Tag: Deadlines

  • 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).

  • Say what?  Clarifying and narrowing requests

    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…

  • How to count time and how to determine the initial 30-day deadline

    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…

  • What happens if my institution misses the deadline?

    What happens if my institution misses the deadline?

    Freedom Of Information (FOI) laws are intended to provide the public with a right of access to information under the control of government institutions.  When an institution receives a formal FOI request, it is obligated to respond with a decision regarding the disclosure of the requested information within a reasonable timeframe. An effective FOI system…