Background
On March 26, 2026, the Ontario government introduced Bill 97, the Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2026. This omnibus budget bill includes changes to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) (Schedule 7) and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) (Schedule 11). On April 23, 2026, the bill was passed.
The amendments at issue encompass a range of provisions, from routine, process-oriented updates that have drawn little opposition to highly controversial changes that restrict access to certain categories of records. Notably, there has been significant backlash to changes that will exempt records (even retroactively) in the custody or under the control of a Minister or a Minister's office from the access to information regime. It has been assumed that these changes are, at least in part, related to an existing freedom of information request from Global News seeking to obtain Premier Ford’s cellphone