> Grimsby Secondary Class of 2020 grads saluted /Pgs 8-12 > Grimsby hires new planning director Pg 3 > Minister of tourism tours Niagara Pg 5 > Letters: readers have their say Pg 15 Thursday, June 25, 2020 Vol. 12 Issue 5
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NewsNow document request should proceed: MMAH Joanne McDonald NewsNow The clock is ticking on NewsNow’s Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request, according to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. The request was submitted to town hall on Friday, June 12, seeking a copy of the investigator’s report into the conduct of CAO Harry Schlange. In a letter to NewsNow publish-
Black Lives Matter
er Mike Williscraft, dated June 15, clerk Sarah Kim said any response would be delayed due to a provincial Order which, she claimed, “put a halt on all time period limitations” for Freedom of Information (FOI) Act requests. However, Ministry of Municipal Affairs & Housing spokesman Chris Crawford says that is a non-starter. “The suspension order referred to (in Kim’s letter) is Ontario reg-
People across generations and cultures listen to speaker MacNeal Lashley (right) deliver his message of understanding and unity at Friday’s Black Lives Matter Rally at Centennial Park. Turn to Page 6 for more coverage. Marks - Photo
ulation 73/20, made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act (EMCPA / emergency order). This regulation suspends the limitation periods or any time period within which any step must be taken in any proceeding or in any intended proceeding in Ontario for the duration of the provincial emergency,” said Crawford. “Although this emergency order suspends the timelines associated
with the Information and Privacy Commissioner (IPC) Office’s oversight obligations of Ontario’s access and privacy legislation, it does not apply to the legislative timelines for processing FOI requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) that applies See FOI, Page 2