The City holds or has control of a wide number of general records and personal information banks. All of these records are controlled by provincial or federal legislation. The directory itself indicates which legislation is involved.

The directory is a list and detailed description of the general classes or types of records and personal information banks in the custody or control of the City.

Making a request

In many cases, it is not necessary to make a formal request using legislative forms to get access to City records. Requests for information can be made by calling, writing or visiting the appropriate City office. When information is not available through the normal business channels, a request can be made through the Corporate Access and Privacy Office.

When you make a request, the process can be helped if you quote the type of file and the reference code that you'll find in the Directory of Records. The reference is not, however, required. The City will process the request without it.

About the Directory of Records

Under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (sections 25 and 34), the City of Toronto must make available, for inspection and copying by the public, a Directory of Records containing:

• a description of the organization and responsibilities of the City
• a list of the general classes or types of records in the custody or control of the City
• an index of all personal information banks in the custody or under the control of the City

The City Clerk's Office, with the input of business units within each City Division, compiled this Directory of Records, which is organized so that it can be either searched or browsed.

Note that the Directory of Records contains general descriptions of the types of records held by the City, used to assist members of the public in understanding what records are held by each City division, and in preparing requests for records. The Directory of Records does not contain the actual City records themselves.

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Contents

The directory contains the following information:

Mandate
a description of the mandate of each City division.

General Classes of Records (GCR)
a description of the general records (other than personal information banks) maintained to support the City's programs and activities.

For each General Class of Records, the following information is provided:

• the title of the class of records
• the record number, i.e. the classification number used to refer to the class of records
• a detailed description of the type of information that is maintained in this class of records
• the division that has the responsibility for maintaining this class of records
• retention and disposal (how long the information is kept and if it is destroyed or transferred to the City Archives)

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Personal Information Banks (PIB)
a description of the collections of personal information (recorded information about identifiable individuals) maintained to support the City's programs and activities, where such collections are organized and retrievable by an individual's name or number.

For each Personal Information Bank, the following information is provided:

• the title of the PIB
• the record number, i.e. the classification number used to refer to the PIB
• a detailed description of the type of information that is maintained in the PIB
• legal authority (the statute, regulation or bylaw which provides legal authority for the establishment of the PIB)
• types of personal information (e.g. name, age, financial information)
• record uses (how the personal information is used on a regular basis)
• categories of users (individuals or organizations which have access to the information or to whom the information is disclosed on a regular basis)
• categories of individuals in bank (the categories of individuals about whom the personal information is maintained)
• retention and disposal (how long the information is kept and if it is destroyed or transferred to the City Archives)

In some instances, a records classification may contain general records and also be organized as a personal information bank, for example, City tax information may be about individual residents (personal information) as well as about commercial businesses (general records).

Where the retention and disposal section indicates "pending approval" or "to be determined", the City is in the process of developing retention and disposal policies for the class of records or personal information bank.

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Common Records
Certain types or classes of records are common to most divisions. These records contain information about general administration and operational support functions such as human resources, finance, purchasing, audit, and facilities management. When a general class of records or personal information banks is considered a "common record", this is indicated under "division".

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