Submit a Freedom of Information request

A Freedom of Information request is a way for you to ask public-sector organizations for information.

Before you submit a request

Contact the department responsible for the records you want and ask them for the information or call 311 (905-615-4311 outside City limits) if you don’t know who to contact about your request.

Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act

The Act gives you the right to access general records and records with your personal information from municipalities and public-sector organizations in Ontario.

There are exemptions that may be used to limit the information released. For example, if a record contains someone else’s personal information or commercial information provided in confidence by a third party, the City will generally remove that information from any records released.

Personal Information Bank

The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), requires the City of Mississauga to keep a Personal Information Bank (PIB) and make it available to the public.

View the Personal Information Bank Index.

MFIPPA defines a Personal Information Bank as a “collection of personal information that is organized and capable of being retrieved using an individual’s name or an identifying number or particular assigned to the individual”.

Read the full text of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

How to submit a request

You can make a request by completing the Access or Correction Request form or writing a letter. Additional information may be requested to confirm identity as required in MFIPPA.

If you’re writing a letter, you must include your full mailing address, a phone number, signature and names of specific files or types of records that you are requesting access to, including dates if possible.

You can submit the form or letter in one of the following ways:

You can email us the request form or letter to privacy.info@mississauga.ca. Pay the $5 application fee online and include the payment confirmation number in your email.

Pay application fee

Send the request form or letter, including the $5 application fee (via cheque) made payable to the City of Mississauga, to:

Office of the City Clerk
City of Mississauga
300 City Centre Drive, 2nd Floor
Mississauga, ON L5B 3C1

You can make a reservation to drop off a request and make a payment at the City Clerk’s Office.

Alternately, you can leave the request form or letter in our drop box, which is located outside the Civic Centre, to the right of the North Entrance, on Princess Royal Drive.

You must also include the $5 application fee (via cheque) payable to the City of Mississauga, in a sealed envelope to the attention of the Office of the City Clerk.

Drawings

Existing permit drawings can be requested through a Freedom of Information Request. The City releases the highest quality drawings available. Some of the drawings released may not be sufficient for permit approvals. The reproduction and use of any drawings released under Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act are subject to the Copyright Act R.SC.c-42.

How long it takes

We’ll respond to your request within 30 days. If we need more time to respond, we’ll notify you within the 30 days to explain why we need more time.

How much it costs

All Freedom of Information requests have an administration fee of $5 payable to the City of Mississauga. Additional costs for preparing, searching, printing and shipping may apply.

Fees are set out in the Act:

  • Manual record search: $7.50 per 15 minutes ($30 per hour)
  • Record preparation: $7.50 per 15 minutes ($30 per hour)
  • Photocopies or printing: $0.20 per page

If fees for your request total $25 or more, we will give you an estimate before granting access to the records. If the cost is likely to exceed $100, we may ask for a deposit of 50% of the estimate before completing the request.

Right to appeal

If you are not satisfied with the City’s decision regarding your access request, you can file an appeal with the Information and Privacy Commissioner in Ontario.

Availability of records

The City retains and preserves records according to the Records Retention Schedule By-law. As a result, some records may not be available when the retention requirement expires. For example, the City only holds architectural plans or drawings related to single family and semi-detached homes for the last seven years.

Information about Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) videos retained by the City can be found in the video source’s respective corporate policy.

Contact us

If you need more information, please contact the City’s Access and Privacy Officer:

Office of the City Clerk
City of Mississauga
300 City Centre Drive
Mississauga, ON L5B 3C1

You can also email us at privacy.info@mississauga.ca or call us at 905-615-3200 ext. 5181, or 905-615-3200 ext. 5952.