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City Of Vaughan |
| Access and Privacy | ||||
| What is MFIPPA?
MFIPPA is the short form for the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, (the Act) which is a Provincial law that governs the City regarding access and privacy matters. The Act has two main purposes:
What is Freedom of Information? Freedom of Information (FOI) or Access and Privacy are interchangeable terms that refer to processes under which MFIPPA is administered. These processes are carried out by the Access and Privacy staff in the City Clerk's Department. How do I submit a formal request? To file a formal request under the Act, you need to submit your request in writing and include the mandatory $5.00 application fee made payable to "City of Vaughan". The request must contain your name and contact information and a description of the information you are seeking. Please provide as much information as possible to allow for ease of search. If your request is unclear, you will be contacted by staff in the Access and Privacy office for clarification. If the request is for your own personal information and you have an agent acting on your behalf, you will need to provide a written authorization for your agent. In addition to the payment of the $5.00 application fee, there may be fees charged for time spent searching and preparing records for disclosure as well as costs for photocopies. Search and preparation time is charged at $7.50/15 min. No search and preparation fees are charged for requests for personal information. Photocopies are billed at $.20/page. If the fee to complete your request is estimated to be over $25.00, you will be issued an estimate. If the estimated fee is over $100.00, you may be asked to submit a 50% deposit prior to the City undertaking a full search and preparation of the records. Except in extenuating circumstances, the Act provides that you will receive a decision within 30 days. In requests where the City needs to seek advice from a person outside of the organization regarding the release of information, or if your request is for a large number of records or requires a search through a large number of records and meeting the time limit would unreasonably interfere with the operations of the City, we may extend the time limit. You will be advised if this extension is required and you will have the opportunity to ask the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) to review the extension. Will I get everything I ask for? The Act provides for certain information to be exempt from disclosure. If you request records containing general information, the typical types of records that may be exempt would be advice or recommendations of an officer, employee or consultant of the City; records relating to law enforcement; third party commercial or financial information; records subject to solicitor/client privilege or information that is currently or will be available to the public within 90 days. You will be denied access to any personal information of third parties. Generally speaking, there are very few exemptions that apply if you are requesting your own personal information. What if I don't agree with the City's decision? If you disagree with the City's decision to your formal request, you have the option to appeal the decision to the IPC. Information on how to contact the IPC and the process for filing an appeal will be contained in your decision letter. If you wish to contact the IPC for information, they can be reached at: Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario Who has access to my personal information? City staff will collect, use and disclose your personal information, as necessary in order to provide City services. Only employees that need to see your personal information to carry out their duties will be permitted to see it. Any time you are asked to provide your personal information (ie – fill out a form) you are entitled to be told the reason the information is being collected, what the information will be used for and the title and contact information of a staff member of the City that can answer any questions you may have about the collection of the information. What if I believe my personal information has been shared without my consent? The City of Vaughan takes its responsibility for the privacy protection of personal information very seriously. If you have a concern about the collection or use of your personal information, you may wish to contact a senior staff person in the appropriate Department or staff in the Access and Privacy section to discuss your concern. If you are not satisfied with the City's efforts to resolve your concern you may wish to contact the IPC at the address below: Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario The IPC will investigate your concern and issue a decision. Where can I get more information? The City Clerk's Office is responsible for the administration of the Access and Privacy program. Staff members in the Access and Privacy section are available to answer any questions you may have relating to informal and formal requests under MFIPPA, personal information issues and privacy questions. For general questions please e-mail us at: We do not encourage you to submit personal information via e-mail. Please contact an Access and Privacy staff member directly using the information below if you wish to discuss a specific issue.
City of Vaughan Access Request Form
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