Freedom of Information (FOI)

Guidelines for submitting a Freedom of Information (FOI) request and accessing records held by the municipality.

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
Decisions on the disclosure of government information may be reviewed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner

If you wish to access any records held by the Town of Oakville, 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.

Freedom of Information (FOI) requests

How to make a request

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.

Submit the request along with a cheque payable to the Town of Oakville for the required $5 application fee to:

Town of Oakville
Clerk's Department
1225 Trafalgar Road
Oakville, ON L6H 0H3

We will make every effort to respond to your request 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 payable by cheque, debit, MasterCard, Visa, American Express. Cash will not be accepted.

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.

You may request the Information and Privacy Commissioner to review the decision within thirty days from the date of the decision by filing an appeal online at www.ipc.on.ca. The appeal fee is $25.00 (for general record requests) or $10.00 (for personal information requests).

Alternatively, appeals can still be mailed with a cheque or money order payable to “Minister of Finance” to:

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

If you decide to request a review of this decision, please provide the Commissioner’s office with the following:

The file number listed at the beginning of this letter
A copy of this decision letter
A copy of the original request for information you sent to our institution
The reasons why you believe the records exist (if the decision was that no records exist)

For more information, contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Routine disclosure

Building and Property Records

The town provides access to Building and Property Records to the property owner or authorized agent through a Routine Disclosure of Building Records Application (pdf) directly through Building Services. For further information you may contact Building Services directly at buildingrecords@oakville.ca.

If you are not the property owner or authorized agent, please follow the instructions to place a Freedom of Information request through the Clerk's department.

Property Survey

A property survey can be accessed and paid for online without a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request. For more information and to request a property survey visit our Property Surveys page.

The reproduction and use of any drawings released under Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act are subject to the Copyright Act R.SC.c-42.

Oakville Fire Department Records

The town provides access to Fire Reports directly through the Oakville Fire Department without a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request. For more information and to request a fire report you may contact Fire Prevention by email at fireprevention@oakville.ca.