The complainant alleged that the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) did not conduct a reasonable search in response to two access requests made under the Access to Information Act. The complaints fall within paragraph 30(1)(a) of the Act.

Each request sought electronic records sent or received by a warehouse manager within specified timeframes related to masks.

PHAC did not identify any records responsive to either access request. The investigation revealed that the employee deleted the contents of their e-mail box and therefore could not retrieve responsive records. During the investigation, PHAC conducted additional searches and identified responsive records.

The complaints are well founded.