Access to Information Requests in Quebec: Deadlines, Fees, and CAI Review

Under Quebec's Loi sur l'accès aux documents des organismes publics et sur la protection des renseignements personnels, a public body must respond to an access request within 20 days, access itself is free, and the refusal of a written request can be brought to the Commission d'accès à l'information and then the Cour du Québec.

Information last verified on 2026-09-24. This article has not yet been reviewed by a licensed lawyer.

This article addresses Quebec's Loi sur l'accès aux documents des organismes publics et sur la protection des renseignements personnels, RLRQ c A-2.1, which governs requests to Quebec public bodies, ministries, municipalities, and other organismes publics for government records. It does not cover the federal Access to Information Act, Ontario's FIPPA and MFIPPA, British Columbia's FIPPA, or Alberta's Access to Information Act, covered on the access to information hub and the federal ATIP page. It also does not cover a request to a private business for records it holds about you; that falls under PIPEDA or, in Quebec, the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (CQLR c P-39.1), as modernized by Law 25, a different regime. The Act is published in official French and English versions of equal legal value (Charter of the French language, s. 7); the French prevails only on a discrepancy the ordinary rules of interpretation cannot resolve (s. 7.1). Quotations below give the official French text followed by the official English version from LégisQuébec.

How to Make the Request

A request for access is addressed to the person in charge of access to documents within the public body. It may be made in writing or orally, and a written request may be made in a technological format (s. 43). To be receivable, it must be sufficiently precise to allow the document to be located; if it is not, or if you ask, the person in charge must help you identify the document likely to contain the information you want (s. 42).

Make the request in writing if you want to keep your remedies. The person in charge must tell anyone who makes an oral request that they may make a written request "and that only a decision on a written request may be reviewed under this Act" (s. 45). An oral request is still a valid request, but a refusal of it cannot be taken to the CAI for review (s. 135, first paragraph).

For a written request, the person in charge must send you written notice of the date it was received, stating the time limits that apply, the effect of missing them, and the review remedy (s. 46). The decision is made in writing, with the text of the provision any refusal relies on and a notice of the review remedy and its time limit (s. 51). Every refusal must give reasons and name the provision of the Act it is based on (s. 50). The CAI's English page offers model request letters and the application for review form.

The 20-Day Deadline

Article 47 sets Quebec's general response deadline, and it runs shorter than the federal, Ontario, BC, and Alberta deadlines. The French text, quoted verbatim, reads:

«Le responsable doit, avec diligence et au plus tard dans les vingt jours qui suivent la date de la réception d'une demande: 1° donner accès au document...» (Loi sur l'accès aux documents des organismes publics et sur la protection des renseignements personnels, RLRQ c A-2.1, art. 47, texte officiel.)

The official English version reads: "The person in charge must, promptly and not later than twenty days from the date the request was received, (1) grant access to the document..." (CQLR c A-2.1, s. 47.)

Twenty days is markedly shorter than the 30-day general deadlines used federally and in British Columbia (where Saturdays and holidays do not count), Alberta's 30 business days, and Ontario's 45 business days.

The Extension: Capped at 10 Days

Where processing the request in time would harm the public body's normal operations, the second paragraph of article 47 allows only a short extension, and it is capped. The official French text reads:

«Si le traitement de la demande dans le délai prévu par le premier alinéa ne lui paraît pas possible sans nuire au déroulement normal des activités de l’organisme public, le responsable peut, avant l’expiration de ce délai, le prolonger d’une période n’excédant pas 10 jours. Il doit alors en donner avis au requérant par écrit dans le délai prévu par le premier alinéa.» (RLRQ c A-2.1, art. 47, 2e alinéa, texte officiel.)

The official English version reads: "If the request cannot be processed within the time limit provided in the first paragraph without impeding the normal course of operations of the public body, the person in charge may, before the expiry of the time, extend it by not over 10 days. He must then give notice of the extension in writing to the applicant within the time limit provided in the first paragraph." (CQLR c A-2.1, s. 47, second paragraph.)

A maximum 10-day extension, given in writing within the original 20-day window, is dramatically shorter than the extension powers under the federal Act (a reasonable period, with no fixed cap), BC's FIPPA (up to 30 days, or longer with the applicant's consent or the Commissioner's permission), or Alberta's ATIA (up to 30 business days, plus further reasonable periods). A reader should not assume Quebec offers a comparable buffer if a public body needs more time.

The 10-day cap limits what the public body can do on its own. Under article 137.1, the Commission d'accès à l'information may, on the public body's application, authorize it to disregard requests that are manifestly abusive by their number, their repetitive character, or their systematic character, or a request whose processing would seriously harm the body's activities, and in that setting the Commission «peut aussi circonscrire la demande du requérant ou prolonger le délai dans lequel l’organisme public doit répondre» (official English: "may also limit the scope of the applicant's request or extend the time limit within which the public body must reply").

