I'm going to cite another article, from the February 27 issue of the Journal de Montréal. That paper filed an access to information request to obtain the travelling expenses of employees of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation. The corporation demanded $21,700. The answer was that they would have had to pay an employee for 2,205 hours, which would amount to 13 months of full-time work, to respond to the request. Of course, printing documents on paper costs money. I believe it costs 20¢ a sheet.
In the recommendations we could make on access to information, we should also include the recommendation that it should be free, in particular because some people don't have any money, but would nevertheless like to know what society they're living in. Don't you think that, as a state, we should help ensure that access to information is financially available for everyone?