Access to Information

General information about the Town’s services is available by contacting the department.

You will receive an Access Decision letter within 30 calendar days of the Town receiving both the FOI request form and mandatory application fees. The letter will outline any records responsive to your request, the Town’s access decision for each record in accordance with MFIPPA, and any additional required fees if applicable.

You may appeal any access decision made by the Town to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Appeals must be submitted within 30 days of the decision being issued by the Town. To appeal an access decision, please consult the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario or refer to the information provided in your access decision letter.

• An individual has the right to control their own personal information.
• The privacy rules governing the collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of personal information are necessary.

These privacy rules apply to all personal information in the custody or control of institutions regardless of whether an access request has been made, with the exception of public records and certain labour relations records.

Personal information is collected and used by the Town for specific purposes that are identified when your information is collected, and will not be used or disclosed for other purposes unless permitted by MFIPPA.

If you believe your personal information has been misused or unlawfully disclosed, please contact the Town’s Records and FOI Coordinator at privacy@ajax.ca.

Personal information is defined in MFIPPA as recorded information about an identifiable individual, including:

• Information relating to race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation or marital or family status
• Information relating to the education or the medical , psychiatric, psychological, criminal or employment history of an individual or information relating to financial transactions in which the individual has been involved
• Any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual
• The address, telephone number, fingerprints, or blood type of the individual
• The personal opinions or views of the individual except if they relate to another individual
• Correspondence sent to an institution by the individual that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature and replies to that correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence
• The views or opinions of another individual about the individual
• The individual’s name if it appears with other personal information relating to the individual or where the disclosure of the name would reveal other personal information about the individual.

Each institution is required to make available a listing of the Personal Information Banks (PIBs) in its custody and control in order to assist members of the public in exercising their privacy rights. A Personal Information Bank is defined in the Act as “a listing of personal information that is organized and capable of being retrieved using an individual’s name or an identifying number or particular assigned to an individual”. Each Personal Information Bank lists:

• The title of the personal information
• Its location
• The legal authority for its establishment
• The types of personal information maintained in it
• How the personal information is used
• To whom the personal information is disclosed to on a regular basis
• The categories of individuals about whom the personal information is maintained

For further information concerning the Town’s PIBs please contact the Records and FOI Coordinator at privacy@ajax.ca.

The Town’s website may contain personal information collected and maintained for the purpose of creating records that are available to the general public (e.g. Committee/Council material and minutes of public meetings). This information is lawfully collected and reproduced in accordance with provincial legislation. On occasion, it may be appropriate to redact personal information from public records that are posted on the Town’s website. The Redaction of Personal Information from Public Records Policy explains the process to request redactions of personal information included in public records posted on the Town’s website.

If you would like to have your personal information redacted from public records posted on the Town’s website, you may complete and submit a Request for Redaction of Personal Information Form. Please note that requests submitted may not be approved – refer to the policy for approval criteria.

In some instances, a requester may feel that there was an error or omission concerning personal information on file about themself. To request a correction or omission to the personal information, you must complete a Freedom of Information Request form.

The use of a Video Surveillance Cameras, or Closed Circuit Television system, is undertaken in accordance with the Town of Ajax Guidelines for the Video Surveillance Systems Policy. Personal information is collected for security purposes in and around facilities that are operated by the Town of Ajax to ensure the safety and security of users and visitors. Video surveillance cameras are continuously recording but only periodically monitored by Authorized Personnel.

Further information concerning the use of video surveillance cameras is available by contacting the Records and FOI Coordinator at privacy@ajax.ca.