BRAMPTON CITY HALL FREEDOM of INFORMATION BLUUUUUUUES

MISSISSAUGA WATCH Blog:
http://www.mississaugablogs.com/Mississauga_Musings

June 5, 2008: Preliminary and comparative report on the quality inFreedom of Information response between two Ontario municipalities --the City of Brampton and the City of Kingston.

Heads up to citizens of Brampton or anyone making Freedom of Information requests in this city. Brampton will tell you that they're committed to giving the public WITHOUT having to file a formal Freedom of Information request.

Be EXTREMELY careful! Brampton (or any cith) may encourage you to speak with a manager to provide you with the informationh you need.

But you leave yourself vulnerable to not getting the entire story.

Absolute-take-home-message

ONLY by filing a FORMAL Freedom of Information request can you have any hope of getting (digging out) the information you may need.

Example, ONLY through a FORMAL Freedom of Information request can you gain access to city employee EMAILS!

From MISSISSAUGAWATCH'S experience with Mississauga, emails are one eye-opener.

Both

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• BRAMPTON
• CITY
• HALL
• FREEDOM
• OF
• INFORMATION
• POVERTY
• PEEL
• GOVERNMENT
• SECRECY
• PRIVACY
• COMMISSIONER

[MISSISSAUGAWATCH]

@crisgenao

Yes, with MFIPPA, you have the right of access to your personal info. But you are taking a big chance if you just stroll to City Hall and ask informally. They will hand over only what they want.

The only hope you have to flush out all references to you in municipal records is to file Freedom of Information requesting "All records".

Even then, there's really nothing stopping an unethical municipality from claiming a record doesn't exist --or hiding behind exemptions under the Act.

[crisgenao]

@MISSISSAUGAWATCH Now you've made me curious. I've looked up MFIPPA and I believe subsections 36(1) and 37(1) specifically mention my right of access to my personal info. Admittedly there's a lot of legalese in the act I don't understand but shouldn't that be enough?

[MISSISSAUGAWATCH]

@crisgenao

re: "I thought that I have a right to access MY personal information that the city has collected". Sorry but no, you really do have to file a Freedom of Information request. That's a nominal fee of $5.00 and photocopying costs.

However, there *are* people who have had extensive "interaction" with the City (ie politically active). You'd be shocked as I was, at how various departments have records on individuals. And people are totally clueless about the existence of those records.

[crisgenao]

@MISSISSAUGAWATCH Sorry was a bit confused about which city you were referring. Thanks for the clarification. I may be wrong on this but I thought that I have a right to access MY personal information that the city has collected. As such, I don't have to file a FOI but simply request it for a nominal fee, that wouldn't include anything other than printing costs and the like. Am I wrong?

[MISSISSAUGAWATCH]

@crisgenao Regarding what I wrote about City employee giving you a song and dance and that "You can NOT trust what City employees tell you" and "as for complaining to Mayor/Councillors, ready? They refer your complaint right back to STAFF!" just to be clear I was writing about the City of Mississauga.

Can't say what City of Brampton does.

But will say this. If a municipality has records on you or your kid, you need to file Freedom of Information to know exactly what those records contain!

[MISSISSAUGAWATCH]

@crisgenao

All excellent questions. Let me explain what happens at the City of Mississauga. The parent contacts City Security --who then give her a song and dance. Should she insist on seeing her son's trespass notice and records, will be told to file a Freedom of Information request. Yes. Believe it or not.

You can NOT trust what City employees tell you. You need to actually SEE all records.

As for complaining to Mayor/Councillors, ready? They refer your complaint right back to STAFF!

[crisgenao]

@MISSISSAUGAWATCH What about reading the trespass notice handed to the kid? What about contacting the City department responsible? What about complaining to the councillor? What about complaining to the mayor? Seriously, what other information would she get through freedom of information?

[MISSISSAUGAWATCH]

@crisgenao

The City of Brampton's security guards have banned kids from city properties --free to ban for a full year without any oversight. Kids as young as 12.

Now let's say it's a kid of a single mom working minimum wage. She wants to know what happened and the ONLY say she can do that is file Freedom of Information on any records the City of Brampton has on her kid.

Trust me. Freedom of Information to clear someone is expensive.

[crisgenao]

Why would a single mom, with 2 kids, want to see information about City of Brampton security? It doesn't make any sense.

[c7r7u7i7s7e7r7]

I am not surprised, Our Gov't is starting to remind me of Germany in the 1940's. My motto now is

VOTE for anyone expect the incumbent!