Freedom of Information

You can make a request for Township of Gillies records information by filling out the Access Form or writing a letter stating exactly what information you are looking for, and paying a mandatory $5 application fee.

Fee

Pay the $5 application fee in cash in person, or by cheque. There may be additional fees for records. You will need to pay the fees before you can have the records and will be required to pay a deposit of half the estimated amount for all estimates over $50.00.

A 30 day response timeline begins once the Clerk receives your request along with the $5.00 fee. The response will be that you either receive the record(s) as requested, or you will be provided an explain as to why the record(s) is/are unavailable.

Additional fees will apply if records are found. You will be given a fee estimate if anticipated fees are $25.00 or more. If the estimate of fees to be paid is $50.00 or more, you will be required to pay a 50% deposit. Please note that the fee charges are prescribed by section 45 of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and section 6 of the Regulations and Guidelines for Municipalities and Local Boards.

All monies are payable by cash, money order or certified cheque only.

Permitted fees

Permitted fees are:

• Application Fee - $5.00
• Copies - $0.20 per page
• Computer Disks - $10.00 per disk (the Township does not have computer disk capability and a USB will be provided in its place for the same fee)
• Search Time - $7.50 per 15 minutes
• Preparation Time - $7.50 per 15 minutes
• Computer Programming - $15.00 per 15 minutes
• Costs for external services - as invoiced
• Shipping costs - as invoiced

Public records are available to anyone and do not need a formal request.

For example:

• Council and Committee Minutes
• By-laws
• Policies

The MFIPPA gives you the right to ask for any municipal information. You will be given most information, unless it falls under one of the ten specific exemptions. For detailed information about exemptions and procedures relating to the Act or its regulations, visit website of the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Protecting personal privacy

The Act also requires the municipality to protect the personal privacy of the people whose information we have. It tells us how to collect, store, and use your personal information, and who we can give it to. It also lets you correct your own personal information if you think we have it wrong in our records.

Under the Act, the head of the Corporation is responsible for access decisions. For the Township of Gillies, Council has designated the Municipal Clerk-Treasurer as the person responsible for daily administration.

The Township of Gillies takes the privacy of its citizens and employees very seriously. Personal information is collected and used only for specific purposes, which are identified at the time of collection, and it will not be disclosed except in rare circumstances when required by law. Please contact the Municipal Clerk if you have any questions or concerns about access to municipal records and the protection of your privacy.

Personal information is defined as: recorded information about an identifiable individual, including,

• Information relating to the race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation or marital or family status of the individual;
• Information relating to the education or the medical, psychiatric, psychological, criminal or employment history of the individual or information relating to financial transactions in which the individual has been involved;
• Any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual;
• The address, telephone number, fingerprints or blood type of the individual;
• The personal opinions or views of the individual except if they relate to another individual;
• Correspondence sent to an institution by the individual that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature, and replies to that correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence;
• The views or opinions of another individual about the individual; and
• The individual's name if it appears with other personal information relating to the individual or where the disclosure of the name would reveal other personal information about the individual.

Correcting personal information

If you think that personal information the municipality has about you is wrong or some information is missing, you have the right to make a correction. Depending what the information is, you may be able to make the correction by contacting the department directly, so that is the best place to start.

If you would like to make a formal request, fill out the Correction Request form. You then submit the form with your $5 application fee to the municipality.

When the municipality decides whether the correction will be made, you will be notified. Decisions can be appealed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Appealing a decision

If you are not happy with the information provided in response to your request, please contact the Clerk first to try and explain the situation. If you are still not happy, you can appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC).

To make an appeal to the IPC, you will need to fill out the IPC's appeal form and also send:

1. A copy of your original request for information;
2. A copy of our decision letter; and
3. A fee payable to the "Minister of Finance". The appeal fee is $10.00 for personal information and $25.00 for any other kind of information.

Contact information

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

Privacy complaint

If you think that your personal information was collected, used or revealed improperly by the Township of Gillies, you have the right to question our actions and to file a complaint.

You can make your complaint directly to Gillies Township by contacting the Municipal Clerk and we can work with you to resolve the issue:

Or you can make your complaint directly to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC). You will need to fill out their privacy complaint form and send it to:

Registrar
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
Suite 1400, 2 Bloor Street East
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8
1-800-387-0073