Due to the exceptional nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, the public should be aware that the Township of Gillies has a limited capability at this time to receive, process and respond to requests in a timely manner. As such, our ability to respond to requests within the MFIPPA legislated timelines may be impacted.

If your request is not urgent, we ask that you wait to submit your request until normal operations resume. For immediate questions contact the Municipal Clerk.

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience that this may cause for you and invite you to call 807 475-3185 or email the Municipal Clerk if you have any questions.

Everyone has the right to request access to township records. The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) grants to access to records. The Act applies to local government organizations, including municipalities, police services boards, school boards, conservation authorities, and boards of health.

 Making a request or correcting your own personal 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 fees for records. You will need to pay the fees before you can have the records.

 

When the Township of Gillies Municipal Clerk receives your request, we have 30 days to respond. The response will either have the records you asked for, or will explain why we cannot give you those records.

 Additional Fees
 

We may charge additional fees if your request involves a great deal of staff time in order to complete, or involves a large number of documents. The payment and amount of fees are set out in section 45(1) of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and sections 6, 6.1, 7 and 9 of Regulation 823 under the Act.

Permitted fees

Permitted fees are:

  • Application Fee - $5.00
  • Copies - $0.20 per page
  • Computer Disks - $10.00 per disk
  • 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
 

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

For example:

  • Council and Committee Minutes
  • By-laws
  • Policies & Procedures
  • Budgets

Many reports are available without making a formal request. Contact the Municipal Clerk first to see if you can have it without making a formal request.

 Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
 

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.

Personal Privacy

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