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 a refusal 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 Quebec's own private sector Law 25, a different regime. Quotations from the Act and its regulation are given in French, the authoritative original text; an English rendering is added for convenience and is not an official translation.

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.)

An unofficial English rendering, for reference only: "The person in charge must, diligently and no later than twenty days after the date of receipt of a request: 1, grant access to the document..."

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.)

Unofficial English rendering, for reference only: "If processing the request within the time limit provided for in the first paragraph does not seem possible to the person in charge without interfering with the normal course of the public body's activities, the person in charge may, before that time limit expires, extend it by a period not exceeding 10 days. The person in charge must then give the applicant written notice within the time limit provided for in the first 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» (unofficial rendering: may also narrow the applicant's request or extend the time within which the public body must respond).

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.» (unofficial English rendering: "Access to a document is free.")

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.» (unofficial rendering: "However, fees not exceeding the cost of its transcription, reproduction or transmission 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.)

Unofficial English rendering, for reference only: "$0.49 for each page by a photocopier."

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; unofficial rendering: "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; unofficial rendering: "$0.49 per page for a copy of a municipal bylaw, this amount not to 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 $» (unofficial rendering: "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 request in whole or in part, or if a dispute arises over the delay, the manner of access, or a fee charged, article 135 gives the requester the right to ask the Commission d'accès à l'information (the CAI) to review the decision. 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.)

Unofficial English rendering: "These requests must be made within thirty days following the date of the decision or the expiry of the time allowed to respond to a request. The Commission may, however, for a reasonable cause, relieve the applicant from the failure to meet this deadline."

Thirty days to seek CAI review comes with a built-in discretion to forgive a late filing for reasonable cause. BC and Alberta also let their commissioners allow extra time, so that flexibility is not unique to Quebec.

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» (unofficial rendering: on any question of law or jurisdiction); an interlocutory decision can be appealed only with a judge's permission. 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.)

Unofficial English rendering: "...must be filed with the office of the Cour du Québec within 30 days following notification of the final decision."

The appeal is not a fresh hearing of the whole request: under the first paragraph of article 149, the declaration of appeal must specify the questions of law or jurisdiction the court should examine.

Government Records Versus Business Records

Quebec's access law reaches organismes publics: government ministries, municipalities, school boards, and similar bodies. A request to a private business for the personal information it holds about you is a different matter under Quebec's own private sector Law 25 or, outside Quebec, PIPEDA. See PIPEDA access requests for how the private sector process works elsewhere in Canada.

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 September 2026. It is not legal advice, and its English renderings of the French statutory text are unofficial, not certified translations. 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 dollars 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?

Article 135 lets you ask the Commission d'accès à l'information to review the decision, generally within 30 days of the decision or the expiry of the response deadline; the Commission may excuse a late filing for a reasonable cause. 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?

The French text is the official, authoritative version of Quebec's Loi sur l'accès. Any English rendering, including the ones in this article, is provided as an unofficial translation for the reader's convenience.