Access to Information and Privacy
Axcess1 Nova Scotia
Access to Information and Privacy management, built around FOIPOP and MGA Part XX
Built around your law — not around generic case management.
Built around your law — not around generic case management
Many case-management products ask a public body to adapt its process to the software. Axcess1 is configured around the legislation, the procedures, the vocabulary and the reporting obligations of each jurisdiction. An organization chooses its Act once; every screen, deadline, letter and report then follows it.
Generic case management
The organization adapts to the software.
Axcess1
The software follows the legislation and the way government works.
Legislation supported
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (SNS 1993, c 5)
| What the Act requires | As configured in Axcess1 |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Public bodies under s. 3(1)(j): Government departments; boards, commissions, foundations, agencies, tribunals and associations whose members are appointed by the Governor in Council or are public officers; bodies listed in the Schedule; the Public Archives; and local public bodies (hospitals, universities, education entities, Nova Scotia Community College, Collège de l'Acadie). Municipalities are covered by Part XX of the Municipal Government Act instead (pack ns-mga20). |
| Time limit to respond | 30 days (s. 7(2)). The due date is calculated when the request is entered, with the holidays of the jurisdiction. |
| Extensions | Up to 30 days. Up to 30 more days if the request lacks detail, a large number of records must be searched, or a third party or other public body must be consulted; a longer period needs the Review Officer's permission. The applicant must be told the reason, the expected date and the right to complain (s. 9(2)). Time is suspended while a disregard application or a review is before the Review Officer (s. 9A). (s. 9(1)) |
| No answer in time | Treated as a refusal (s. 7(3)); overdue requests are flagged. |
| Third-party notice | Notice under s. 22; 14 days for the third party to respond; 20 days to seek review of the decision |
| Transfer to another body | s. 10, within 10 days |
| Decision and reasons | The decision letter gives the reasons, the provision relied on and the right of review (s. 7(2)(a)(ii)). |
| Fees | $5 application fee for general records; processing fees (max. $15 per half-hour after the first 2 free hours of search, $0.20 per page) need a prior estimate and may be waived; no fees for the applicant's own personal information (s. 11(4)). |
| Review and complaints | Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia (Review Officer); 60 days to ask for a review (s. 34(1)(a)) |
| Privacy breaches | The incident register records each breach and what the rules of this jurisdiction require. |
Loaded for this Act
- 28 provisions (exemptions, exceptions and exclusions) ready to cite on a redaction, each with its section number.
- Request types: General information request (FOIPOP, s. 6); Own personal information (FOIPOP); Correction of personal information (FOIPOP, s. 25).
- Statutory steps on the timeline: Extension under s. 9(1) (up to 30 days; notice to applicant, s. 9(2)); Longer extension with the Review Officer's permission (s. 9(1)) — enter the approved period; Request transferred to another public body (s. 10, within 10 days); Application to the Review Officer to disregard requests (s. 6A, within 14 days) — time suspended (s. 9A(a)); Fee estimate given (s. 11(5)); payment may be required before services (s. 11(6)); Third-party notice (s. 22; 14 days to consent or make representations); Third-party decision (s. 23; within 30 days of notice; third party has 20 days to ask for review); Request for review filed with the Review Officer (ss. 32, 34) — time suspended during review (s. 9A(c))….
Checked against the published text on 2026-10-01. Nova Scotia Legislature — Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, SNS 1993, c 5 (consolidated to March 26, 2025, as amended to 2025, c 8) · Nova Scotia Registry of Regulations — Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Regulations, NS Reg 105/94 · Nova Scotia Legislature — Interpretation Act, RSNS 1989, c 235
Municipal Government Act, Part XX — Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (SNS 1998, c 18, Part XX)
| What the Act requires | As configured in Axcess1 |
|---|---|
| Who it applies to | Municipalities as defined in s. 461(e): regional municipalities, towns, county or district municipalities, villages, service commissions and municipal bodies (committees, community councils, agencies, authorities, boards or commissions appointed by or under the authority of one or more municipalities). |
| Time limit to respond | 30 days (s. 467(2)). The due date is calculated when the request is entered, with the holidays of the jurisdiction. |
| Extensions | Up to 30 days. Up to 30 more days if the request lacks detail, a large number of records must be searched, or a third party or other municipality must be consulted; a longer period needs the review officer's permission. The applicant must be told the reason, the expected date and the right to complain (s. 469(2)). Time is suspended during disregard applications, reviews and appeals (s. 469A). (s. 469(1)) |
| No answer in time | Treated as a refusal (s. 467(3)); overdue requests are flagged. |
| Third-party notice | Notice under s. 482(1); 14 days for the third party to respond; 20 days to seek review of the decision |
| Transfer to another body | s. 470, within 10 days |
| Decision and reasons | The decision letter gives the reasons, the provision relied on and the right of review (s. 467(2)(a)(ii)). |
| Fees | $5 application fee for general records (per OIPC NS); processing fees need a prior estimate, the first 2 hours of search are free, and fees may be excused; no fee for the applicant's own personal information (s. 471(4)). |
| Review and complaints | Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Nova Scotia (Review Officer); 60 days to ask for a review (s. 488(1)(a)) |
| Privacy breaches | The incident register records each breach and what the rules of this jurisdiction require. |
Loaded for this Act
- 22 provisions (exemptions, exceptions and exclusions) ready to cite on a redaction, each with its section number.
