You have the right to file an appeal to our office if you are unsatisfied with a decision made by a provincial or municipal government institution in answer to your freedom of information request.
An appeal is a way to ask our office to review a government institution’s decision regarding your request. There are a number of reasons why you might decide to appeal, including:
you have been denied access to some or all of the information you requested
you do not agree with the amount of the fee being charged
you did not receive a decision regarding your request for information (deemed refusal)
you have been advised that an extension of the 30-day time period is necessary and you do not agree with the extension
your request for a correction of your personal information has been denied
someone is requesting your personal information (or other information in which you have an interest) from a public institution; the institution has decided to release the information and you disagree with the decision
If you disagree with a decision concerning your records of personal health information, you can make a complaint.
If you disagree with a child and family service provider’s decision about access or corrections to your personal information in your file, you can make a complaint.
There are the three steps to filing an appeal with our office:
Send us a letter or completed form within 30 days after receiving the institution’s decision. Tell us why the appeal is being made, explain your concerns and how you feel it should be resolved. Include your contact details, the institution name and the file number of the decision
Include a copy of the institution’s decision and a copy of your original request (if available)
Enclose the fee. The fee for personal information requests is $10.00 and for all other requests is $25.00. Include a cheque or money order payable to “Minister of Finance”
