Freedom of Information Requests

You must either fill out and submit the access request application form or write us a letter that includes:

If the link to the form doesn’t open for you, you will need to download it first to your desktop and then open that document using Adobe Reader.  

• Your full name and date of birth
• Your address and phone number
• A description of the type of records you would like to access

You will need to include a photocopy of a piece of valid government issued photo identification as well as signed consent from third parties if you wish to receive their personal information.

Please review our tips for filling out your Access Request PDF

You can then submit this request by mail to the following address:

London Police Service
Freedom of Information
Box 3415
London, Ontario
N6A 4K9

A $5.00 application fee is required along with your request, and this fee will not be waived. Failure to submit the exact amount will result in your request being returned to you. If you are mailing your request, you can pay by money order or cheque made payable to “London Police Service”. If you would prefer to pay with cash, debit or credit, you can call us at 519-661-5603 to set up an appointment time to attend the FOI request counter. Alternatively, you can place your application and $5.00 fee into a sealed envelope and leave it in the locked drop box, located just outside of the Record Checks and Freedom of Information office. The processing of your Freedom of Information request will not begin until this fee is received. “

The fees for our services are set out in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) Regulation 823

If the fees are less than $100.00, you will receive a decision letter once the request has been completed, which will outline your outstanding balance. If the fees are estimated to be more than $100.00, you will receive a fee estimate and interim decision letter, and will be required to pay 50% of the estimated fee before we can continue processing your request. You can also contact us to narrow the scope of your request in an effort to reduce the fees, or you can contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario to appeal our fees and interim decision letter. You can pay the fees by cash, debit, credit, money order or certified cheque made out to “London Police Service”.

The $5.00 application fee is a legislated fee and must be paid at the time of your request.

There are additional fees upon completion.  Please see the details under our FEES tab.

All identification must be current. We accept:

• Provincial driver's licence
• Provincial identification card
• Canadian or foreign passport
• Certificate of Indian Status
• Canadian citizenship or permanent resident card (with a current photo)

This depends on the type of information you are requesting. You may need to show documents such as:

• Custody papers
• Power of personal care papers
• Executor papers

Yes, you can attend London Police Headquarters, at 601 Dundas street and there is a locked drop box outside of the Freedom of Information office. 

Please feel free to put your application form and the $5.00 fee inside a sealed envelope in the drop box during London Police Service hours.

We generally complete requests within 30 days. However, there are circumstances where we may have to write to a third party, consult with another agency, or, in the case of a large number of records or a complex request, request a time extension. We will mail you a letter notifying you if the request may take longer to complete.

Yes, your lawyer may act as your personal agent and submit the request for you, however, the same access rules apply whether it is you or your lawyer who is making the request.  They must also include a written consent from you.

Yes, you can submit a third party’s signed consent form/letter and a copy of their photo ID along with your request. However, you will need to provide us with their contact information so that we are able to contact them directly to verify their consent and identity. Your request will remain on hold until we successfully verified this information. 

The quickest way is to set up an appointment at the FOI intake counter so that you and the third party can attend together. This will allow us to verify their consent and identity in person.

Authorization to release PI to someone else

Some information may be redacted in order to adhere to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act legislation. For example, the personal information of a third party will not be disclosed to you without the written consent of the third party (provided by you). 

At any time during the processing of your FOI request, you can provide us with written permission to release your records to another person. The report will be in a sealed envelope, and when they come in for their appointment to pick up the records, they will be required to show valid government issued photo identification, as well as pay any outstanding fees. 

Authorization to release FOI to someone else

1. After you have made a request and received your records, you have the right to the following:

• Request a correction of the personal information if you believe there was an error or omission. We will notify you if the correction was made or not.
• If we did not make the correction, you can require us to attach a statement of disagreement reflecting any correction that was requested but not made
• Require that any person or body to whom the personal information has been disclosed within the year prior be notified of the correction or statement of disagreement

Yes, you can appeal any of the following:

• Our decision to grant you partial access or deny access
• The search for records (maybe you think there are more records)
• The time extension (if we have notified you that we require additional time to complete your file)
• The fee estimate (if the records are over $100.00 you will be required to pay 50% before we continue processing your request
• The fee owing upon completion of your request

If you do not get a response from us within 30 days you can appeal (this is called a deemed refusal).

Request for correction of your personal information (if we refuse to make the correction)

If you wish to submit an appeal to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, you can do so either online or via mail by following these instructions: 

Fees:

Appeal fees are as follows:

• Personal request for information - $10.00
• General request for information - $25.00
• Fees by mail can be paid by cheque or money order, payable to “Minister of Finance” 

Online:

You can go to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario website to file and pay for the appeal online.  

Mail: 

You can send your appeal along with a cheque or money order payable to “Minister of Finance” by mailing it to:

Registrar, Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400

Toronto, Ontario, M4W 1A8 

Requirements:

You will require the following documentation to submit your appeal:

• Your file number
• a copy of any decision letter that may have been issued to you
• a copy of your original request for information
• the reasons why you believe the records exist (if the decision was that no records exist) or explain your reason for the appeal

Contact information for IPC: Telephone 416-326-3333 or toll free 1-800-387-0073

Yes. Yes. MFIPPA section 45(4) outlines circumstances when you can request a waiver of payment. See below for more information. If you are claiming financial hardship, you will be asked to provide proof of income, expenses, assets and liabilities. The Information and Privacy Commissioner has supported the use of the following in order to make those determinations: bank balances, income tax returns, employer letters etc. We can also try to work with you to narrow the scope of your request in order to lower your fees.

Section 45 of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act outlines the fees that someone requesting access to records shall pay. Section 45(4) lists the following criteria that we take into consideration if we receive a request for a fee waiver:

• The extent to which the actual cost of processing, collecting and copying the record varies from the amount of the payment required
• Whether the payment will cause a financial hardship for the person requesting the record
• Whether dissemination of the record will benefit public health or safety
• Any other matter prescribed in the regulations

You can submit your application for a fee waiver by submitting a request in writing to:

Chief of Police
London Police Service
Attention FOI Supervisor
601 Dundas Street
P.O. Box 3415
LONDON, On  N6A 4K9