ARCS: 292-30

File: JTT-2018-82916
Your File: FOI 180405f

June 14, 2018

Sent via email: bob@thebreaker.news

Bob Mackin
theBreaker.news

Dear Bob Mackin:

Re: Request for Access to Records

Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA)

This is further to your request for a fee waiver. Your request is for:

Any and all expense records and taxpayer costs for the Premier-led January 2018 Asian trade
mission including expense records/costs for anyone accompanying and/or meeting with the
Premier, including cabinet ministers, deputy ministers and staff; All receipts, invoices and
expense reports showing expenditures for air and ground travel, accommodation, food and
beverage, entertainment, gifts, telephone and internet, medical services and
cleaning/washing/mending or other clothing-related expenses. (Date Range for Record Search:
From 01/17/2018 To 02/02/2018)

With regard to the first part of the request ("Any and all expense records and taxpayer costs for
the Premier-led January 2018 Asian trade mission including expense records/costs for anyone
accompanying and/or meeting with the Premier, including cabinet ministers, deputy ministers
and staff”) please find a mission cost summary and trade mission expenses included in this
package.

In addition, please note that the following link to Open Information, which includes travel
expenses for Ministers and Deputy Ministers. With regard to Ministers, the information also

Ministry of Citizens’ Services
Information Access Operations
…/2
Mailing Address: Website:
PO Box 9569 Stn Prov Govt www.gov.bc.ca/freedomofinformation
Victoria BC V8W 9K1 Telephone: 250 387-1321
Fax: 250 387-9843
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includes receipts and invoices for travel and associated expenses (accommodation, meals,
entertainment etc).

https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/about-the-bc-government/open-
government/open-information/browse-search-catalogue/travel-expenses

As was outlined in our earlier correspondence on this file, we have determined there is a fee for
this request, which specifically relates to the second part of the request as worded: “All receipts,
invoices and expense reports showing expenditures for air and ground travel, accommodation,
food and beverage, entertainment, gifts, telephone and internet, medical services and
cleaning/washing/mending or other clothing-related expenses”

The fee is estimated to be $ 510.

The fee estimate is based on the time required to gather and produce the responsive records at the
level of detail requested; i.e. for receipts and invoices for each individual (other than the
Minister) that accompanied the Premier on the Asian Trade mission.

Under FOIPPA 75(5)(b), fees may be excused if the records relate to a matter of public interest,
not whether or not a particular issue is of public interest. The majority of the records that would
need to be searched in response to your request, specifically with regard to all receipts and
invoices for each individual other than the Minister, would not relate to a matter of public
interest. As such, the Ministry has denied your request to waive the fee.

Your request has been placed on hold; you have 20 business days to respond to this letter. If we
do not hear from you by July 13, 2018, we will consider your request abandoned and close the
file.

Section 75(1) of FOIPPA provides that we may charge a fee for certain limited costs of
processing your request. The cost of the first three hours to search for records and any time
spent reviewing and/or severing information from the records is not charged to you. A complete
copy of FOIPPA is available online at:

http://www.bclaws.ca/civix/document/id/complete/statreg/96165_00

There are two options to respond, detailed below.

1 - NARROW YOUR REQUEST TO REDUCE OR ELIMINATE FEES

You may wish to consider options to reduce or possibly eliminate the fee estimate, such as:

Removing receipts and invoices for each individual from the request.
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A more comprehensive fee estimate reflecting all chargeable items may be provided at a later
date. I will work with you to try to find an efficient and cost effective method in which to
provide records.

2 - PAY THE FEE ESTIMATE

Due to the amount of the estimate, we will require a deposit in the amount of $255.00. Where a
balance of fees is owed, payment must be received prior to the release of the records. We will
notify you if a balance is due. Your request will be placed on hold pending receipt of final
payment.

