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Company News Releases...
Pacific Booker Minerals Inc. Announces results of requests to access
records under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
Vancouver BC, April 17, 2013: In March 2013, the Company, through its
counsel at Hunter Litigation Chambers, filed two separate requests to the
Environmental Assessment Office (“EAO”), the Ministry of the Environment (“MOE”)
and the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Natural Gas (“MEM”) to access records
under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The purpose of
these requests was to obtain further information regarding the government's
decision to deny Pacific Booker's application for an Environmental Assessment
Certificate in connection with the proposed Morrison Copper/Gold Mine.
The first request, submitted on March 7, 2013, was for a copy of a report
containing the recommendations of the Executive Director of the EAO, as
submitted by the EAO to the MOE and the MEM on or about August 21, 2012 (as well
as any subsequent or revised versions of the Recommendations). The EAO provided
a copy of the August 21, 2012 Executive Director's Recommendations as per the
request. In contrast, the MOE responded to the first request on April 8, 2013
and advised that no records were located in response to the request. Pacific
Booker has serious concerns with the MOE's response. The EAO was under a
statutory obligation pursuant to the Environmental Assessment Act to provide a
copy of the August 21, 2012 Executive Director's Recommendations to the MOE. The
MOE's contention that it does not have a copy of the August 21, 2012 Executive
Director's Recommendations raises questions about whether the Environmental
Assessment Act has been complied with and whether the MOE has properly
discharged its statutory duties to provide documents to the public in response
to freedom of information requests.
Pacific Booker's second freedom of information request, submitted on March 20,
2013, was for: (1) all documents submitted by the EAO to the MOE and/or the MEM
between August 1, 2012 and October 1, 2012; and (2) all documents relating to
the denial of Pacific Booker’s application for an environmental assessment
certificate. On April 9, 2013, the MOE again advised Pacific Booker that no
records were located in response to the request. The EAO and MEM have not yet
responded to Pacific Booker's second request.
The MOE's position that it has no documents in its possession that are
responsive to either of Pacific Booker's freedom of information requests raises
serious questions about the adequacy of the MOE's record-keeping, or
alternatively, about whether the MOE is properly discharging its statutory
duties to search for and provide records to the public under the Freedom of
Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Pacific Booker is currently
considering all of its options and may file a complaint with the Office of the
Information and Privacy Commissioner regarding the MOE's handling of these
requests.
If you would like to be added to our email newsgroup, please send your request
by email to info@pacificbooker.com.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
“John Plourde”
John Plourde, Director
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