Freedom of Information

Principals of the Act

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) applies to government organizations, including municipalities, and provides the right of access to records held by the municipality 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; and
• The privacy of individuals with respect to the personal information the municipality collects and maintains shall be protected and decisions on the disclosure of government information may be reviewed by the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

Routine Access to Municipal Government Records

The Township of South-West Oxford endeavours to provide as much information as possible to the public without the necessity of submitting a formal request under the Act. Any person wishing to access any records held by the Township should first contact the Department which holds the records and departmental staff will determine if the request should be submitted formally under MFIPPA, or if the records will be provided as a routine disclosure.

 Formal Requests under MFIPPA

MFIPPA recognizes that the right of access to information is not absolute. In some instances, it is necessary to protect the confidentiality of certain records and to protect the privacy of personal information held by government institutions. Requests for information about another person, or information that contains details regarding a third party, may require a formal request.

 When a Formal Request is Required

Applicants must submit a completed Access/Correction Request form with the mandatory $5.00 application fee, and include as much detail about the information being requested as possible. In addition to the application fee, there may be other fees involved as set out in the Act and its regulations. Applications are to be submitted to the Township of South-West Oxford, Clerk's Department, 312915 Dereham Line, Mount Elgin, ON, N0J 1N0. Applications are available from the Clerk or you may download the Access/Correction Request form here.

How Quickly Can I get the Information?

The Clerk (Head under MFIPPA) responds to all formal MFIPPA requests within 30 days.

Who Determines What Information to Release?

The Clerk evaluates all formal requests and determines what information can be released or, alternatively, information that is subject to one or more of the permitted exemptions under the noted Act and, as such, cannot be released. Examples of permitted exemptions under the MFIPPA include, but are not limited to, information containing solicitor-client privileges; advice or recommendations; and personal privacy matters. Decisions made by the Clerk (Head) are made in accordance with the MFIPPA and are not subject to political involvement.

Fee Details - General Information Requests

There may be fees that may be charged in response to requests for general information, which includes information about a person other than yourself or about a municipal program or activity. 

Additional Charges: If external resources are required by the Township to retrieve the requested information, then the requester will be required to pay for the costs directly associated with retrieving that information.

You will be given a fee estimate, if it is anticipated that the fees will be more than $25.00 and, if the estimate of fees to be paid is $100.00 or more, you may be required to pay a 50% deposit. Fees may be paid by cash, money order, certified cheque, or debit card.