The Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act  (“MFIPPA”) applies to local government organizations, including municipalities, police, school boards, boards of health, conservation authorities, etc.  Its two main purposes are: 1) to provide a right of access to information held by institutions covered by the Act (subject to limited and specific exemptions); and 2) to protect the privacy of individuals with respect to their personal information held by government institutions.  The Department of Corporate Services administers the Act on behalf of the County of Oxford.

The MFIPPA promotes two very important public values which are both supported by County policy: 1) open government; and 2) personal privacy.  While the concept of openness is essential to the transparent functioning of an accountable local government, it must be balanced with the privacy protection principles that are necessary to keep your personal information safe and secure.  To this end, the MFIPPA has a number of provisions dealing with the collection, use and disclosure of personal information.

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