The Ford government announced that it plans to exempt the premier, cabinet ministers, and their staff from Ontario’s freedom-of-information laws. If the legislation passes, you won’t be able to request records from those offices – and the change would apply retroactively, potentially killing hundreds of requests already in the pipeline. That includes ongoing fights over the Greenbelt scandal and Ford’s cellphone records. Here’s what’s at stake.
What’s Actually Changing?
Right now, anyone in Ontario can file an FOI request to get information from public institutions – including government offices. Journalists, researchers, opposition parties, and regular citizens use it to see how decisions get made, where money goes, and when something smells off.
The proposed law would remove the premier’s office, cabinet ministers’ offices, and parliamentary assistants from that system entirely. Emails, data, meeting notes – anything sitting in those offices would be off-limits. The government says it’s “modernizing” the framework and aligning with “Westminster tradition of cabinet confidentiality.” Critics say it’s the opposite: a major step backward for accountability.
The retroactive piece is what’s got people worried. James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, told CBC that the change could wipe out “hundreds” of existing requests. That includes high-profile cases: the Greenbelt scandal, Ford’s personal cellphone records (a divisional court ruled in January that he had to release them – the government said it would appeal), and other investigations that rely on FOI to get documents.
Why FOIs Matter in Toronto
CBC and other outlets have used FOI requests to break stories that matter to Torontonians: the Ontario Science Centre closure, overcrowding in provincial jails, the province’s push for for-profit clinics, bike lane removals, and the $40 million pro-Ontario ad campaign. The Greenbelt scandal—who knew what, when, and who benefited – came to light in large part because of FOI.
Ontario’s Information and Privacy Commissioner, Patricia Kosseim, didn’t mince words. In a statement, she said retroactively changing the law sends a message that “if oversight bodies get in the way, just change the rules.” She added that if records can be “shielded from scrutiny simply because they sit in a minister’s office, on a staffer’s device, or within a political account, public accountability is eviscerated.”
Who’s Pushing Back?
Opposition parties at Queen’s Park have slammed the move. NDP Leader Marit Stiles called it “outrageous” and said there’s no justification other than trying to hide from the public. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said Ontarians have a right to know how decisions are made. Duff Conacher of Democracy Watch warned that more secrecy leads to “more corruption and waste of the public’s money and other abuses of power.”
The government insists it’s bringing Ontario in line with other provinces and the federal government. But the federal information commissioner recently told a House of Commons committee that the prime minister’s office and cabinet offices should be subject to access-to-information requests. So the “everyone else does it” argument doesn’t hold up cleanly.
What Happens Next?
The province has announced the changes but hasn’t tabled a bill yet. The legislature sits again on March 23, so that’s when we’ll likely see the actual legislation. Advocacy groups like the Centre for Free Expression say they’re prepared to challenge it and push the government to back off.
If you’re filing an FOI for your own personal records – health files, for example – the proposed changes wouldn’t affect you. But if you care about knowing how the government spends your money, makes decisions, or handles scandles like the Greenbelt, this is worth watching. Once those doors close, they’re hard to open again.
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