Freedom of Information Request | City of Kawartha Lakes

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) provides a process to access the general records held by municipalities and an individual's own personal information. The spirit of the Act is to create an open and accountable government by providing as much information as possible to the public, while ensuring that all individual's personal privacy is protected. A request under this Act is commonly known as an FOI (Freedom of Information) Request.

Note: While any municipal records may be requested by a FOI Request, this process may not always the most efficient or best 'tool in the toolbox' to obtain the records you are looking for. We're here to help: If you have questions about obtaining municipal records, contact us at 705-324-9411 ext. 1322.

The City makes some municipal records accessible to the public without a FOI request. To access records and information you should always first contact the department who has the records and information you are looking for. Department staff will determine if:

the records can be supplied to you directly through an informal process
the request should be a formal FOI request
the records can be supplied to you through their department's routine disclosure practice (fees may apply)

Rules governing access and release of information are outlined within MFIPPA and apply to both formal and informal requests.

For an accessible version, please use the Online Freedom Of Information Request Form

Freedom Of Information Request Form Kawartha Lakes

Records Publicly Available

You are able to request the following records without a formal FOI request (exceptions may apply):

City Council and Committee reports, agendas, minutes, by-laws, and policies
Your own building permit
Your own planning and zoning records
Your own fire permit or inspection records
Your own personal health information relating to your involvement with the Kawartha Lakes Paramedics
Your property tax bill (fees may apply)
Assessment Roll Book information for any property in Kawartha Lakes
Your own Human Resources information (if you are an employee of Kawartha Lakes)
Historic or archived records from pre-amalgamation municipalities
Documents required to be publicly available under various laws (e.g. Municipal Election Candidate paperwork)

Records Requiring an FOI

The following types of records are commonly requested through a formal FOI Request (other records may also be available):

Ontario Works files (including files of Haliburton County residents)
Incident Reports by the Kawartha Lakes Fire Rescue Service
Municipal Law Enforcement case files
Building Department Inspection files for properties that are not your own
Public Works records regarding maintenance of roads
Other City-held records that may contain personal information, or where another exemption under MFIPPA may apply

Protection of Privacy

The City of Kawartha Lakes is committed to the Protection of Privacy in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. More information can be found on our Privacy Policy and Statement page .

Personal Privacy: Can I know the name of the person who complained about me to the municipality?

Generally, the answer is: no (very few exceptions apply). Municipalities are obligated to comply the privacy provisions of MFIPPA which protect personal information of complainants (including their names, contact information, and their statements) to law enforcement agencies (such as Municipal Law Enforcement, Fire Department, etc.). If you requested this information with a formal Freedom of Information Request, you'll likely get a fair amount of information redacted (blacked out), or potentially not disclosed at all. Should you disagree with the municipality's application of the legislation, appeal rights exist through the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

MFIPPA

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act outlines the process that must be followed and explains exemptions that the City may apply to records prior to releasing them to the requestor. It also sets out an Appeal process should the requestor disagree with the decision made by the City.

MFIPPA is designed to do 3 key things:

Provide access to Government Information;
Protect the Privacy of individuals personal information held by the government; and
Allow the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario to supervise the application of the law for all levels of government.

Records not Available through the City

The City of Kawartha Lakes does not hold all government information in Kawartha Lakes. For the government agencies/institutions listed below, the best approach is to file your FOI request directly with them:

Kawartha Lakes Police Service
- including 911 call transcripts for fire, paramedic, and police call in Kawartha Lakes
- covering the geographic areas of the former Town of Lindsay, and the former Township of Ops)
OPP (Ontario Provincial Police, Kawartha Lakes Detachment)
- covering all other geographic areas of Kawartha Lakes outside of Lindsay and Ops
Kawartha Conservation
Lakelands Public Health (Haliburton Kawartha Pine Ridge District Health Unit)
Ross Memorial Hospital
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
Trillium Lakelands District School Board (TLDSB)
Nearby Municipalities not part of the City of Kawartha Lakes:
- The Township of North Kawartha (in Peterborough County: Apsley, and townships of Anstruther, Burleigh and Chandos)
- The Municipality of Trent Lakes (in Peterborough County: Buckhorn and areas east of Bobcaygeon and Kinmount in Galway, Cavendish or Harvey townships)

Making a Formal FOI Request

All formal FOI requests must:

be made in writing on the Freedom of Information Access Request Form containing:
- an original signature
- a clear description of the records requested (Note: to avoid clarifications, we recommend making a numbered list of requested records instead of a list of questions)
- a time frame the records may be from
- your contact information
include the $5.00 application fee (payable by cheque via mail, or made in person by cash, debit, or credit)
- additional fees will apply if records are found ($30/hour for search, $30/hour for preparation/redaction, and $0.20 per page)
- No search or preparation fees will be charged for requests of your own personal information
- If fees are anticipated to exceed $100, you will receive a fee estimate and be requested to supply a 50% deposit before the search for records begins
include the following additional information if you are acting as a legal professional on behalf of a client:
- a signed letter of consent to act on his/her behalf; and
- a photocopy of a piece of your clients identification with a signature (such as a driver's licence) for verification purposes

Deliver all of the above material to in person to Kawartha Lakes City Hall, or any Municipal Service Centre if accessing City Hall is difficult for you.

You may also mail or send by courier all of the above information to:

Kawartha Lakes City Hall
26 Francis Street
PO Box 9000
Lindsay, ON K9V 5R8
Attn: Office of the City Clerk

The City Clerk's Office will process the request by following the regulations in MFIPPA. Normally requests are processed within 45 business days, however, extensions may be requested due to the volume of records. The 45 business day time line does not apply if records contain third party information.

If you have questions about the formal FOI process, feel free to contact the City Clerk's Office by email, or call 705-324-9411 ext. 1322

For an accessible version, please use the Online Freedom Of Information Request Form

Freedom Of Information Request Form Kawartha Lakes

Online Freedom of Information Requests

Freedom of Information Requests may also be filed electronically using our online application process. Using this online process will allow the Municipal Clerk's Office Staff 1-5 business days to review:

Whether or not your request requires a formal Freedom of Information request or if the records are already publicly accessible online or through some other process;
If the records being requested are maintained by the City of Kawartha Lakes or another government institution; and/or
If clarification of the requested records are required.

Once the request is determined to be valid, and clear to staff, you will receive an online payment email to pay your $5.00 application fee. Once the application fee is received, the 45 business day response timeline will begin. The final fees for search, preparation, and copies noted above still apply. Separate documentation may also need to be emailed to the Clerk's Office to proceed (such as a letter of consent, or copies of ID). If the $5.00 application fee has been requested of you via email, you will have 40 days to pay the fee, otherwise the online request will be considered abandoned and closed.

For the most prompt service, we recommend attending the Office of the City Clerk (26 Francis St. Lindsay, ON) in person to allow staff to accept payment and make any clarifications of your request form with you in-person.

Online Application for Freedom of Information Requests

If you've never made a Formal Access Request to a government institution, the process can seem difficult to understand at first. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario has provided a helpful podcast to listen to assist you in Demystifying the FOI Process:

The process is outlined below: