Information Access and Privacy

Peterborough County provides public access to certain municipal records without requiring a FOI request. Policy CORP-23 - Routine Disclosure/Active Dissemination Policy establishes the framework for providing public records and information while meeting the requirements and abiding by the exemptions of MFIPPA.

To find out if the records you need are available without making a FOI request, reach out to the department responsible for those records. County staff will then assess whether:

• 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.

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

• County Council and Committee reports, agendas, minutes, by-laws, and policies
• Your own severance application records
• Your own personal health information relating to your involvement with Peterborough County/City Paramedics
• Your own Human Resources information (if you are or were an employee of Peterborough County)
• Historic or archived records from pre-amalgamation of Townships
• Documents required to be publicly available under various laws

 The following types or records are commonly requested by a formal FOI Request:

• Public Works records regarding maintenance of roads
• Other County-held records that may contain personal information, or where another exemption under MFIPPA may apply

All formal FOI requests must:

• be made in writing on the Freedom of Information Access Request Form containing:
• 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

The County Clerk's Office will process the request by following the regulations in MFIPPA. Please note that the legislated timeframe does not begin until the application is complete which includes the receipt of the $5.00 fee.

Normally requests are processed within 30 days, however, extensions may be requested due to the volume of records. The 30 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 County Clerk's Office by email at ClerksOffice@ptbocounty.ca, or call 705-743-0380 ext. 2101.

Peterborough County FOI Request Form