Freedom of Information

• open and transparent government, including improved quantity and quality of records available online
• providing easy access to information and records

The three primary methods to access City records are the City's website, direct contact with departments or formally under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

City records available online include:

• The Open Data Catalogue containing a wide variety of records including archival holdings, heritage buildings, parking restrictions, zoning and information on businesses
• Document Library, providing electronic copies of the most commonly viewed documents and publications including Statement of Financial Information, Annual Reports, Task Force reports, etc
• Access to City Council and Committee agendas and minutes 
• City Archives providing online access to Ross Bay Cemetery information from 1872 to 1980, the Death Notices Index from 1901 to 1939 and the Marriage Notices Index form 1901 to 1939
• The Johnson Street Bridge Replacement Project website containing quarterly updates to Council, Request for Proposal records, project contracts, and other documents and publications

Routinely available records:

Under sections 70 and 71 of FIPPA public bodies “must make available to the public, without a request for access under this Act” specific types of records including:

• Policy and/or procedures manuals
• Guidelines
• Policy statements
• Annual reports
• Bylaws

If you are seeking information, the information can usually be provided routinely. You would not need to provide a written request for the information and the information is more often than not provided relatively quickly. To find out if the information you want is routinely available contact the City Department that you believe has the information. If the department you contact doesn't have the information you want, you will either be directed to the department that does or, if the information is not routinely available, you will be directed to staff that process access to information requests under FIPPA.

Submitting formal requests for access:

If the information you are seeking is not routinely available, you can submit a formal request for access under FIPPA. Section 5(1) of FIPPA requires all applicants to:

• Request access to records
• Request access in writing
• Provide enough detail for staff to identify the records you have requested access to
• Be reasonably confident that the City has the records or records you are seeking access to

If you require assistance with writing your request, please use one of the contact options below or call us at 250.361.0347. State the assistance you need and staff will respond within 48 hours.

To submit a formal request, please contact us at:

Email:foi@victoria.ca

Fax: 250.361.0348

By mail or in person:
City of Victoria
1 Centennial Square
Victoria, B.C. V8X 1P6

Fees

The Act provides under section 75 that the City may charge fees for the costs of providing applicants with records. Commercial applicants must pay the actual cost of providing the service. Non-commercial applicants must pay $7.50 per quarter hour after the first three hours for locating, retrieving and preparing records for disclosure. Additional fees such as photocopying and shipping also apply. If there are costs involved in processing a formal request, we will provide an estimate before processing your application. A schedule of fees is contained in the City's Freedom of Information Administration Bylaw [PDF - 60 KB].