Skip to content Ontario.ca Français

• E-mail
• Print

What is Freedom of Information (FOI)?

Freedom of Information (FOI) means the right to access information under the control of an Ontario organization defined in one of two Acts:

• Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA)
• Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA)

The information covered by the Acts can be personal or non-personal information recorded by any means — print, film, electronic, etc. Examples include:

• drawings, diagrams
• pictorial or graphic works
• memoranda
• books (if not published)

• plans, maps
• photographs or digital images
• films, microfilms
• sound recordings, videotapes

FIPPA and MFIPPA govern personal information protection and access to information held by thousands of provincial and local public sector organizations, for example:

• Ontario government ministries
• provincial agencies, boards and commissions, local library boards, police service boards, school boards and municipalities
• universities and community colleges
• any other publicly funded organization that has been named as an "institution" under section 2 of FIPPA or MFIPPA or their regulations.

For a list of the organizations governed by FIPPA and MFIPPA, please refer to the Directory of Institutions.