Recent Articles
-
How many FOI requests should my institution expect to receive?
Every year, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPCO) publishes a statistical report which shows how many FOI requests each institution in Ontario received in a given year, as well as other statistics related to the performance of each institution’s FOI program, such as how many requests were completed in a given year, how…
-
The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Manuals
Wait — there’s more than one? When I was asked to manage the FOI program at the Toronto 2015 Pan Am Games, I spent the first few weeks interpreting FIPPA directly using only David Goodis’s excellent annotated Act. My life got a whole lot easier when I discovered the Ministry of Government Services’ Freedom of Information…
-
When is an FOI Request Frivolous or Vexatious?
FOI Assist presented a free live seminar on the topic of Frivolous and Vexatious Requests on March 24, 2026. View the seminar recap using the link below: FOI Assist Seminar Series: Frivolous and Vexatious Requests Besides the exemptions and exceptions available under Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Municipal…
-
Exemptions vs. Exclusions: What is the difference?
Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and its Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) both provide members of the public with a general right of access to government information, subject to certain exclusions and exemptions. But what is the difference between an “exemption” and an “exclusion”? In…
-
The 2018-2019 Annotated Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Acts by David Goodis
The Annotated Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Acts by David Goodis is the go-to guide to Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) as well as to Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). The 2018-2019 edition just came out this week and my copy…
-
To whom can a head delegate his or her powers and duties?
As discussed previously, both the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FIPPA”) and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“MFIPPA”) impose responsibility for an institution’s FOI program directly on the individual who is the “head” of such institution. However, in practice, at many institutions, the head is not closely…
-
A response to The Toronto Star (and to “FOI reform” articles in general)
News organizations such as The Toronto Star rely on the FOI process to obtain information from government institutions including at the municipal and provincial level. A few times a year, presumably out of frustration with the process, The Star will use their pages to complain about the state of the system — the delays, the…
-
Stop the clock! How different actions affect the deadline
The guidance presented in this article is intended for institutions in Ontario responsible for responding to Freedom Of Information (FOI) requests under either the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) or the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). As noted in the previous article on how to count…
-
Get your head straight – what is the role of your institution’s head?
Every institution to which Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) or its Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) applies has its own function. I’ve set out a few examples below: Institution Function Legislative Assembly of Ontario To represent Ontarians and their constituencies; to debate and pass legislation;…
-
Say what? Clarifying and narrowing requests
Today’s article is intended for institutions in Ontario responsible for responding to FOI requests under either the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) or the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA). Often, an institution will receive an FOI request that is incomplete or unclear. It isn’t always easy to know…
-
Resources for FOI professionals in Ontario
Below are some resources and reference materials that FOI professionals working at Ontario’s provincial and municipal institutions should find helpful. Online Resources Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario https://www.ipc.on.ca/ The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPCO) provides oversight of Ontario’s access and privacy laws. The IPCO website publishes hundreds of guidance documents intended to promote…
-
How to count time and how to determine the initial 30-day deadline
Both federally, under the Access To Information Act (ATIA), as well as provincially in Ontario, under both the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) government institutions are permitted up to thirty (30) days to respond to requests for information. In…
FOI Assist Knowledge Base 