Ontario: new fine for destroying govt. records.

• Position: GOVERNMENT RECORDS - Brief article

Anyone caught intentionally altering, concealing, or destroying Ontario government records now will be fined up to $5,000 (Cdn.). Amendments to Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy legislation at the provincial and municipal levels will require a government organization to develop, document, and preserve its records, according to The Toronto Sun.

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"Our government takes our record-keeping obligations very seriously we're committed to being open, accountable and transparent," Lauren Souch, a spokesman for Government and Consumer Services Minister David Orazietti, said in an e-mail to the Sun. "We promised to open up the government completely, and we have done so to an unprecedented degree."

Organizations that must follow the new rules include government ministries, hospitals, colleges, universities, school boards, municipalities, and police...