Freedom of Information

Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) allows access to records held by the municipality in accordance with the following principles:

  • Information should be made available to the public;
  • Individuals should have access to their own personal information;
  • Exceptions to access should be limited and specific;
  • The privacy of individuals with respect to the personal information the municipality collects and maintains shall be protected; and
  • Decisions on the disclosure of government information may be reviewed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Requests

If you wish to access any records held by the Town of Oakville, we suggest that you first contact the department that holds the records. The staff in that department will decide if a formal MFIPPA request is needed. The town tries to provide as much information as possible to the public without the need to make a formal request under MFIPPA. However, requests for information containing personal information or third party information may require a formal request.

How to make a request

  1. Complete an MFIPPA Access/Correction Request form (pdf) or write a letter stating that you are requesting information under MFIPPA. Include as much detail about the information being requested as possible.
  2. Submit the request along with the required $5 application fee to:
    Town of Oakville
    Clerk's Department
    1225 Trafalgar Road
    Oakville, ON L6H 0H3

Usually a request is processed within 30 days.

Fees

The following fees may be charged in response to requests for information.

  • Application fee: $5 to be paid when you submit your request.
  • Search time: $7.50 for each 15 minutes required to search and retrieve records.
  • Record preparation: $7.50 for each 15 minutes required to prepare records for release.
  • Photocopying: $0.20 per page.
  • Computer programming: $15 for each 15 minutes needed to develop a program to retrieve information.
  • CDs: $10 for each CD.

You will be given a fee estimate if the fees are likely to be more than $25. If the estimate of fees is $100 or more, you may have to pay a 50 per cent deposit. Fees may be paid by cash, money order, certified cheque (payable to the Town of Oakville), debit card, Visa, or MasterCard.

Appeals

If you are not satisfied with the town’s response to your request, you may appeal the town’s decision to the Information and Privacy Commissioner. This commissioner is appointed by the Provincial Legislature and is independent of any government or public institution. The commissioner may be contacted at:

Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
2 Bloor Street East
Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Phone: 1-800-387-0073

There is a $10 appeal fee for requests related to accessing or correcting your personal information. There is a $25 appeal fee for requests related to accessing general records. Appeal fees may be paid by cheque or money order made payable to the Minister of Finance.

For more information, contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Contact

If you have questions regarding the freedom of information process, please contact the Clerk's department at townclerk@oakville.ca or by phone at 905-845-6601, ext. 3161.