The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) requires municipal institution to protect the privacy of an individual's personal information existing in government records. The Act provides individuals the right to access municipal government information, including most general records containing their own personal information, subject to very specific exemptions. The Act also provides individuals the right to request a correction of their personal information which they believe to be inaccurate.
The purpose of MFIPPA is to ensure that the public has a right to access the information kept by the municipality and to also ensure that personal information kept by the municipality is kept private. MFIPPA applies to all municipalities in Ontario.
The guiding principle of MFIPPA is that the public has the right to access any information, including their own personal information, held by institutions covered by the Act, and that information should be made available to the public;
- Any person may make a request for information held by the institution covered by the Act
- Any exemptions from the right of access to information should be limited and specific;
- Individuals have a right to the protection of personal information held by institutions under the Act;
- Any decisions relating to access to information can be reviewed independently by the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC).
The Municipality of Grey Highlands is required to follow the rules set out in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).
Some information may routinely be made available to the public without a formal freedom of information request. Routine Disclosure is the release of certain types of records in response to an informal rather than formal request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Most requests for information can be resolved without the formal use of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. Fees for requests for information outside of the Act are based on the Municipality's Fees and Charges By-Law. Check with the applicable department for the fees associated with your request.
A formal request is only needed if the request includes personal information or if one of the exemptions set out in the Act applies to the information being requested.
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Exemptions - Limited and Specific |
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In many cases, requesters are granted full access to the requested information. However, the Act contains a number of mandatory and discretionary exemptions which allow for the protection of certain types of information. The exemptions are: Mandatory Exemptions:
Discretionary Exemptions:
For example, if a record contains someone else's personal information, or other information which was provided to the municipality in confidence, the municipality may still provide the document with the personal information severed. All requesters receive a decision letter outlining the access decision, costs and appeal process. If information has been severed, or documents not provided, the exemptions that were applied will be listed. |
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How to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) Request |
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Complete the request form and submit it to the Municipal Office along with the $5.00 application fee to: Municipality of Grey Highlands 206 Toronto Street South Markdale ON N0C 1H0 |
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| Protecting your Personal Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Protecting your personal information and privacy is very important to the Municipality. The municipality collects your personal information for many activities, services and programs. We must protect your personal information from unauthorized collection, use and disclosure. You have the right to access your own information and to request that inaccurate information be corrected. The municipality cannot collect your personal information unless it is legally authorized to do so by statute. With few exceptions, personal information must be collected directly from you and must give you advance notice of:
The municipality cannot use your personal information except as permitted under MFIPPA. Without your permission, personal information can only be used for the purpose for which it was collected or a consistent purpose. When personal information is used, the municipality must take reasonable steps to ensure the information is accurate.
Please be aware that all communications supplied to the Municipality may be made available to the public. All comments received in relation to a public planning application will be included in the public planning file that is accessible to the public once supplied to the Planning Department and may include any contact information supplied unless expressly requested otherwise. |
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| Disclosing your Personal Information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The municipality is committed to protecting your personal information and keeping it confidential and secure. Your written permission is required for the municipality to share your information with anyone else. However, there are some circumstances where the municipality may disclose your personal information to others without your consent. Your information will be shared with the following parties under these circumstances:
Please be aware that all communications supplied to the Municipality may be made available to the public. All comments received in relation to a public planning application will be included in the public planning file that is accessible to the public once supplied to the Planning Department and may include any contact information supplied unless expressly requested otherwise. |
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Fees under the Act |
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The Act provides for a mandatory $5.00 application fee which must accompany each request for information. If multiple property addresses are requested, we will require a separate application form and application fee for each address. Requests cannot be initiated until the $5.00 fee is received. Cheques are to be made payable to the "Municipality of Grey Highlands."
Additional fees may be charged under section 45 of the Act. The $5.00 application fee cannot be waived and is non-refundable.
Personal Information Requests: If an individual is requesting personal information (as defined under the Act) about yourself, the request is considered a "personal information request". The following fees may apply to requests for personal information:
General Information Requests: Requests for information about a person other than yourself, property, or about a municipal service, program or activity are considered "general information requests" and have different fees than for personal information requests. The following fees apply for requests for general information:
Fee Estimates If it is anticipated that fees are more than $25.00, you may be given a fee estimate. If the estimate of fees to be paid is $100.00 or more, you will receive an estimate and may be required to pay a 50% deposit.
