In 1991, the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) came into force for all municipalities and local boards in Ontario.

Two main purposed of the Act are:

1. To provide the right of access to information held by institutions covered by the Act; subject to limited and specific exemptions.
2. To protect the privacy of individuals with respect to their personal information held by government institutions.

The Clerk's Department administers the Act on behalf of the Municipality of Magnetawan.

The Act has a number of provisions dealing with the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. To access detailed information about exemptions and procedures relating to the Act or its regulations, refer to the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner's Office website at https://www.ipc.on.ca/

How to Make a Request

In most cases, it is not necessary to apply under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act to obtain access to Municipal records.  Requests for information can generally be made by calling, writing, or visiting the Municipal office.  When it is deemed appropriate, department staff may request that a formal MFIPPA request be made.

To request records under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, follow these steps:

Step 1: Complete a Freedom of Information Request Form (PDF). 

Requestors should provide as much detail as they can about the records sought.

Step 2: Forward the completed request form to the Clerk's Department. Please note that there is a standard $5.00 application fee which must accompany your request, payable to the Municipality of Magnetawan. Send the completed request form and payment to:

Clerk's Department
Municipality of Magnetawan
4304 Highway 520 P.O. Box 70
Magnetawan Ontario P0A 1P0

Usually, a request is processed within 30 calendar days, which means that the Municipality must either provide access to the requested record or notify the individual that the information is exempt under the specific provisions of the Act. If the Municipality requires a time extension for any reason, the requestor will be notified.

Fees

When the Municipality must spend time assembling the records responsive to a request, the Act provides for the application of fees. In addition to the $5.00 application fee, the Act provides that the costs are borne by those who request access to information.

Additional fees, which may be applied in accordance with the Act, include photocopying (20 cents per page) and search and preparation time ($7.50 per 15 minutes per staff). This charge may be applied for every hour of manual search time needed to locate a record and/or the time involved in physically severing exempt material in preparation for disclosure. If the record has to be shipped, the requestor will be charged the applicable fee for postage and/or courier that may be applied.