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:
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, retrieving and preparing a record for disclosure, including the 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 we think your request will cost more than $25, we will contact you for approval to continue. You can also revise your request to potentially reduce the applicable costs.
If your request will cost more than $100, you will need to pay a 50% non-refundable deposit before we start working on the request. We will not release any records until the fees are paid.
Response timeframe
Under MFIPPA, we must respond to FOI requests within 30 calendar days of the day we receive the application fee.
If a 50% deposit is required, our work on your request will cease once we notify you of the need for the deposit and resume once the deposit is received.