Access to Information (FOIPP)

Access to Information (FOIPP)

The Council of the Town of Stratford has been implementing improvements to our governance process in order to increase accountability, engagement, transparency and sustainability. 

Effective April 1, 2019, the Town of Stratford will become subject to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Protection (FOIPP) Act (.pdf). The Open Government Bylaw (.pdf) incorporates the applicable requirements of the FOIPP Act which can be broadly summarized as follows:

• Where town records have not already been made available on the website, members of the public have a right to ask for records;
• Requests for records will be completed within 30 days unless extended;
• Information that is harmful to the business interests of a third party, personal privacy, intergovernmental relations, public safety, town confidential or privileged information will not be released;
• Third parties shall be notified and consulted as required;
• The type of personal information that is collected and the manner in which it is collected;
• The protection of personal information;
• The disclosure of personal information;
• The power of the Information and Privacy Commissioner;
• The process for reviews by the Information and Privacy Commissioner; and
• General provisions.

Residents may wish to try other informal means of obtaining the information before making a request using the legislation. Under the FOIPP Act, there is a $5 initial fee to request general records, including additional fees to locate, retrieve, prepare, handle and photocopy records. A member of staff will reach out to the applicant to notify them of the estimated cost of the proceeding before any search for the record begins. The applicant will be required to settle 50% of the estimated fees to initiate their request to access the records and settle the payment in full once the record becomes available. In the event that payment is not received, the record will not be provided and the request will be considered to have been abandoned. 

To initiate a formal request to access records, the request must be made by filling out the FOIPP Form (.docx), including specific and detailed information describing the records. This will help us to search for records of interest to you. For additional information on the FOIPP Act or on making a FOIPP request, please refer to our FAQ page or our Guide on Request to Access Information.

If you choose to make an informal request, it is recommended that you contact the office responsible for the records you are seeking. Please refer to our Staff Directory for contact information.

If you are looking for general information and cannot find it on our website, please let us know at info@townofstratford.ca. All media inquiries and requests for general information can also be sent to the same email address.

You can also reach out to Mayor & Council members.