
Scenario: It is August 2010. You
are a researcher studying issues
related to citizenship, migration,
and borders.
I n e a r ly Au g u s t , C a n a d i a n
authorities intercept the Sri
Lankan vessel MV Sun Sea off
the coast of British Columbia.
You file an ATI request with the
Canada Border Services Agency
for “Memoranda to the Executive
Vice-President, CBSA regarding
the detention of migrants
arriving by boat / ship”. Two months later, you receive the above memorandum.
Question: How can this document be ‘mined’ for ideas that could inform one or more
follow-up ATI/FOI requests?

Hands-on Skills Training Workshop

Getting Started

Drafting a Request

1

Identify a general research
topic / idea that could be
explored using ATI/FOI.

Identify one or two key research questions
(things that you want to know).

2

Objective: Build on the ‘Getting Started’ exercise by drafting a formal ATI/FOI request.

Request Preparation Checklist

Objective: Walk through the steps that connect the identification of a new research idea with
the preparation of an ATI/FOI request.

Target agency is specified
Records of interest are clearly described
Optional: Contextualizing statement is included
Optional: Desired record format is described
Optional: Document versions of interest are indicated
Optional: Indication of types of records that are not of interest
ʻProblem phrasingʼ is avoided
Date range is indicated (if possible)
Contact information is included (and preferred mode of contact, if
desired)
Request form / letter specifies preferred method of viewing
records (attend government office / receive copies of originals)
Consider: Is the request too broad? Should it be split into several focused requests?

Government Body:

Make a list of government bodies that
might have information that could help
you to explore your research question(s)

Make a list of the types of records that
might pertain to your research idea.

3
4

Description of Records: