Municipal Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act (M.F.I.P.P.A.)

The Toronto Police Service processes requests under the Municipal Freedom of Information & Protection of Privacy Act which gives individuals a right of access to information, however, some disclosure exemptions may apply. Under the Act, individuals may request access to general records as well as records containing their own personal information. Individuals also have the right to request a correction of their personal information, which they believe to be false or inaccurate, and/or to attach a statement of disagreement to their records.

The other main purpose of the Act is the protection of privacy of individuals; outlining rules regarding the collection, use, disclosure and disposal of personal information in the custody of an institution.

If you would like to request an independent review of the access decisions made by the head of an institution, or if you believe your privacy may have been breached and would like to initiate a privacy complaint, you may contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.


Access & Privacy Section

Requests for information held by the Toronto Police Service are made to the Access & Privacy Section, which is responsible for managing compliance with M.F.I.P.P.A. and other statutes.


How to Make a Request

Requests may be submitted in writing by completing the Access/Correction Request form and must include the $5.00 non-waivable and non-refundable application fee. M.F.I.P.P.A. prescribes a processing fee schedule that we may apply for either personal or general information. If the anticipated fees exceed $25.00 you will be contacted by a Disclosure Analyst and given a fee estimate prior to the request being processed. 

Requests may be submitted in person:

Police Headquarters
40 College Street, Toronto ON
(at the counters located in the main floor lobby)

Business hours for APS requests:
Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Telephone: 416-808-7850

Requests may be mailed to:

Toronto Police Service
Access & Privacy Section, 4th Floor
40 College Street
Toronto, ON M5G 2J3

 

Before making an access to information request,
please read the Frequently Asked Questions Section


Fee Schedule

  • Photocopies and computer printout - $0.20 per page
  • Disk (CD or DVD) - $10.00 per disk
  • Manually searching a record - $7.50 per 15 minutes
  • Preparing a record for disclosure - $7.50 per 15 minutes
  • Developing a computer program or other method of producing a record from machine readable record - $15.00 per 15 minutes


You may be charged the costs, including computer costs, that the Toronto Police Service incurs while locating, retrieving, processing and copying the personal information requested. A detailed invoice will be mailed to you.

If the total amount is estimated to be $100 or more, a deposit of 50% will be required by the individual making the request before the Toronto Police Service will continue to process the request.

All cheques must be payable to the Toronto Police Service.

Note: The above noted fees are in conjunction with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Regulation 823.

Before making an access to information request, please read the Frequently Asked Questions section.

If you are requesting access to your own personal information, you will have to provide proof of your identity prior to any records being released.  Two pieces of identification are required; please refer to the list of suitable identification.

Copies of police reports are available only to those parties involved in the incident or their representatives with consent.

If you are requesting records that contain personal information about someone else, their information will be withheld from the record unless you provide their consent on the attached form.


Types of Requests

The following is a list of the most common types of requests processed through the Toronto Police Services' Access and Privacy Section:

  • Records of Arrest
  • General Occurrences; Incident Reports
  • Memorandum Book Notes
  • Witness statements or contact information
  • Police related 9-1-1 Emergency call reports
  • Criminal Records (may only be released after verification of fingerprints has occurred). Further information is available on our Background Checks page.

Requests not processed through the Access and Privacy Section include:

  • Records relating to Motor Vehicle Accidents
  • Clearance Letters
  • Police Reference Check Program
  • Publicly available statistics such as those found on Crime Statistics.

Forms

Access/Correction Request

Release of Personal Information Form

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Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much does a request cost?
  • What type of payment is accepted for the application fee and who is it made payable to?
  • How long will my request take to complete?
  • Is there any way to expedite my request?
  • Will you send me the records electronically?
  • Should a law firm or insurance company complete the request form?

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