Institutions regularly generate and receive a wide variety of records, but not every record is intended for long-term retention. Records that serve only temporary purposes and hold no ongoing institutional or public value are known as transitory records.

Identifying Transitory Records

Transitory records are usually identified by their short-term nature and limited utility. They may include items such as notifications about upcoming meetings, internal events like staff social gatherings, or casual updates with no lasting significance. Transitory records can also include duplicate copies of documents, or reports where the official version is already maintained elsewhere. Preliminary drafts that do not contain significant annotations, decisions, or changes, as well as “FYI” or “CC” communications requiring no action, also typically fall into this category. Additionally, reference materials such as external newsletters, publications, media clippings, and casual or personal communications unrelated to the institution’s operational decisions can be considered transitory.

According to the Government of Ontario’s official definition:

Transitory records are records of temporary usefulness in any format or medium, created or received by a public body in carrying out its activities, having no ongoing value beyond an immediate and minor transaction or the preparation of a subsequent record. Transitory records are of such short-term value that they are not required to meet legal or fiscal obligations, initiate, sustain, evaluate or provide evidence of decision-making, administrative or operational activities.

Archives Ontario, Common Records Series for Transitory Records

Handling Transitory Records

Transitory records may have limited long-term value, but that doesn’t mean they can simply be ignored! Records management policies should clearly distinguish between transitory and non-transitory records, and provide explicit guidelines on identifying and handling each type.

The Government of Ontario’s Common Records Series for Transitory Records makes it clear that under provincial rules, transitory records can typically be destroyed “immediately when the material is no longer required”. This is different from non-transitory records, which often must be retained for months or years after their purpose has been fulfilled. The Common Records Series provides specifics of the distinctions to be drawn between different types of transitory records, such as advertising records, “records of short-term value” and draft documents, but as a general rule, transitory records may be deleted as soon as they are no longer actively being used.

Downsides to Unnecessarily Retaining Transitory Records

Holding onto transitory records longer than necessary can negatively impact institutional efficiency. It can increase both physical and digital storage costs, make it more challenging and time-consuming to locate essential records, and complicate responses to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests due to the increased volume of records that must be reviewed. Further, excessive retention of transitory records can create confusion about which records are considered authoritative or official, potentially affecting decision-making processes and clarity of information.

FOI Requests and Transitory Records

As explained in the Common Records Series for Transitory Records, another downside of retaining transitory records longer than necessary is that they remain subject to FOI requests and legal discovery as long as they are retained:

Transitory Records are subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and legal discovery.
Transitory records, like any other public records, may have to be reviewed and disclosed in response to a formal request for information (note: even if they have been kept when they could have been destroyed). Given that transitory records are retained for only as long as they are actively used or referred to and then destroyed, this may have implications for FIPPA access requests and legal action. When a FIPPA access request is received, any transitory records that are responsive to the request must not be destroyed until the request has been processed and any appeal period has elapsed. Similarly, transitory records related to any legal action must not be destroyed during the course of the legal action.

Archives Ontario, Common Records Series for Transitory Records

In other words, when an institution receives an FOI request, any transitory records responsive to that request must be preserved until the request has been fully processed. Deleting or disposing of responsive transitory records after the institution becomes aware of an FOI request is strictly prohibited. Therefore, institutions may wish to prioritize the deletion of transitory records as part of routine, pre-established records management processes (but never in response to an FOI or legal discovery request).

Additional Examples of Transitory Records

Below are typical examples of records that may be considered transitory:

• Emails announcing holiday closures or internal social events, such as staff parties or fundraisers.
• Simple notices or calendar invitations about upcoming meetings or appointments.
• Duplicate copies of internal memos, newsletters, or circulated reports.
• Preliminary or draft documents without significant feedback, annotations, or decision-making content.
• Collected reference materials, such as external news articles, academic papers, or industry publications used solely for temporary background information.
• Brief internal reminders or administrative notices.
• Routine “FYI” or “CC” emails not requiring a response or further action.
• Notices about building maintenance, routine IT updates, or office relocations.
• Invitations to attend webinars, training sessions, or conferences that do not require further action.
• Personal communications between colleagues that do not relate to business operations or decisions.
• Minor drafts not circulated for comment.
• Drafts representing stylistic, spelling or grammatical changes,
• Rough notes, outlines and calculations.
• Electronic transmittal files that are used to send information to another location that become obsolete at the once the action is complete.
• Input documents that become obsolete once the data entry is validated and/or backed-up.

For additional details (or when in doubt) consult your institution’s own records management policy and/or the Common Records Series for Transitory Records for further guidance.

Tips for Handling Transitory Records

Institutions may consider directing their employees to periodically review their records to identify and appropriately delete transitory records once they have served their purpose, and should encourage employees to delete unneeded transitional record “clutter” on an ongoing basis (often as it arrives) as part of their daily routine. It can be helpful to maintain a clear and up-to-date records retention schedule that outlines procedures for the disposal of transitory records.

By regularly identifying and disposing of records that no longer have value, institutions can reduce unnecessary storage costs and eliminate clutter, making it easier and faster to locate important official (non-transitory) records. Proper management of transitory records can also simplify Freedom of Information (FOI) requests by reducing the volume of records that need to be searched, reviewed and disclosed. A proactive approach can help compliance with records management policies and obligations under the Archives and Recordkeeping Act, 2006, the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

Resources

• Government of Ontario, Common Records Series for Transitory Records
• Archives and Recordkeeping Act, 2006
• Archives Ontario, The Fine Art of Destruction: Weeding Out Transitory Records
• Carleton University, Introduction to Records Management

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