Records Management and the Move from FOIP to ATIA for Alberta Municipalities

When Alberta replaced FOIP in June 2025, most of the attention went to privacy — the new Protection of Privacy Act (POPA). But FOIP had two halves, and the access half was replaced by a separate law: the Access to Information Act (ATIA). For municipalities, ATIA is what governs how the public requests, and how you respond with, records. Here's what it means for your records management — from the IT side.

This is general information, not legal advice. Work with your municipality's records or privacy officer on your obligations. For the bigger picture, see our overview of POPA and ATIA.

What ATIA covers

ATIA governs the public's right to access records held by public bodies, including municipalities. In practice, that means when a resident, journalist, or organization files an access request, ATIA sets the rules for how you find, review, and release the relevant records.

The mechanics of access requests carry forward from FOIP under the new act — but it's a natural moment to make sure your records are actually manageable.

Why good records management makes ATIA easier

Responding to an access request is far simpler when your records are organized, searchable, and retained properly. The opposite — records scattered across old servers, personal drives, email, and paper — turns every request into a painful scavenger hunt, and raises the risk of missing something.

Strong records management supports both ATIA (finding and releasing records) and POPA (protecting the personal information within them). The IT foundations are the same:

• Centralized, organized storage. Records living in known, structured locations — not random folders and personal drives — so they can actually be found.
• Searchability. Modern systems (like a well-managed Microsoft 365 / SharePoint environment) let you search across records quickly.
• Retention and disposal. Keeping records for the required period, and disposing of them appropriately when the time comes.
• Access controls. Knowing who can see what, so sensitive information is protected while remaining findable for authorized staff.
• Backups. Ensuring records aren't lost to ransomware, failure, or accident — which would also mean you couldn't produce them.

Practical steps for your municipality

1. Update your references. Forms, notices, and procedures that mention "FOIP" should now reference ATIA (for access) and POPA (for privacy).
2. Get records into order. Consolidate records into organized, searchable, backed-up storage rather than scattered locations.
3. Apply retention rules. Make sure records are kept and disposed of according to your retention schedule.
4. Control and log access. Ensure only authorized staff can reach records, and that access is auditable.
5. Train staff. Everyone who creates or handles records should understand how they're stored and why it matters.

The bottom line

ATIA is the access half of FOIP's replacement, and responding to requests under it is dramatically easier when your records are organized, searchable, retained, and backed up. Getting your records management in order isn't just about compliance — it makes the whole municipality run better.

We help Alberta municipalities organize, secure, and back up their records with dependable, public-sector-ready IT. Learn more about our IT support for municipalities, or book a free evaluation to review your setup.

Sources: Government of Alberta — Access to Information Act; Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (oipc.ab.ca).