I wanted to write this story four months ago. In fact, I almost did.
Earlier this year, Twitter user Moody Staffer posted some intriguing allegations about a Port Moody city councillor.
So, after making a Freedom of Information request and paying $543, I ended up with about 62 pages worth of emails sent between city staff and elected officials. But then, before I had the chance to write a pithy headline, I had nothing.
The emails were replaced by 62 pages of highly redacted documents.
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Some of the pages looked like this.
How did this happen?
You see, after getting the unredacted documents, I received an order from the city demanding the “Secure Destruction of Electronic Records Sent to You in Error.”
Aw, raspberries.
I checked with a lawyer and was advised to comply with the order.
However, there is something akin to an appeal process. So, in late June, I applied to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of B.C. in the hopes they might ask Port Moody to be a bit less generous with the ol’ black highlighter.
I eagerly awaited the OIPC’s response. In fact, I’m still eagerly awaiting the OIPC’s response.
This brings me to Tuesday at 7:46 p.m.
After dropping a few hints, Moody Staffer posted the relevant emails online.
Professionally, I feel obligated to share the emails.
On a personal level, I was a tad nonplussed. The emails are more than two years old. They are now public because election day is looming and a partisan commentator is hoping to torpedo a candidate’s chances.
I don’t want to help or hurt any candidate’s campaign. I just want to share information.
In the final assessment, the most important two questions seem to be these: are the documents legitimate and is the information relevant?
The documents are legitimate.
It’s up to the residents of Port Moody to decide whether or not the information is relevant.
