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Ontario|Government & Justice SystemGovernment & Justice System 715 Freedom of Information: Accessing public records
- Public right to access government information
Generally, information produced or gathered by government offices and agencies is accessible to the public. Government information can be valuable for businesses, reporters, and people involved in lawsuits. Some information is easily accessible, such as legislation, Commission Reports, or court cases because it is published and distributed in libraries or government book stores. However, some information is not readily available without requesting it, such as government salaries, internal memos, expenses, and reports on sensitive subject matters.
There are two main laws that regulate information requests. The provincial law called The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act regulates information in provincial and municipal offices. The federal law called the Access to Information Act regulates information in federal offices. The procedure for requesting information is different for each level of government.
- Provincial and municipal information:
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
To request information from a provincial or municipal office, you must first write a letter to the Freedom of Information Coordinator assigned to the government office from which you want to collect the information. To find out the name and mailing address of the Coordinator, you can call the government office directly or the Ontario Information & Privacy Commissioner. In your letter, state that you are making the request under the The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The Coordinator has 30 days to respond to your request.
If your request is denied, you can appeal to the Information & Privacy Commissioner by filling out forms available at that office, which is listed in the Blue pages of the telephone book.
- Federal information: Access to Information Act
For federal offices, you have the option of making an informal request or a formal request. To make an informal request for information, call the office you want information from and ask who in the office you should make the request to. Write a letter to this person requesting the information.
If your informal request is denied, or you want to make a formal request, you are required to fill out an Access to Information Request Form which is available at most federal government offices. To find the nearest location where forms are available, call the Access to Information office listed in the Blue pages of the telephone book.
Send the Request Form to the Access to Information Coordinator assigned to the office or agency you want information from.
If your request is denied or if you have a complaint about the procedure, you can speak with someone at the office of the Access to Information Commissioner to discuss your options.
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