Freedom of Information

Freedom of Information Request

Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) you have the right to request access to records held by government organizations in accordance with the following principles:

Information should be made available to the public;
Individuals should have access to their own personal information;
Exceptions to access should be limited and specific;
The privacy of individuals with respect to the personal information that government organization collect and maintain shall be protected; and
Decisions on the disclosure of government information may be reviewed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Requests: formal vs. informal

To access records held by the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority (LSRCA), we suggest that you first contact the department that holds the records. The staff in that department can determine if a formal MFIPPA request is needed. The LSRCA tries to provide as much information as possible to the public without the need to make a formal request under MFIPPA. However, requests for information containing personal information or third party information may require a formal request.

What kind of information can I request?

A record is defined as any record of information, however recorded, whether in printed form on file, by electronic means or otherwise, and includes:

correspondence, a memorandum, a book, a plan, a map, a drawing, a diagram, a pictorial or graphic work, a photograph, a film, a microfilm, a sound recording, a videotape, a machine readable record, any other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics.

In general, personal information is not disclosed at any time unless:

the person to whom the information relates has consented to its disclosure; or
disclosure is by a law enforcement institution

How to make a formal request

Complete the online form or write a letter stating that you are requesting information under MFIPPA. It’s important to include as much detail as possible about the information you’re requesting.
Submit the request by email or by post mail, along with the legislated $5 application fee to:

Freedom of Information Coordinator
Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority
120 Bayview Parkway, Newmarket ON L3Y 3W3
Email: FOI@lsrca.on.ca
A request is typically processed within 30 days of receipt of payment.

Fees

The following fees may be charged in response to requests for information.

Application fee: $5 to be paid when you submit your request.
Search time: $7.50 for each 15 minutes required to search and retrieve records.
Record preparation: $7.50 for each 15 minutes required to prepare records for release.
Photocopying: $0.20 per page.
Computer programming: $15 for each 15 minutes needed to develop a program to retrieve information.
CDs: $10 for each CD.

You will be given a fee estimate if the fees are likely to be more than $25. If the estimate is $100 or more, you may have to pay a 50% deposit. Fees may be paid by cash, money order, certified cheque (payable to the Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority), debit card, Visa, or MasterCard.

How we process your request

Once we identify and retrieve the information, we review each record to ensure they are in full compliance with the Act and are fully responsive to your request. Processing the information to be disclosed includes:

removing non-responsive or exempt (i.e. personal and/or legal) information from records
issuing interim decision letters regarding fee estimates, third party notices, time extensions, etc. (if applicable);
providing decision letters, in most cases, within the legislated 30-day response period after date of application;

Appeals

If you are not satisfied with the access decision(s) made by LSRCA in response to your request, you may, within 30 days of receiving the decision, request that the decision be reviewed by writing to:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Telephone: 1-800-387-0073
Website: www.ipc.on.ca