Fees: Access Is Free

Quebec's fee architecture differs sharply from the federal, Ontario, BC, and Alberta models. A government fact sheet from the Secrétariat à l'accès à l'information et à la réforme des institutions démocratiques states the rule plainly in French:

«L'accès à un document est gratuit.» (the same words as section 11, whose official English version reads: "Access to a document is free of charge.")

The rule comes from article 11 of the Act, which uses the same words and continues: «Toutefois, des frais n’excédant pas le coût de sa transcription, de sa reproduction ou de sa transmission peuvent être exigés du requérant.» (official English: "However, a fee not greater than the cost of transcription, reproduction or transmission of the document may be charged to the applicant.") Article 11 also requires a public body that intends to charge to tell the requester the approximate amount before doing the work.

There is no application fee at all, unlike the federal government's, Ontario's, and Nova Scotia's $5, BC's $10, or Alberta's $25. A public body may charge only for the physical work involved in transcription, reproduction, or transmission of a record, at the discretion allowed by the Règlement sur les frais exigibles pour la transcription, la reproduction et la transmission de documents et de renseignements personnels. According to the same fact sheet, there is no fee at all when the original document is already in digital form, even if it must be converted to another format for redaction and then emailed; a fee may apply only when a paper only document must be photocopied, printed, or scanned to be sent.

Under article 1 of the regulation, the fees for transcribing and reproducing documents held by a public body are those listed in its annexes I and II, unless chapter II of the regulation sets them. Annexe I sets the general paper rate, quoted verbatim:

«0,49 $ pour chaque page par un photocopieur» (Règlement sur les frais exigibles ..., art. 1 et annexe I, texte officiel.)

The official English version of Schedule I reads: "$0.49 per photocopied page."

Documents held by a municipal body follow their own list in article 9 of the regulation. It sets the same rate for «une page photocopiée d’un document autre que ceux qui sont énumérés aux paragraphes a à g» (art. 9, paragraphe h, texte officiel; official English: "a photocopied page of a document other than those listed in paragraphs a to g"), and for a municipal bylaw it sets «0,49 $ par page pour une copie de règlement municipal, ce montant ne pouvant excéder la somme de 35 $» (art. 9, paragraphe d, texte officiel; official English: "$0.49 per page for a copy of a municipal by-law; this amount may not exceed $35"). The 35 $ cap applies only to municipal bylaw copies.

Small requests may cost nothing at all. Article 3 of the regulation exempts a person with a right of access from transcription, reproduction, and transmission costs «jusqu’à concurrence de 9,75 $» (official English: "up to $9.75"), although that exemption does not apply to the special documents listed in chapter II of the regulation. Under article 5.1, a public body may ask for a deposit of 50% of its approximate fee before doing the work if that amount is 100 $ or more.

The figures quoted here are the indexed amounts in effect from April 1, 2026. Article 5.3 raises the fees and the article 3 exemption every April 1, so the exact figures should be re-checked rather than assumed fixed from one year to the next. The Act does not entitle a requester to an original or a certified copy as of right; that is governed separately by each public body's own tariff.

Requesting a Review: The CAI, Then the Cour du Québec

If a public body refuses a written request in whole or in part, article 135 gives the requester the right to ask the Commission d'accès à l'information (the CAI) to review the decision. The French text of the first paragraph covers a person «dont la demande écrite a été refusée» (whose written request was refused); the official English omits the word written, but section 45 of the same Act confirms that only a decision on a written request may be reviewed. Under the second paragraph, any person who made a request may also seek review of a decision of the person in charge on the processing time, the mode of access, the application of section 9, or the fee payable. Under article 52, a public body that does not respond within the applicable deadline is deemed to have refused access, and for a written request that failure opens the same review. Article 135 sets the filing window:

«Ces demandes doivent être faites dans les trente jours qui suivent la date de la décision ou de l'expiration du délai accordé ... pour répondre à une demande. La Commission peut toutefois, pour un motif raisonnable, relever le requérant du défaut de respecter ce délai.» (RLRQ c A-2.1, art. 135, 3e alinéa, texte officiel.)

The official English version reads: "The application must be made within thirty days of the date of the decision or of the time granted by this Act to the person in charge for processing a request. However, the Commission may, for any serious cause, release the applicant from a failure to observe the time limit." (CQLR c A-2.1, s. 135, third paragraph.)

The two official versions use different words for the relief test: the French says «motif raisonnable» (reasonable cause), the English "serious cause". Where such a discrepancy cannot be resolved by the ordinary rules of interpretation, the French text prevails (Charter of the French language, s. 7.1). Either way, thirty days to seek CAI review comes with a built-in discretion to forgive a late filing. BC and Alberta also let their commissioners allow extra time, so that flexibility is not unique to Quebec.

The application for review must be made in writing; it may state briefly the reasons the decision should be reviewed (s. 137). The CAI then acts as an administrative tribunal and offers the parties a mediation service. If mediation does not settle the dispute, the parties present their positions at a hearing before an administrative judge, who then renders a decision; with some exceptions, those decisions are public.

