Access to information

You do not always need to submit a formal freedom of information request to access information from the Hospital. A lot of information is posted on our website, on our reporting pages.

If you cannot find the information online, consider requesting the information informally. This means requesting information from the department or area of the hospital that you think may have what you are looking for. You will be assisted with your request and told whether the information can be provided to you informally, or whether you will have to submit a freedom of information request.

If the information can be found without a formal request, this saves you and CHEO a great deal of time and money.

FIPPA

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), R.S.O. 1990 (the Act) is provincial legislation that came into effect on January 1, 1988. On January 1, 2012, hospitals in Ontario were added to the list of public bodies to which the Act applies.

The Act has two main purposes:

to make public bodies more open and accountable by providing the public with the right of access to records
to protect personal information from unauthorized collection, use or disclosure by public bodies

The Act applies to records in the custody or control of the hospital. Upon request, certain records must be made available, subject to limited exemptions as provided for in the Act.

Obtain an Access or Correction Request form in the Health Records Department, fill it out and return it along with the $5 application fee. Processing of the request will commence once the completed form and the receipt of payment are both received by the Freedom of Information (FOI) Coordinator. If the total cost of completing your request exceeds $100, you will be provided with a fee estimate before processing begins and you will be required to pay a deposit of 50% of the total estimate before CHEO will begin to process your request.

How to make a request for information

Step one: Find out if a FIPPA request is necessary

You do not always need to submit a formal freedom of information request to access information from the Hospital. FIPPA requests can cost you time and money. Before you submit a formal request:

Look on the reporting section of our website to see if the information is publically available.
If the information isn’t available online, try requesting the information informally. You can call CHEO at 613-737-7600 and you will be directed to the right department or unit.

Step two: Make a formal written request

You may request access to information by making a written request to the FOI Office, located in Health Records. For this purpose, an Access/Correction Request form is available in the Health Records Department, Monday to Friday 8am to 5pm. However, any request made in writing will be accepted, as long as the following information is included:

date of request
identification of the specific record(s) to which you are requesting access
statement that you are making this request through FIPPA
$5 application fee
your contact information
an original signature of requester

Please remember the more specific your request, the quicker and more accurately it can be answered.

You can use CHEO's online FIPPA request form to make a formal request. Please print it out and send it to CHEO. We cannot accept requests sent electronically, as the form requires an authenticated signature.

Step three: Pay the application fee

Once the Access or Correction Request form is completed, return it to the Finance Department (located on level 1 just down the hall from the library), along with a $5 application fee.

Processing of the request will commence once the completed form and the receipt of payment are both received by the FOI Coordinator. If the total cost of completing your request exceeds $100, you will be provided with a fee estimate before processing begins and you will be required to pay a deposit of 50% of the total estimate before the Hospital will begin to process your request.

Step four: Your request will be reviewed

Your request will be reviewed by the FOI Office in accordance with FIPPA. The hospital will then send you an acknowledgment letter and notify you of an estimate of any fees that may apply. Every effort will be made to resolve the request within 30 days. If a time extension is needed, we will let you know.

Once a determination has been made, a decision letter will be sent to you. This letter will include:

all the details of the decision
including any exemptions that may apply
a calculation of any incurred fees, and if applicable
a schedule of disclosure
directions regarding the actual access to the identified records.
reasons for any exemptions or withheld information (portions blacked-out)

Records to which exemptions apply may be withheld entirely or be "severed" (i.e. portions blacked-out). If you request access to records containing personal information about yourself, we may ask you to go to the FOI Office with one piece of photo ID before we can disclose the records to you.

All decisions made by CHEO, including the final determination and any fees or time extensions, may be appealed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) of Ontario. You have 30 days from the date of the decision letter to request a review by Ontario’s IPC.

More resources

Referring to the Directory of Records and Personal Information Bank may assist you when preparing to make a request for information. It includes an inventory of record types and list of personal information banks. If you have questions or will like more information on your appeal, please visit Information & Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.

Frequently asked questions

Can other people access my personal information?

