CFIA Won't Turn Over BRR Investigation Papers

Canadian Food Inspection Agency officials have asked for a time period to July to turn over to government attorneys investigation documents it has been collecting in the matter of potato bacterial ring rot found in seed potatoes in Alberta.

Debbie Taylor, Access to Information and Privacy Office coordinator of the CFIA, told attorneys that due to the large volume of requested records that an extension for up to 277 days be allowed. This makes the revised date in September.

Communication has been on going since the ATIP was given the request for documentation for the potato BRR disease which has been carried on potato seed from Alberta into Washington state of the United States.

The attorneys want the reports to be released in stages as they become available instead of waiting until the very end for the entire set of documents.

Taylor informed the attorneys the approach would not be possible because it would be too complicated and time consuming. She informed the attorneys of the Heenan Blaikie law firm handling the matter for the Canadian government that the investigation had narrowed the request to about 6,500 pages and that they would be released by July.

Attorneys responded that the release date in July was unreasonably lengthy and again requested they be released in stages at the rate of 110 pages a day.
The letter to Taylor ws written in February and no update to the matter has been available.