Goal
Background
Process
A request for information from MPAC must be submitted in writing to:
Related Information
Goal
To provide information and direction about requesting information from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) pursuant to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), R.S.O. 1990 Chapter M. 56.
Important: Factual property information, including information about comparable properties, is available to property owners free of charge, either through AboutMyProperty™ or the Guidelines for Release of Assessment Data (GRAD).
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Background
In addition to MPAC, MFIPPA applies to municipalities, local boards, agencies, commissions, corporations or any other body designated as an institution. Requests for information to other institutions may include information held by a city clerk, a school board, a board of health, a public utility or a police commission. MFIPPA contains privacy protection provisions, that MPAC must follow, to protect an individual’s personal information in MPAC’s possession.
MPAC is committed to managing the collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of personal and non-personal information in a manner that complies with the requirements of MFIPPA, the Assessment Act, the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario (IPC), and all other relevant legislation, regulations and tribunal/judicial rulings.
MPAC does not release income and expense information except in response to Orders of the Assessment Review Board (ARB). MPAC protects personal information, or any other data that would enable the identification of individuals, as well as MPAC’s corporate proprietary information. Personal information is only released to other institutions with statutory authority to collect the information.
“Personal information,” as defined by MFIPPA, means recorded information about an identifiable individual and includes, but is not limited to a person's name, address, telephone number, religion, age, sex, marital or family status or financial transactions involving the individual.
MPAC may, from time to time, release aggregate information in the form of demographic or other studies constructed from the analysis of personal information. However, these products neither identify individuals nor enable others to determine their identities.
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Process
Sections 17(1) and 37(1) of MFIPPA set out the legislative authority and guidelines for a person making a request for information pursuant to the Act. The sections require the following:
17(1) Request – A person seeking access to a record shall,
(a) make a request in writing to the institution that the person believes has custody or control of the record;
(b) provide sufficient detail to enable an experienced employee of the institution, upon reasonable effort, to identify the record; and
(c) at the time of making the request, pay the fee prescribed in the regulations for that purpose.
37(1) Request – An individual seeking access to personal information about the individual shall,
(a) make a request in writing to the institution that the person believes has custody or control of the personal information;
(b) identify the personal information bank or otherwise identify the location of the personal information; and
(c) at the time of making the request, pay the fee prescribed in the regulations for that purpose.
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A request for information from MPAC must be submitted in writing to:
Freedom of Information Coordinator
Legal and Policy Support Services
Municipal Property Assessment Corporation
1305 Pickering Parkway, 3rd Floor
Pickering ON L1V 3P2
Section 5.2 of Ontario Regulation 823, made under MFIPPA, prescribes an application fee for making a request. This application fee is $5. A cheque or money order should be made payable to MPAC.
In accordance with section 19 of MFIPPA, MPAC is required to respond within thirty days after receiving the request for information.
MPAC calculates a fee estimate for the time required to retrieve, review and sever all the records, documentation and information requested for disclosure. The fee estimate is based on fees set out in section 6 of Ontario Regulation 823.
MPAC will identify any information that is exempt from disclosure, such as personal information about an identifiable individual, which the person making the request is not authorized to access.
If the person making the request does not agree with the response provided by MPAC, an appeal can be filed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario (IPC) within thirty days after MPAC has given notice to the person making the request.
Additional information on filing an appeal with the IPC can be found at www.ipc.on.ca.
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Related Information
Note: : This procedure has been developed to provide the public with a general understanding of the Freedom of Information request process. The applicable law prevails to the extent there is any conflict between the procedure and the relevant law.
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