1. How do I access information at Toronto Community Housing?
a. Routine Requests by Tenants
If you are a current tenant seeking access to your own Personal Information, here is what you should do:
(i) If the information you are seeking falls within a category of records outlined under Tenant Information, you can contact your Tenant Services Coordinator to make a routine disclosure request, at no cost. If you do not know who your Tenant Services Coordinator is, please call the Client Care Centre at 416-981-5500 or via email, help@torontohousing.ca.
(ii) If the information you are seeking does not fall within a category of records outlined under Tenant Information, you need to make a Freedom of Information request.
b. Research and Data Requests
TCHC has Guidelines for External Research and Data Requests. If you are seeking data for research purposes only, and the information you are seeking does not include Personal Information (as defined under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act or "MFIPPA"), submit a Research and Data Request by completing an External Research and Data Request Form.
c. Freedom of Information Requests
If the information you are seeking cannot be found on our external website and you are not making a routine request (see 1 A. above) or a Research and Data Request (see 1 B. above), you will need to make a Freedom of Information request.
(i) If the information you are seeking deals entirely with one subject matter, you only need to make one Freedom of Information request.
(ii) If you are seeking information about multiple subjects, you will have to submit one Freedom of Information request for each subject.
2. What is a Freedom of Information (FOI) request?
Under MFIPPA, a Freedom of Information (FOI) request is a formal process to ask for copies of records held by TCHC, which can either be:
- a Personal Information request, i.e. Personal Information about yourself; or
- a general record request, i.e. corporate or general information in the custody of TCHC.
3. What is personal information?
Personal information is defined in MFIPPA. It means recorded information about an identifiable individual, including, but not limited to:
- national or ethnic origin, race, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, marital or family status of the individual
- identifying numbers or symbols, such as social insurance number or client number
- home address, home telephone number, fingerprints or blood type
- information relating to the education, financial situation, medical, psychiatric, psychological criminal history or employment history of an individual
4. How much does it cost to make a Freedom of Information request?
5. How long will it take to process my request?
- Under the MFIPPA, TCHC has 30 days to respond to your request, i.e. 30 days from the date when your request was received by TCHC.
- We will notify you in writing if we need to extend the time limit, for example, if TCHC needs to carry out an extensive search or to consult with a third party before it can respond to your request.
- We cannot speed up your request. You may note on your request form that the documents are needed urgently, but we cannot guarantee the request will be processed before the 30-day time frame.
6. How can I check the status of my request?
- E-mail FOI@torontohousing.ca. In your email, please provide your name, contact information and quote FOI file number, if available.
- If you are a current TCHC tenant and don't have access to email, you can also call TCHC's Client Care Centre and leave your name, telephone number and quote your FOI file number, if available. TCHC staff from the FOI Office will return your call.
7. What can I do if I disagree with the access decision?
If you disagree with TCHC's response to your request for your Tenant Information, you can request that information by submitting an FOI request.
If you disagree with TCHC's response to your FOI request, you can file an appeal by writing to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. To appeal an access decision, including the decision to charge a fee, you must write to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and state that you want to appeal Toronto Community Housing's decision. You must appeal within 30 days of receiving our decision letter. You will need to pay a fee to the Commissioner's office.
To learn more about filing an appeal of an FOI request, contact the Privacy Commissioner's Office at:
Registrar
Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
2 Bloor St. East, Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario M4W 1A8
Telephone: 416-326-3333 Toll-free: 1-800-387-0073
Visit the Privacy Commissioner's website
