Home   |   Contact Us   |   Sitemap   |   RSS

Retrieving headlines...

Town Hall

Freedom of Information

All municipalities are subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

What are the purposes of the Municipal Freedom of Information Act (MFIPPA)?

The purposes of the Municipal Freedom of Information Act and Protection of Privacy (MFIPPA) are:

(a) to provide a right of access to information under the control of institutions 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; and,
  • decisions on the disclosure of information should be reviewed independently of the institution controlling the information; and,

(b) to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to personal information about themselves held by institutions and to provide individuals with a right of access to that information.

The legislation is available on-line at the following websites:

To which government organizations does MFIPPA apply?

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act came into effect January 1, 1991 and applies to municipal corporations, including school boards, public utilities commissions, transit and police commissions, fire departments, conservation authorities, and other local boards.

What kind of information can be requested?

MFIPPA gives everyone a right of access to most recorded information held by government organizations.

A record is defined as any record of information however recorded, whether in printed form, on film, by electronic means or otherwise, and includes correspondence, a memorandum, a book, a plan, a map, a drawing, a diagram, a pictorial or graphic work, a photograph, a film, a microfilm, a sound recording, a videotape, a machine readable record, any other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, and any copy thereof as well as any record that is capable of being produced from a machine readable record under the control of an institution by means of computer hardware and software or

Do I need to submit a formal request to get personal information from the Town?

Formal applications are not always necessary to obtain personal information held by the Town under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy. Prior to submitting a formal request for information under on of these Acts, individuals wishing to access municipal records should begin by contacting Town. Callers will be transferred to the appropriate department responsible for the records to which they seek access. Departmental staff will then determine if the records can be released by them or whether a formal Access Request is required.

How do I make an Access Request?

If a formal request is required, applicants must:

Clerk's Department

Town of Newmarket 395 Mulock Drive,

P.O. Box 328 Stn Main Newmarket,

ON L3Y 4X7

Payment can be made in the form of cash, cheque (made payable to the Town of Newmarket), VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Debit Card, certified cheque or money order. Please do not send cash in the mail.

The $5.00 application fee must accompany your request.

If you are requesting access to, or a correction of your own personal information, please include with your completed application form, a photocopy of a piece of identification (e.g. driver's license) bearing your signature. This will allow Town Staff to verify your identity so that your personal information is not disclosed to someone other than yourself.

If you are acting as an agent on someone else's behalf, please include with the completed application, a signed Consent to Release Form from that individual authorizing you to act on his/her behalf, as well as a photocopy of a piece of his/her identification (e.g. driver's license) bearing his/her signature for verification purposes.

What happens after I submit my Access Request?

Access requests received under MFIPPA are processed as follows:

  • Completed Application to access municipal records is received by the Town Clerk's Department
  • Contacts in department/division notified of request and asked to provide responsive records in prescribed time

Records reviewed to determine if exemptions apply under the Act

  • Order issued by the Information and Privacy Commissioner's (IPC) Office on similar access requests are reviewed
  • Consultations with Staff, FOI Committee, if required
  • Records severed to remove non-responsive or exempt information
  • Interim decision letters may be issued re: fee estimates, third party notices, time extensions, etc.
  • In most cases, decision letters issued within 30 days after date of application
  • Applicant can appeal the decision to the IPC

Who do I contact for more information?

Access requests and general inquiries about the Town of Newmarket's procedures regarding MFIPPA and PHIPA should be directed to:

Clerk's Department

Town of Newmarket

395 Mulock Drive, P.O. Box 328 Stn Main

Newmarket, ON L3Y 4X7

(905)953-5300, Ext. 2212

lgibson@newmarket.ca

If I'm not satisfied with the Town's response to my Access Request, what can I do?

If you are not satisfied with the access decision made by the Town in response to your request, you may request that the decision be reviewed within 30 days of receiving the decision by writing to:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8

Telephone: 1-800-387-0073

(IPC) website www.ipc.on.ca

Are there any additional costs associated with the processing of my Access Request?

Fees for General Information Requests received under MFIPPA

Requests for information about another individual, a government program or activity are considered general information requests. The following fees apply to requests for general information:

  • Application Fee: $5.00 must accompany application
  • Time spent manually searching for records: $7.50 per 15 minutes 
  • Records Preparation: $7.50 15 minutes required to prepare records for disclosure
  • Photocopying and Computer Printouts: $0.20 per page (requester's copy only)
  • CD-Roms: $10.00 for each CD-ROM
  • Computer Programming: $15.00 15 minutes if necessary to develop a computer program to retrieve information

The costs, including computer costs that the Town incurs in locating, retrieving, processing and copying the record if those costs are specific in an invoice that the Town has received

Appeal Fee: $25.00 to be paid to the IPC if an appeal is filed

Fees for Personal Information Requests received under MFIPPA and for requests received under PHIPA.

A request for information about oneself is considered a personal information request. The following fees apply to requests for personal information:

  • Application Fee: $5.00 must accompany application
  • Photocopying and Computer Printouts: $0.20 per page
  • CD-ROMs: $10.00 for each CD-ROM
  • Computer Programming: $15.00 15 minutes if necessary to develop a computer program to retrieve information

The costs, including computer costs, which the Town incurs in locating, retrieving, processing and copying the record if those costs, are specific in an invoice that the Town has received

Appeal Fee: $10.00 to be paid to the IPC if an appeal is filed