WELCOME!

To assist new Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Co-ordinators, we have compiled a basic web-based tool kit to help get you started. Freedom of Information refers to public access to records relating to activities of government, ranging from administrative and operations to legislation and policy. The underlying objective is open government. Protection of Privacy refers to the safeguarding of personal information held by government organizations, as well as the right of individuals to see their own personal information and have it corrected if necessary.

While your work with the IPC will mostly involve responding to appeals and privacy complaints, we have also included reference to materials on the role of the Co-ordinator as well as on the request stage of the freedom of information process.

GETTING STARTED

Role of the Co-ordinator:

• Backgrounder for Senior Managers on the Role of Freedom of Information and Privacy Co-ordinators relating to Access to Information
• Backgrounder for Senior Managers and Information and Privacy Co-ordinators: Raising the profile of Access and Privacy

The Legislation and Interpretive Tools:

• The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
• The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
• Orders, Complaint Reports & Judicial Reviews

Requests:

• IPC Practices No. 15 - Clarifying Access Requests
• Fees, Fee Estimates and Fee Waivers
• IPC Practices No. 9 - Responding to Requests for Personal Information
• Processing Voluminous Requests: A Best Practice for Institutions
• IPC Practices No. 1 - Drafting a letter Refusing Access to a Record

Appeals:

• The Appeal Process and Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner
• The Appeal Process Flow Chart
• IPC Code of Procedure
• Practice Direction #1 - Providing records to the IPC during an appeal
• Mediation of Appeals Overview

Protection of Privacy:

• Your Privacy and Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner
• Privacy Complaint Process Flow Chart
• What to do if a privacy breach occurs: Guidelines for government organizations
• IPC Practices No. 16 - Maintaining the Confidentiality of Requesters and Privacy Complainants
• IPC Practices No. 20 - Privacy and Confidentiality When Working Outside the Office

THERE'S MORE…ONCE YOU'VE GOT YOUR FEET WET!

You may want to check out the rest of our site - it offers a wealth of resources for Co-ordinators - everything from news releases to publications, presentations and other resources; in particular, the How Things Work section of our site provides a lot more detail about appeals and privacy complaints. And don't forget the Ministry of Government Services (MGS) site at http://www.mgs.gov.on.ca/, which offers, among other things, a comprehensive freedom of information manual.