- Request types: General information request (MGA Part XX, s. 466); Own personal information (MGA Part XX); Correction of personal information (MGA Part XX, s. 484).
- Statutory steps on the timeline: Extension under s. 469(1) (up to 30 days; notice to applicant, s. 469(2)); Longer extension with the review officer's permission (s. 469(1)) — enter the approved period; Request transferred to a municipal body (s. 470, within 10 days); Application to the review officer to disregard requests (s. 466A, within 14 days) — time suspended (s. 469A(a)); Fee estimate given (s. 471(5)); payment may be required before services (s. 471(6)); Third-party notice (s. 482(1); 14 days to consent or make representations); Third-party decision (s. 482(3)-(5); within 30 days of notice; access withheld 20 days for third-party review); Request for review filed with the review officer (ss. 487-488) — time suspended during review (s. 469A(c))….
Checked against the published text on 2026-10-01. Nova Scotia Legislature — Municipal Government Act, SNS 1998, c 18, Part XX (consolidation as amended to 2026, c 6) · Nova Scotia Legislature — Interpretation Act, RSNS 1989, c 235 · Nova Scotia Registry of Regulations — Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Regulations, NS Reg 105/94
Legislation-to-feature matrix
| Legislative requirement | Axcess1 support |
|---|---|
| Statutory deadline | 30 days (s. 7(2)): calculated automatically for each request; overdue and upcoming requests on the dashboard. |
| Extensions and holds | Recorded as events that move the due date, each tied to its section of the Act. |
| Exemptions and exclusions | The provisions of FOIPOP and MGA Part XX in the redaction editor, each with its section number. |
| Third parties and consultations | Notices, consultation packages and their due dates tracked on the request. |
| Fees | Fee notices and payments recorded on the request. |
| Reviews, appeals and complaints | Recorded on the request timeline with their dates and outcome. |
| Redaction | Done by the analyst in the built-in editor; optional AI suggestions that the analyst accepts or rejects. |
| Decision letters | Generated from templates for this Act, with the provisions cited. |
| Release | A release package built from the reviewed records; redactions are permanent in the released file. |
| Annual statistics | Annual access statistics for the period, with each figure traceable to its requests. |
| Audit trail | Every action on a request is recorded with the user and the time. |
From request to release
1Receive and validate
The request is entered with its type, requester and date received; a number is issued from your own numbering pattern.
2Calculate the deadline
The due date follows the Act: 30 days (s. 7(2)). Holds and extensions move it and are recorded.
3Assign and search
The request is assigned to an officer; the units holding records are tasked and their answers tracked.
4Collect and review
Records are uploaded (PDF, Office files, scans with text recognition) and reviewed page by page.
5Apply the provisions and redact
The analyst marks a passage and picks the provision of this Act; the released copy shows the section relied on.
6Consult
Consultation packages are produced per party, with their due dates.
7Approve
The response goes to the approver's inbox for review and signature.
8Release
The release package and the decision letter are generated from the request.
9Report
Requests, processing times, decisions and provisions invoked are counted for the period you choose.
Agentic AI across the lifecycle
AI is switched off until your administrator turns it on, one capability at a time. AI assists. Authorized officials decide.
Intake agent
Proposes a new request from a message, the portal or a drop folder; an officer confirms it.
Document intelligence
Summarizes and classifies the records and finds the people and organizations named in them.
Responsiveness agent
Suggests which records answer the request.
Exemption assist
Proposes provisions of FOIPOP with reasons; redaction candidates appear in the editor.
Consultation agent
Suggests who should be consulted and on which pages.
Quality assurance agent
Checks a package a second time before release.
Deadline watch
Lists the requests at risk of running late.
Copilot
Answers questions about a request, citing the records it used.
Migration
Case history, requesters and documents are brought over from the system you use today, so you do not start from an empty database.
Deployment
Hosted by SoftSim in Canada, on your own private cloud or servers, or standalone on a PC or Mac.
Security
Each organization's records are separate, access is controlled by role and every action is recorded. Run on your own servers, your records never leave your premises.
Try it free for 30 days
One licence, the full product, no obligation. Or see it first in a 30-minute demonstration.
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Axcess1 supports configurable workflows designed around the applicable legislation. Government organizations remain responsible for legal interpretation and statutory decisions. Summaries of the legislation are paraphrases prepared from the published text; they are not legal advice.