Personal information must not be disclosed to anyone other than the individual, to whom it relates, except:

where prior written request or consent of the individual, if the record is one to which the individual is entitled to have access
in compelling circumstances affecting the health or safety of an individual
personal information collected and maintained specifically for the purpose of creating a record available to the general public
under an Act of Ontario or Canada that expressly authorizes the disclosure
for a research purpose if specific conditions are met
the disclosure is consistent with the conditions or reasonable expectations of disclosure under which the personal information was provided, collected or obtained, if the disclosure does not constitute an unjustified invasion of personal privacy

What is the difference between a request for general information and a request for personal information?

Personal information

Personal information is defined as recorded information about an identifiable individual such as information relating to the race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation or marital or family status of the individual, information relating to the education or the medical, psychiatric, psychological, criminal or employment history of the individual or information relating to financial transactions in which the individual has been involved, any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual, the address, telephone number, fingerprints or blood type of the individual, the personal opinions or views of the individual except where they relate to another individual, correspondence sent to an institution by the individual that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature, and replies to that correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence, the views or opinions of another individual about the individual, and the individual’s name where it appears with other personal information relating to the individual or where the disclosure of the name would reveal other personal information about the individual.

Personal information does not include the name, title, business address, and business contact numbers of an employee. The personal information for individuals deceased more than 30 years is no longer protected by the Freedom of information and Protection of Privacy Act.

General information

General information relates to all other information that is not considered personal information as defined above.

Why can't I have access to certain records?

FIPPA stipulate that every person has a right of access to a record in the custody or under the control of the Hospital. However certain records are excluded from the purview of the Act (i.e. labour relations (s. 65(6)), research and teaching materials (s.65(8.1)). Also, there are mandatory and discretionary exemptions for other types of records that apply and determine the disclosure of the records (i.e. third party information (s. 17), economic interests (s. 18), solicitor-client privilege (s. 19), and personal privacy (s. 21).

Is there a cost to make a request? How much?

There is an initial fee of $5 to make a request under FIPPA. Other fees may follow. It is possible to reduce the costs of a request by being very specific with your request. An example that could help reduce fees would be to include in your request to eliminate all information sent or received by you.

How do you calculate the estimates and final fees?

The fees are calculated in accordance to the FIPPA regulation 460 R.R.O. 1990. The fee breakdown is as follows:

Making an access request: $5 fee must accompany written request
Change in personal information: No fee required besides the $5 request fee and any photocopy fees.
Photocopies and computer printouts: $0.20 per page
CD ROMs: $10 per disk
Encrypted USB drive: $50/USB
Manually searching a record: $30 per hour ($7.5 for each 15 minutes) spent by any person
Preparing a record for disclosure, including severing part of the record: $30 per hour ($7.50 for each 15 minutes) spent by any person
Developing a computer program or other method to produce a record from a machine-readable record: $60 per hour ($15 for each 15 minutes) spent by any person

Cost, including computer costs, incurred to locate, retrieve, process and copy record(s) as specified in an invoice received by the hospital.

Can I get an electronic copy of the records requested?

Yes, the hospital can provide an electronic copy of the records on a CD-ROM or encrypted USB. An additional fee of $10 will be charged for CD-ROMs, and an additional fee of $50 will be charged per USB.

Who do I make my cheque payable to?

Cheques for the initial application fee may be made payable to CHEO. All additional fees must be paid by cash, cheque or money order to CHEO.

Can my request form be faxed or emailed?

Since the request must be accompanied by a $5 application fee before the searches can begin, the request must be sent by mail, courier, or dropped off in person.

How specific do I need to be with my request?

Please be as specific as possible in describing the information you are seeking. The more specific your request, the quicker and more accurately it can be answered. This includes adding details such the area the information should be searched in, the key words that you find appropriate to conduct the search and the period of the request (date). Please note that the search dates of a request ends on the day that the request has been received.

If you are requesting your own personal information, please be sure that you give: your full name; any other names that you have previously used; and any identifying number that relates to the records, such as your employee or student number, or other identification number.

Where can I find the form to make a formal request?

Download the CHEO FIPPA Form and print it.