Access to Information

As a member of the public, you have the right to request records held in the custody or control of Haldimand County under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990 (MFIPPA). The legislation provides a general right of access to government information, subject to certain exclusions and exemptions.

Requesting information

Many County service areas may routinely disclose records without needing a formal freedom of information request (FOI). Records requested through routine disclosure may be subject to fees as outlined in our User Fees and Service Charges By-law.

You can also check the following sources to see if the information is already available before submitting a formal request.

Past council minutes and reports
This website and any available Open Data
Contact the County division that owns the information

If you still can't find what you're looking for, you can contact the Information and Privacy Coordinator for next steps.

Building records

Property owners and other authorized individuals can request certain building records such as surveys, plans, drawings, permits, engineering reports, orders and zoning verifications related to their property directly through the Building division.

Routine Disclosure for Building Records request form (PDF).

Submitting an FOI request

To submit a formal FOI request:

Provide a written request to the County for the information you wish to obtain and bring it to the Haldimand County Administration Building. Remember to include your contact information on the request.

All formal requests are subject to a $5.00 application fee. Additional fees may apply depending on the nature of the request. See other applicable fees below.

We encourage all potential applicants to contact our Information and Privacy Coordinator before submitting and paying for a formal request.

Other applicable fees

The following fees are set under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and may apply to your request.

Additional formal information access request fees
Item	Fee
Search time	$7.50 per 15 minutes required to search for and retrieve record(s)
Record preparation	$7.50 per 15 minutes required to prepare record(s) for release
Photocopying	$0.20 per page
Computer programming	$15.00 per 15 minutes needed to develop a program to retrieve information
CDs	$10.00 per CD

We will provide a fee estimate if they are anticipated to be more than $25. If the fees are $100 or more, you must pay a 50% deposit before a decision is issued.

Fees may be paid by cash, money order, certified cheque (payable to Haldimand County), Debit, or credit.

Appealing a request

If you are not satisfied with the County’s decision or fee related to your formal request, you may submit an appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The Commissioner is appointed by the Provincial Legislature and is independent of any government or public institution.

The Commissioner can be contacted at:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East
Suite 1400
Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8
1-800-387-0073