Recent Articles
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The Absurd Result Principle
It was a privilege to speak last week to all of the attendees of the Freedom of Information Police Network (FOIPN) Fall Conference at the Belleville Police Service Headquarters in Belleville, Ontario. I was asked to deliver a presentation on the Absurd Result Principle, a legal principle with a long history in the Canadian and…
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When is Purchase Agreement Information Exempt as Third Party Information?
Today’s article should be of interest to anyone who applies the mandatory third party exemption in section 17(1) of FIPPA (or its equivalent in section 10(1) of MFIPPA) to purchase agreements, service agreements, and supporting documents such as the records of discussions surrounding decisions to purchase products and/or services. The Divisional Court of Ontario recently…
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Public Employees’ Right of Privacy
Just in time for some “light summer reading”, on June 21, 2022, the Ontario Court of Appeal issued an interesting decision that may have implications for how institutions conduct searches in response to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
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Farewell to AMCTO 2022 Niagara Falls
The 2022 AMCTO Municipal Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario is over. I’m pleased to share that the conference was a huge success for FOI Assist! I met with many municipal representatives, and I was surprised (and pleased!) to learn that most had never heard of the FOI Assist software. There were many requests for “full…
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Hello from AMCTO 2022
Good morning everyone! I’m here at the AMCTO 2022 Municipal Conference in Niagara Falls, Ontario. It feels great to be back at a “real life” event and meeting people in person. There’s been a great crowd, and many municipal employees have been coming by the FOI Assist booth to see and hear about the FOI…
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AMCTO Municipal Monitor (Q2 2022)
The newest issue of the AMCTO Municipal Monitor just came out this week. It includes a very flattering promotional article about the FOI Assist software with testimonials from some of FOI Assist’s terrific municipal clients.
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2022 AMCTO Conference: Getting Ready!
I’m looking forward to representing FOI Assist at the 2022 AMCTO Conference as an exhibitor. It’s just a few days away!
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The “Other Acts” Exclusion
Freedom of Information professionals should be aware of exclusions found in legislation other than FIPPA and MFIPPA that may apply to access requests received by their institution.
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New FIPPA/MFIPPA Reference Card
I have created a 5×7″ double-sided reference card to help FOI Professionals remember some of the tricky details specific to general records requests, access to personal information requests, and correction requests under both the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, including a…
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Third-Party Personal Information
When processing an FOI request for access to personal information, can the institution use FIPPA s.21(1) / MFIPPA s.14(1) to exempt third party personal information from disclosure? The short answer is “no”, but the slightly longer answer is, “not exactly”.
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General Records Requests vs. Personal Information Requests
Today’s article is intended to provide an overview of the similarities and differences between general records requests and access to personal information requests.
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Action plan for large FOI requests
Today’s article is intended to give institutions an initial plan of action they can follow when a large request is received
FOI Assist Knowledge Base 