What is the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act?
The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) gives you the right to ask for records held by the City of Wrenford. It also protects your personal information from being shared without your permission. The Act balances the public's right to know with the need to keep private information safe.
Who can make a request?
Anyone can make a Freedom of Information request. You do not need to be a Canadian citizen or a resident of Wrenford. You just need to tell us what information you are looking for.
What kind of information can I ask for?
You can ask for any record the City holds. This includes emails, reports, meeting minutes, photos, and maps. You can ask for your own personal information, or for general information about City operations, policies, or services.
Please note that we cannot create new records or do research for you. We only provide copies of existing records. You can also ask for information that is already available through routine channels, such as published by-laws or annual reports.
How much does it cost?
There is a $5.00 application fee to start a general information request. You do not have to pay this fee if you are asking for your own personal information.
The City will not charge you for the first three hours spent finding, reading, and preparing your records. If it takes longer than three hours, we will send you a fee estimate before we continue. You will also not be charged for photocopies or for the time we spend removing personal information from a record.
How long will it take?
The City has 30 business days to respond to your request. We will send you a letter to confirm we received your request. If your request is complex or requires records from another public body, we may need more time. We will tell you within the first 30 business days if we need an extension.
What information will not be released?
We must protect certain information under the Act. We will not give you:
- Personal information about another person, unless they have given written permission
- Information that could harm law enforcement investigations or security
- Information that could harm the business interests of a third party
- Legal advice given to the City
- Policy advice or recommendations to Council
If a record contains both public information and protected information, we will remove the protected parts and give you the rest.
What happens if I do not agree with the decision?
If you are not happy with how we handled your request, you have the right to ask for a review. You can contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner for Ontario. They are an independent office that oversees how public bodies follow privacy and freedom of information laws.
How do I make a request?
You can submit your request online or by email. Keep your request simple and clear. Tell us exactly what records you want, the dates you are interested in, and how you would like to receive them. You can find the request form and more details on our Make a Freedom of Information request page.
Where can I find more information?
The City publishes an annual report on all Freedom of Information requests. You can view the Access to information statistics to see how many requests we received and how they were handled. If you have questions or need help, please contact our Privacy Officer at [email protected] or visit the Contact access and privacy page.