The complainant alleged that the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) had improperly withheld information under subsections 18(a) (government trade secrets or government financial, commercial, scientific or technical information), 19(1) (personal information) and paragraph 20(1)(b) (confidential third-party financial, commercial, scientific or technical information) of the Access to Information Act. This was in response to an access request for documents regarding a named individual’s role on the Pfizer Lyme Disease Advisory Board and their research project on Lyme Disease. The complaint falls within paragraph 30(1)(a) of the Act.

Neither the institution nor the third party demonstrated that the information within the scope of the complaint met all of the requirements for exemption pursuant to paragraph 20(1)(b); in particular, the information is not financial, commercial, scientific or technical.

The complaint is well founded.

The Information Commissioner ordered that that the CIHR disclose the information at issue.

The CIHR gave notice to the Commissioner that it would implement the order.