Any individual can request access to records in the Town’s custody and control by submitting a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. This process is governed by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).

FOI requests should not be submitted for information that is already available on the Town website, from a Town department by request, or for information that is held by other governments or government agencies.

MFIPPA establishes a general right of access to the information held by local governments and institutions. The Act also protects the privacy of individual’s personal information that are part of government records.

Before you submit an FOI request

FOI requests are to be used for accessing specific records in the Town’s custody and control. The FOI process cannot be used to ask staff to conduct research, answer general questions, create new records*, or interpret the contents and/or context of Town records on the requester’s behalf. 

*In some cases, a request for data that does not reside in record form may be processed through FOI if staff can be expected to create such a record without it unreasonably interfering with Town operations (e.g. exporting existing data from a database into a report). Requests of this nature must be evaluated by staff on a case-by-case basis.

Is This Information Available Online?

Visit the Accessing Town Records and Information webpage to determine if the information you seek is available by direct request to the Town department responsible for the records. Additionally, you can search the Town website to see if the information you’re looking for is already available and posted. Freedom of Information requests will not be accepted for information that is already available on the Town website or from a Town department.
Associated Fees

A non-refundable $5 application fee is required to submit an FOI request. 

Additional fees may be charged for processing your request. This is in accordance with section 45 of MFIPPA which requires fees to be charged for certain request processing tasks. These tasks and their prescribed fees according to the regulations can be found below. 

If it is estimated that additional fees higher than $25 will be applied to the request, an interim decision letter and fee estimate will be sent to you prior to issuing the final decision letter. If the estimated fees are higher than $100, a 50% deposit will be required before staff can proceed with processing the request. The final fee will be provided in the final decision letter, and must be paid in order to access the requested records.

Fees for Requests

  • Application - $5
  • Photocopies and/or printouts - $0.20 per page
  • Manually searching a record - $7.50 per 15 minutes (does not apply to requests for ones own personal information)
  • Preparing a record for disclosure - $7.50 per 15 minutes (does not apply to requests for ones own personal information)
  • Developing a computer program or other method of producing a record from machine readable record - $15 per 15 minutes
  • Records provided on CD-ROMs/USBs - $10 per disk/USB
  • All other costs associated with retrieval, processing, and copying of records, if incurred through an external source - at cost on the provided invoice

There are limits to what information can be accessed by the public. Some Town records are exempt from disclosure in accordance with MFIPPA. Common exemptions include: 

  • information received in confidence by other governments, third parties or solicitors; 
  • records about other individuals or records submitted to the Town in confidence by other individuals; and 
  • records that could interfere with a law enforcement matter or investigation upon release. 

If your request requires clarification, staff will contact you and can assist with reformulating your request. The records search cannot be initiated until sufficient detail has been provided to allow an experienced Town employee to identify responsive records. In accordance with MFIPPA, it is necessary to clarify a request when: 

  • The request is open-ended, vague or unclear; 
  • The record is not described sufficiently to allow an experienced employee to undertake a search; or 
  • The request comes in the form of a question where no record exists to satisfy the answer. 

In accordance with MFIPPA, you will receive a written decision about your access request within 45 business days** from the date it was submitted or clarified along with the $5 non-refundable application fee. Please note that in some cases, additional time is required to process a request. In such cases, this will be communicated to you.

**As of July 1, 2026, the statutory timeline for processing FOI requests changed from 30 calendar days to 45 business days in accordance with amendments to MFIPPA under Schedule 11 of Bill 97, Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2026. 

FOI request process
  1. Review the "Before you submit an FOI request" section above before submitting a formal request. Freedom of Information requests will not be accepted for information that is already available on the Town website or from a Town department.
  2. Fill out and submit the FOI request form along with the $5 non-refundable application fee (see "Submit an FOI request" below).
  3. Staff will process your payment and send an acknowledgement email confirming that the process has begun (unless clarification is required).
  4. Staff will review the request and carry out a records search. 
  5. In accordance with MFIPPA, you will receive a written decision about your access request within 45 business days from the date it was submitted or clarified along with the $5 non-refundable application fee. Please note that in some cases, additional time is required to process the request. In such cases, this will be communicated to you.
  6. If additional fees are required (see the fee schedule below), this will be communicated to you in the final decision letter. Once payment is received, staff will release the responsive records.
Submit an FOI request

To submit a request, please complete the Freedom of Information (FOI) request form, available in pdf format here or in person at the Civic Centre. Provide as much detail as possible about the records you are seeking.

Forms and payment can be submitted:

  • In-person – by visiting Customer Service, located inside of the Civic Centre (payment can be made by credit card, debit, cash or cheque); or
  • By mail – Send your completed application and a cheque payment to the Town of East Gwillimbury Civic Centre, located at 19000 Leslie Street, Sharon, ON L0G 1V0.

Questions? Please email Legislative Services.
Appeals

If you are not satisfied with the Town's response to your request, you may submit an appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) within 30 business days* of the Town’s notice of decision. 

Further information can be found on the IPC’s website.

**As of July 1, 2026, the deadline to submit an appeal changed from 30 calendar days to 30 business days in accordance with amendments to MFIPPA under Schedule 11 of Bill 97, Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2026.