How to Request Records Under FIPPA in Ontario

This guide covers requesting records from Ontario provincial institutions under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). It is distinct from the federal process: federal government records go through the ATIP Online Request Service under federal statutes, while Ontario provincial records go through FIPPA and appeals go to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC). Municipal records in Ontario fall under a separate Act, MFIPPA, described in Step 1. This guide gives no legal advice and does not interpret FIPPA for any particular request.

You have the right to request information from certain government institutions in Ontario, including ministries, according to the Freedom of Information request page. Anyone can make a request for information; there are no restrictions. Before making a request, check Ontario's Open Data Catalogue, since the data you are looking for could already be accessible online without a request.

Step 1: Identify the institution that holds the records

FIPPA covers Ontario government ministries, agencies, community colleges and universities. MFIPPA, the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, covers Ontario municipalities and other municipal public sector organizations, such as school boards, library boards and police services. Send the request to the institution most likely to hold the records. If you do not know which institution holds them, use the table of frequently requested records on the Freedom of Information request page, which does not reflect all records available from a ministry or institution, or the Directory of Records, which describes information and records kept by provincial ministries and agencies. The Directory of Institutions lists contact information for freedom of information coordinators for provincial and municipal institutions covered under FIPPA and MFIPPA. Institutions under MFIPPA keep their own Directory of Records, so consult the municipality directly for records in its custody and control.

You can submit a request to access general records such as government reports, to request your own personal information such as your medical and employment histories, to correct your personal information, or to access another individual's personal information with appropriate authorization or consent from that individual. Depending on what you are looking for, supporting information or documentation may be required, and some information may be available without a freedom of information request at all.

Step 2: Describe the records precisely

Write the request so the institution can identify the records without guessing. Give a detailed description of the records requested with any other relevant information, such as dates, addresses and file numbers, as the Freedom of Information request page directs for online requests. A vague description slows the search and can draw a request for clarification, so name the subject matter, the date range and the type of record as specifically as you can. If the institution does not hold the records, the description is what lets it tell you so, or point you to the institution that does.

Step 3: Submit the request and pay the fee

Submit online or by mail. Online requests can be submitted for many institutions by completing the Access or Correction request form online. By mail, complete the PDF version of the Access or Correction Request form, or submit a written letter that gives enough information to identify the records you want, and send it to the address in the Directory of Institutions for the institution concerned. If you are seeking records from municipalities, municipal police services, hospitals or academic institutions, contact them directly. The Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks has its own form, noted on the Freedom of Information request page.

There is a mandatory $5 application fee for each freedom of information request. There is no application fee for a request to make a correction to your own personal information. Check with the institution you are seeking records from for the forms of payment available, for example cheque, money order, credit or debit cards, and an in-person option to use cash.

Additional processing fees may apply. The processing fee is determined by the type of information requested, the format you wish to receive it in, and the total costs incurred by the institution to produce or prepare the information. You will receive a fee estimate from the freedom of information office or institution where you submitted your request if the processing fees will be more than $25. When processing fees are over $100, a deposit may be required. You have the right to request a waiver of fees if payment will cause financial hardship or if the information will benefit public health or safety; the office or institution that receives your fee waiver request will discuss the next steps with you. If you submit online, you receive your information or records by email or a link to a dedicated website, and if payment is required the institution releases the records only once the balance is received. If you submit by mail, correspondence and released records are provided by mail.

Step 4: Wait for the institution to process the request

The institution reviews your request and begins its search. It may contact you for clarification or notify you if a time extension is required. Starting July 1, 2026, the time to respond to freedom of information access requests changes from 30 calendar days to 45 business days, as stated on the Freedom of Information request page. The 45-business-day timeline applies only to complete requests received on or after July 1, 2026. Complete requests received before July 1, 2026 continue to follow the existing 30-calendar-day timeline, even if the due date falls after July 1, 2026.

The institution sends you a decision indicating what information and records are available and what can be released. If additional fees are required, for search time for example, the fees are outlined in the decision. Note the change notice on the IPC information page: Ontario's access and privacy laws changed under Bill 97, with further amendments in force on July 1, 2026, September 15, 2026 and January 1, 2027, and some IPC guidance is under review and subject to change, so check the IPC page for updates that affect your request or appeal.

Step 5: Appeal a decision or complain about privacy handling

You have the right to appeal any decision about access to records, including fees, made by institutions covered under FIPPA, including appealing a decision if your request for information is denied. File an appeal with the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario by downloading and completing an appeal form, or by submitting a written letter to the contact given on the Freedom of Information request page. If the decision notice is given on or after July 1, 2026, submit the form to the Information and Privacy Commissioner Registrar within 30 business days of the institution giving notice of its decision. For decision notices given before July 1, 2026, the 30-calendar-day appeal period applies. Appeal fees are $10 for appeals related to access to, or correction of, your personal information, and $25 for appeals related to access to general records.

You can also file and pay for your appeal online through the IPC appeal filing page, with no account needed. The online form and payment system operate together: if you submit your appeal online you must also pay online, and you cannot pay online if you submit the form by mail. Online payment accepts Visa credit, Visa debit, Mastercard credit or Mastercard debit, with no Interac debit option at this time, and the system generates a confirmation email and payment receipt, with a formal Notice of Appeal from the IPC within ten business days. You cannot save a draft appeal form to submit later, and you cannot check the status of your appeal online; IPC staff contact you once your file is assigned. If you are located outside Canada, download a printable appeal form and mail it with your supporting documents and payment by cheque or money order.

The IPC is a neutral, independent body that receives access appeals and hears both sides of a dispute. If it agrees with the institution's refusal it may uphold the decision; if it does not agree it can order the institution to release the records partly or entirely, order it to provide a response, reduce the fee, or conduct another search, as described on the IPC information page. If you think your personal information has been improperly collected, used or disclosed by a public institution, you have the right to make a privacy complaint to the IPC. For questions about a request itself, contact the freedom of information and privacy coordinator at the institution that holds the information.

Related guides:

• How to Start Requesting Government Records Through the ATIP Request Service in Canada — the federal request service for federal institutions; this guide covers Ontario provincial institutions under FIPPA
• How to Escalate a Consumer Complaint in Canada — escalating a complaint about a business or service to the right body; this guide covers appealing a FIPPA access decision to the IPC
• How to Change Your Address in Canada — updating your address with government services; this guide covers requesting the records those services hold about you

Sources

• Government of Ontario, Freedom of Information request — FIPPA and MFIPPA coverage, request types, identifying the holding institution, the $5 fee and correction-fee exemption, fee estimates and deposits, fee waivers, online and mail submission, the 45-business-day response rule and its July 1, 2026 start, and appeal routes, deadlines and fees
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, Information for individuals — the IPC's oversight role, FIPPA and MFIPPA access rights, the 45-business-day response period, the IPC's order-making powers on appeal, and the Bill 97 change notice
• Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, File an appeal and pay fees online — online appeal filing and payment, accepted card types, no-account filing, the ten-business-day Notice of Appeal, and the mail route for filers outside Canada

No figure in this guide was carried from a secondary source. The following were cut because they could not be verified on an opened Ontario or IPC page: per-unit processing fee rates for search time, preparation or copying; the categories of records exempt from release under FIPPA, since the opened Ontario page states only that a decision will indicate what can be released; the mailing address and telephone number of the IPC Registrar; and whether a fee waiver request must be made in a particular form. Check the Ontario freedom of information page and the IPC pages linked above before relying on any of those points.