Please send a cheque or money order made payable to the Minister of Finance, quote your file
number and mail it to:

Attn: Dave Kotorynski

Information Access Operations
Ministry of Citizens’ Services
PO Box 9569 Stn Prov Govt
Victoria BC V8W 9K1

To pay by credit card, please call 250 387-1321. VISA, Master Card and Amex are accepted.
You will need to have your request number and payment amount ready. Credit card payments
will appear on your statement as “QP Bookstore”. If applicable, fee refunds are paid by cheque
and are not credited back to the payment card.

Upon receipt of payment, we will resume processing your request. All reasonable efforts have
been made to generate an accurate estimate.

You will be required to pay the actual cost whether it is higher or lower than the estimate. If it
appears that the actual cost of processing the request will be different than the original fee
estimate, we may issue a revised estimate.

If you have any questions regarding your request, please contact me at 250 387-1371. This
number can be reached toll-free by calling from Vancouver, 604 660-2421, or from elsewhere in
BC, 1 800 663-7867 and asking to be transferred to 250 387-1371.

You have the right to ask the Information and Privacy Commissioner to review this decision. I
have enclosed information on the review and complaint process.

Sincerely,

Dave Kotorynski, Senior FOI Analyst

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On behalf of Ken Bejcek, Manager

Business and Infrastructure Team, Information Access Operations

Enclosure
 Ministry of Jobs, Trade and Technology
International Business Development Division
Mission Costs - 2017/2018 Fiscal Year

Category FISCAL 17/18

January 20 - 30, 2018

CHINA, KOREA & JAPAN
10 days
Travel - Official Delegation 86,450
Travel - Support Staff 37,211
Ground Transportation 33,148
Visas 700
Meetings, Ceremonies, Luncheons & Receptions 79,945
Gifting - (Regular) 1,700
Gifting - (Special) 1,065
Interpreter / Translation 51,268
TOTAL MISSION COSTS 291,487
Less: TAC Travel (Incurred by TAC) 17,350
Less: MEMPR Travel (incurred by MEMPR) 12,065
Less: GCPE Travel (incurred by GCPE) 12,222
Less: Premier Office Travel (Incurred by PMO) 26,297
Total JTT Cost 223,552

Tourism Arts and Culture Costs

TAC and DBC China Mission Costs (not included in above) 89,417
TAC Minister and Staff Travel 17,350
Note: * TAC interpreter, transport costs covered by JTT 16,189

Official Delegation
Honourable John Horgan
Honourable Bruce Ralston
Honourable Lisa Beare (China only)
Honourable George Chow
Geoff Meggs
Sheena McConnell
Fazil Mihlar
Dave Nikolesjin
Sandra Carroll (China only)

Support Staff
Paul Irwin
Francis Acquarone
Richard Sawchuck
Joleen Badger (GCPE)

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 Jobs Trade and Technology
Trade Mission Expenses
2017-18 China, Korea Japan

Meetings ,
Medical Services Interpreters & Ceremonies,
Air & Ground Telephone & / Travel Clothes Translators Luncheons &
Travel Accommodation Per Diems Entertainment Gifts Internet Insurance Related (note 1) Receptions Total

Minister Bruce Ralston 6,943 2,604 857 10,404

Minister of State George Chow 7,280 2,701 308 10,289
Deputy Minister Fazil Mihlar 6,787 2,691 566 10,044

Sub-total Official Delegation 21,010 7,996 1,731 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 30,737

Paul Irwin, Executive Director, East Asia 7,015 2,986 1,627 11,628
Richard Sawchuk, Director, Japan, Korea and
Hong Kong 3,091 1,055 596 146 4,888

Francis Acquarone, Director, China 5,200 1,633 1,234 8,067

Sub-total Support Staff 15,306 5,674 3,457 0 0 0 146 0 0 0 24,582

General Mission Related Costs 34,114 2,765 140 51,268 79,945 168,232

Totals 70,429 13,670 5,188 0 2,765 0 286 0 51,268 79,945 223,551

Note 1 : This includes $16,189 of interpreters costs incurred on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture