Freedom of information requests

You may need to submit a freedom of information (FOI) request to access our records that are not available online. On this page, you can find the request process, fees, and response timeframe.

On this page:

1. Making an FOI request
2. MFIPPA fees
3. Response timeframe

Making an FOI request

If a record you're interested in accessing requires a formal FOI request, full instructions can be found below. Please note that as required by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), a $5 application fee applies to every FOI request. 

You can make an FOI request:

• online
• in person at City Hall (book an appointment to plan your visit)

For online requests, please make cheques payable to the City of Kitchener and mail them to:

Manager, corporate records and archives services
City of Kitchener
Second floor, Berlin tower, City Hall
200 King Street West
Kitchener, ON N2G 4G7

You can also drop the cheque off using the drop box located on Young Street at City Hall.

MFIPPA fees

These MFIPPA-regulated fees may also apply to your request:

• $7.50 per 15 minutes of time spent searching for and retrieving a record for disclosure.
• $7.50 per 15 minutes of time spent preparing the record for disclosure, including time to sever any part of the record in accordance with the exemptions under MFIPPA.
• 20 cents per page for photocopying and computer printouts
• other charges, depending on the nature of the request

If the cost to process your request exceeds $100, a 50% non-refundable deposit will be required before we continue to work on your request.

All outstanding fees must be paid in full prior to the release of any records.

To help manage costs, you may choose to revise your request to reduce applicable fees.

Response timeframe

Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA), we are required to respond to requests within 45 business days of receiving the application fee.

If a 50% deposit is required, processing of your request will be paused once you are notified and will resume once the deposit has been received.