Freedom of Information

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) requires the Town of Arnprior to ensure that information is publically available while also protecting personal information that is in our custody.

Accessing Information

Routine Disclosure of information is available for certain records under By-law Number 6645-16. Some information and records may require you to submit a formal written request for access to information under the MFIPPA. Contact the Clerks Office to find out if the information you want requires a formal request.

Please complete the Freedom of Information Request Form and submit it along with a $5 application fee to the Town Hall.

We will process your request within 30 days of receiving the request. If the request is going to take longer, we will advise you about the time extension required.

Fees

Fees are set by the Provincial Government and are based on searching, preparing and photocopying records. If the total amount is over $25, we will provide you with a written cost estimate before processing your request.

Search, consultation and preparation time at a rate of $ 7.50 per 15 minutes;
Photocopies at a rate of .20 per page;
Other fees charged as invoiced (courier costs etc.)

You must pay all fees before we will release the records.

Exemptions

In most cases, we grant full access to requests. However, the Act contains a number of mandatory and discretionary exemptions, which allow the Town to deny access to records containing certain types of information.

Mandatory exemptions

We may deny access to records that fall within the mandatory exemptions. This includes:

Information received in confidence from another government.
Financial or commercial information supplied in confidence where providing the information could harm the interests of another party.
Personal information about individuals other than yourself if the disclosure is an unjustified invasion of personal privacy.

Discretionary exemptions

For the following information requests, it is up to the Town of Arnprior whether to release the information. These requests include:

Draft by-laws and records of closed meetings of Council or committees.
Advice or recommendations of an employee or consultant.
By-law enforcement matters.
Release of information that could harm the financial or other interests of the municipality.
Information under solicitor-privilege, such as legal advice.
Information which could endanger the health and safety of an individual.
Information already available to the public through another means or is soon to be published.

Appeals

If you are not satisfied with our response to your request for information you can appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.