Category: Uncategorized

  • Receiving an FOI Request from a Lawyer

    Receiving an FOI Request from a Lawyer

    When you have received a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request from a lawyer, there are a few things to consider: Is your organization obligated to respond to FOI requests? An earlier article, Do I have to respond to a Freedom Of Information (FOI) request?, may help you answer this question.  Keep in mind this guidance applies only…

  • Requests for Personal Information with the Consent of the Individual

    Requests for Personal Information with the Consent of the Individual

    Institutions are sometimes faced with a request from someone who purports to be acting on behalf or with the consent of the individual whose personal information is being requested.  The requestor in this case may be a lawyer, insurance company, or agent, or it may simply be a friend a relative who is helping the…

  • Verifying the Identity of the Requestor

    Verifying the Identity of the Requestor

    The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Manual (the “FOI Manual”) notes that when a requestor asks an institution for the requestor’s own personal information, the institution must first verify the identity of the requestor before any personal information is disclosed.  The FOI Manual suggests that an institution may be able to fulfill the…

  • The FOI Request Process Poster

    The FOI Request Process Poster

    I’ve created a “flowchart” poster which describes the entire process of answering an FOI request for records under Ontario’s Freedom Of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) as well as under Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

  • Leave no paper trail?

    Leave no paper trail?

    “Family minister’s foster care review instructions leave no paper trail” Katie Nicholson, Joanne Levasseur · CBC News · Posted: Feb 20, 2019 4:00 AM CT The article above appeared on the CBC website just this morning.  I think it offers an important lesson to institutions who may be tempted to avoid keeping appropriate written records as a way of limiting their…

  • How many FOI requests should my institution expect to receive?

    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…