Other Fees: Appeals - General $25.00 - Payable to the Information and Privacy Commissioner Appeals - Personal $10.00 - Payable to the Information and Privacy Commissioner More information regarding the appeal process may be obtained from the IPC's official website at www.ipc.on.ca. |
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Timelines to Process a Request & Obtaining Information |
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The municipality will respond to a request within 30 calendar days of receiving the request, sufficient clarification and payment of the $5.00 application fee. For requests that involve a large number of records, an extensive search, or consultation with an external third party, the time may be extended. Requesters will be advised of a time extension. Due to privacy concerns, records will not be sent electronically. When your request is complete and records ready, you will have the option to pick them up at the Municipal Office or have them mailed (upon request). If you are requesting access to personal information, the records will need to be picked up at the Municipal Office and you will be asked to provide proof of your identity prior to any records being released. |
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| Appealing a Decision of the Municipality | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Requesters have the right to appeal the Municipality's decision to their request to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC). The Information and Privacy Commissioner is an independent body which makes impartial decisions under the Act. To file an appeal, requesters should write to the Commissioner and request a review of the decision within 30 calendar days of receiving their decision letter. Appeals can be filed 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. The following items also need to be submitted with the appeal:
The Commissioner's Office is located at: 2 Bloor St East, Suite 1400 More information regarding the appeal process may be obtained from the IPC's official website at www.ipc.on.ca. |
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| Historical Property Research | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Our property files generally only contain information related to applications that were approved by the Municipality (i.e: building permits, planning applications, etc) and may be subject to records management archival and destruction limits. We do not house historic or cultural information (unless it is a heritage designated property) and the majority of information we have available for any property generally only goes back to the 1990s or early 2000s. Historic information (if available) is archived at Grey Roots Museum and Archives. Another option is to contact Grey Roots Museum and Archives and see if they have information that may be of assistance. Historical by-laws and minutes from the previous municipalities are housed there and they have a fantastic archives and research division. Archives and Research | Grey Roots Official Property Related information such as parcel registers and documents registered on title can be found by contacting the Ontario Land Registry Office. They offer an online repository for all legal instruments that have been registered on title to the property. Homepage - Ontario Land Registry Access (onland.ca) LRO Location is Grey 16. |
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| Completed Requests | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Access to previously completed requests below:Applicants may submit an FOI request for any of the below completed requests by filling out the FOI Request Form and submitting it with the $5 fee. The documents will be reviewed and released only in accordance with the Act. 20222022-001 - Closed session meeting minutes April 2021 The Minutes of a Town Council meeting held April 21, 2021. The agenda has a closed session at 6:25 pm which Karen Govan was in attendance to discuss a tax collection matter. A copy of the Minutes is requested. (*Clarity - meeting date was actually April 7, 2021 - requester was subject of the matter) 20212021-001 - 105 Toronto Street South Documents and reports pertaining to 105 Toronto Street South, Markdale, ON (lot 102 and 103, Con 1) Grey Highlands including:
2021-002 - Dog Incident October 12, 2020 Complete File for Dog Attack incident which occurred on October 12, 2020 on Grey Road 31 and Grey Road 2, Singhampton, ON
2021-003 - Fire Department File October 5, 2021 Complete copy of the Fire Department file with respect to the motor vehicle accident, including any 911 call audio, which occurred on October 5, 2020 on Grey Road 31 and Road 57.
2021-004 - 71 McDuff All information on file with By-law Enforcement from January 1, 2019 to the present related to 71 McDuff Street in Markdale.
2021-005 - Talisman Properties Sale of Land - *Under Appeal
2021-006 - Building Permits Building Permit stamped drawings of residential building resident at current address (194789 Grey Road 13) and Part of Lot 27 Concession 14 Plan Survey #16R-8667.
2021-007 - 185 John Street Anything where the building department has been involved with work proposed, submitted, ongoing, and or completed on the property. The first request that I know of is 1989 for a proposed building on the property. 20202020-001 - Hwy 10 and GR 12 Camera Footage Request A complete copy of the camera footage from the intersection of Highway 10 and Grey Road 12 and the surrounding areas on November 22, 2019 from 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm.
2020-002 - Z37.2019 - Mayor McQueen Communications All communication from the public to Mayor Paul McQueen regarding File Z37.2019 in the form of email, written letters, fax, phone and by any electronic means from March 1, 2020 to July 13, 2020.
2020-003 - Z37.2019 - Councillor Little Communications All communication from the public to Councillor Cathy Little regarding File Z37.2019, at the Council meeting of June 17, 2020, in the form of email, written letters, fax, phone and by any electronic means.
2020-004 - Z37.2019 - Documents regarding Petition All documentation regarding the petition submitted by Mr. Don Swindell in response to file Z37.2019, to Grey Highlands Council and the Planning Department of Grey Highlands, with particular attention to any efforts made by the town to confirm the validity of the petition and confirmation of all signatures on it.
2020-005 - By-law enforcement/infractions re: 315219 Third Line A, All complaints or comments to the Grey Highlands By-law Enforcement Officer regarding by-law enforcement/infractions re: 315219 Third Line A, Flesherton between April 1 and August 31, 2020 by telephone, email, written form or any electronic means. To include the time the complaint was made.
2020-006 - Campground Complaint Request information on who filed a complaint.
2020-007 - Lot 1010, Main Street Property – Lot 101, Main street East Rd, Grey Highlands. All correspondence between city and current owner, draft plans, site plans, assessments, environmental report, all other reports, and expropriation details.
2020-008 - [Name] Planning documents Documents pertaining to letters of concern/complaints made by [Name] on various subjects, to the Municipality of Grey Highlands, Town Council, Mayor, Planning Department, Municipal Clerk, Corporate Services Clerk between 2008 and the present; as well as any responses/actions taken as a result of these concerns/complaints.
2020-009 - By-law complaint files - [Name] All complaint files regarding [Name] that were reported to By-law within the last 10 years. 20192019-001 - Talisman Mountain Resort Pertaining to Talisman Mountain Resort 1. Status of Loan in the amount of $800,000 2. Status of Property Tax and Water Accounts 3. Copy of Sale Agreement of Talisman
2019-002 - 27 Victoria Pertaining to the complaint made regarding 27 Victoria Ave. Markdale
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