Freedom of Information

Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA)

The purposes of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) are to provide a right of access to information under the control of municipalities in accordance with the principles that

information should be available to the public
necessary exemptions from the right of access should be limited and specific
decisions on the disclosure of information should be reviewed independently of the municipality
the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by municipalities should be protected

Many of the Township's records are available without making a formal request for information.

Some records can be found in Laserfiche, meeting minutes, agendas and videos of meetings can be found on the Council and Committee Calendar page and some are available by contacting the Clerks department and making a formal request.

*Please note: property surveys are copyright protected and are not kept by the municipality and are not available through requests.

Fees

The Act provides for a mandatory $5 application fee which must accompany each request for information. Depending on the request, additional fees may apply:

Manually searching for a record
Preparing the record for disclosure
Computer and other costs incurred in locating, retrieving, and processing a record
Shipping costs
As per the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario's Fee Guidelines, the hourly rate is $30.00 per hour
Photocopying $0.20 per copy
If requested electronically, a $10 fee for storage device may apply
Other costs incurred in responding to a request, as set by regulation: Ontario Regulation R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 823: General

Please note that fees may vary depending on request.

If it appears that the cost of processing your request will be more than $25, the Clerk's department will provide you with a fee estimate before proceeding. If the cost estimate is $100 or more, the Township requires that you pay a deposit of 50% of the estimate before completing the processing of your request.

Fee payments can be made in person at the Administration Offices by cash, cheque or debit, or by mail by cheque.

In accordance with the Act, the 45-business day timeline does not commence until the application fee is paid. Also, in accordance with the Act, records will not be released until any additional incurred fees are paid in full.

To make a formal request complete the Request for Information form. Submit your request with the required $5 fee by mail or in person at the municipal office, P.O. Box 280, 1233 Prince St., Lansdowne, ON K0E 1L0.

For further information please contact the Clerk's department.

In accordance with the Act, requests are generally processed within 45 business days.

Resources

Information & Privacy Commissioner

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