From a final CAI decision, article 147 allows an appeal to a judge of the Cour du Québec «sur toute question de droit ou de compétence» (official English: "on a question of law or jurisdiction"); an interlocutory decision can be appealed only with leave of a judge of that court, and only if it "will not be remedied by the final decision". The application for leave must be filed at the office of the Court of Québec within 10 days after the parties receive the Commission's decision (s. 147.1). For a final decision, article 149 sets the filing deadline:

«...doit être déposée au greffe de la Cour du Québec dans les 30 jours qui suivent la notification de la décision finale.» (RLRQ c A-2.1, art. 149, 2e alinéa, texte officiel.)

The official English version reads: "The notice of appeal must be filed at the office of the Court of Québec within 30 days after notification of the final decision." (CQLR c A-2.1, s. 149, second paragraph.)

The appeal is not a fresh hearing of the whole request: under the first paragraph of article 149, the notice of appeal must specify the questions of law or jurisdiction that ought to be examined in appeal. It must then be served on the parties and on the Commission within 10 days after it is filed at the office of the Court of Québec (s. 151).

Government Records Versus Business Records

Quebec's access law reaches the public bodies listed in section 3: the Government, the Conseil exécutif, the Conseil du trésor, government departments and agencies, municipal and school bodies, and health services and social services institutions. School bodies include school service centres, school boards, general and vocational colleges (CEGEPs) and university institutions (s. 6). Courts within the meaning of the Courts of Justice Act are not public bodies (s. 3). The Act also does not apply to health and social services information held by a health and social services body, which falls under the Act respecting health and social services information (CQLR c R-22.1) (s. 2(5)).

A request to a private business for the personal information it holds about you is a different matter, governed in Quebec by the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (CQLR c P-39.1), as modernized by Law 25, or, outside Quebec, by PIPEDA. See Quebec's Law 25 explained for the Quebec private sector, and PIPEDA access requests for how the private sector process works elsewhere in Canada.

Your Own Personal Information

If you ask a public body for the personal information it holds about you, the Act gives you a separate right: every person has the right to be informed of the existence of personal information concerning them in a personal information file, and to obtain any personal information kept on them (s. 83). That access is free of charge; only a fee for transcribing, reproducing and sending the information may be charged (s. 85).

The request can be considered only if it is made in writing by a natural person who proves their identity as the person concerned or in another capacity the Act lists, such as representative, heir, liquidator of the succession, or person having parental authority (s. 94). It goes to the person in charge of the protection of personal information within the public body. The person in charge must respond within 20 days of receiving it, a limit they may extend by not over 10 days with written notice (s. 98). A failure to reply within those limits is deemed a refusal and opens review before the CAI (s. 102).

Disclaimer: This article provides general information about Quebec's Loi sur l'accès aux documents des organismes publics et sur la protection des renseignements personnels, RLRQ c A-2.1, and its fee regulation, current as of October 2026. It is not legal advice. Consult the Commission d'accès à l'information or a lawyer licensed in Quebec for advice on your specific situation.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does a Quebec public body have to respond to an access request?

Article 47 of the Loi sur l'accès requires a response no later than 20 days after the request is received, which is shorter than the roughly 30 day deadlines found federally, in BC, and in Alberta.

Can the 20 day deadline be extended?

Yes, but on its own authority the public body can extend by only up to 10 days under the second paragraph of article 47, where processing the request in time would harm its normal operations, and it must give written notice within the original 20 day period. Separately, under article 137.1 the Commission d'accès à l'information may, on the public body's application, extend the deadline in cases such as abusive requests or a request whose processing would seriously harm the body's activities. The 10 day cap is far shorter than the extension powers in the federal Act, BC, and Alberta.

Does Quebec charge a fee to access government records?

Access itself is free; there is no application fee at all, unlike the federal government's, Ontario's, or Nova Scotia's $5, BC's $10, or Alberta's $25. A public body may charge only for the physical work of transcription, reproduction, or transmission, such as photocopying a paper only document, at $0.49 per page under the current regulation, with the first 9,75 dollars of costs exempt under article 3 of the regulation. Both figures are indexed annually on April 1.

What can I do if my request is refused in Quebec?

If your request was in writing, article 135 lets you ask the Commission d'accès à l'information to review the refusal, within 30 days of the decision or the expiry of the response deadline; the Commission may excuse a late filing (for a reasonable cause in the French text, a serious cause in the English). Only a decision on a written request can be reviewed when access is refused (ss. 45 and 135), so it pays to make the request in writing. The application for review must also be in writing (s. 137), and the CAI offers mediation before any hearing. A final CAI decision can be appealed to the Cour du Québec on a question of law or jurisdiction only (article 147), within 30 days of notification of the decision under article 149.

Is the French or English version of Quebec's access law authoritative?

Both. The Act is enacted and published in French and in English, and both versions are equally authoritative (Charter of the French language, s. 7). Where a discrepancy cannot be resolved by the ordinary rules of interpretation, the French text prevails (s. 7.1). Both official versions are published on LégisQuébec.