This is the best summary I could come up with:

The Alberta government is doubling down on a decision to withhold basic data about records it has previously released under its freedom of information law – a move that could have far-reaching consequences for transparency and accountability within the province.

For the second time, the province has rejected a series of access requests from The Globe and Mail that were filed as part of the Secret Canada project, a continuing investigation into the country’s broken freedom of information regime.

There are two legal issues at the core of this dispute: what constitutes an existing record, and to what extent the government is required to help the public access information.

But Alberta’s FOI legislation addresses this point, under a section titled “duty to assist.” This section says a public institution “must create a record” if the original is in electronic format, if the manipulation can be done “using its normal computer hardware and software and technical expertise” and if creating the record would not “unreasonably interfere with the operations” of the institution.

Secret Canada: Ottawa rejected independent study of access to information system in favour of internal review, documents reveal

Alberta Official Opposition Leader Rachel Notley said it’s clear that the province’s United Conservative Party government has work to do on access and transparency.

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