Strengthening public’s right to know

Overview

Bill 9, the Public’s Right to Know Act, would help improve public safety by making it easier for Albertans to access crime data so they can make informed decisions about protecting themselves and their communities.

Currently available metrics, such as police-based crime data, will be reported at least one per year by tabling a report in the legislature and publishing them on the Government of Alberta website. Additional metrics can be added as they become available.

Albertans have a right to know what is going on in their communities. The proposed legislation would help Albertans better understand the impact of crime and the criminal justice system, and help policy-makers at various levels make evidence-based decisions that could lead to better outcomes and safer communities.

Bill 9 would reduce red tape for the public by making it easier to find out how crime is affecting their community. It also fulfills a platform commitment and reflects what we heard from Albertans during the rural crime tour held in 2019.

Key changes

If passed, Bill 9 will:

• require crime data be reported annually, at a minimum, by tabling a report in the legislature and publishing the information on the government website
• give the government flexibility to highlight statistics that are most concerning to Albertans such as data about violence, serious crime and property offences
• enable information-sharing agreements with the federal government, municipalities, other provinces and territories, and police services for the provision of data

Next steps

If passed, Bill 9 is intended to come into force in the fall 2022 legislative session and the first report could be tabled during that sitting.

News

• Strengthening Albertans’ right to know (March 22, 2022)