WHEREAS all residents of Ontario have the right to fair, open and democratic government; and, WHEREAS all elected representatives, municipal and provincial alik

WHEREAS all residents of Ontario have the right to fair, open and democratic government; and, WHEREAS all elected representatives, municipal and provincial alike, in Ontario have a duty to faithfully execute the powers and trust placed in them and willingly swear an oath to this effect and are subject to fair public scrutiny; and, WHEREAS the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) are essential tools to protect Ontarians against privacy breaches, and abuses of power; and, WHEREAS the Province of Ontario enacted Bill 97, the Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), 2026, which received Royal Assent on April 24, 2026, and introduced significant amendments to both FIPPA and MFIPPA to alter statutory timelines and privacy governance frameworks; WHEREAS the amendments introduced via Bill 97 have created a jurisdictional imbalance by excluding records held by provincial Ministers, their offices, and staff from the application of FIPPA, while maintaining the statutory responsibilities and administrative burdens for municipal elected officials and staff under MFIPPA, thereby establishing higher standards for transparency and personal record accountability for municipal governments; WHEREAS excluding members of the highest offices and their staff from reasonable public access requests and records retention creates security concerns, reinforces the appearance of self-dealing and is contrary to the public interest, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT Prince Edward County Council call on the Province to reinstate requirements for compliance with FIPPA to ensure that the Premier, Ministers, and their staff are subject to proper and fair public scrutiny like all other elected representatives in Ontario; and THAT the Government of Ontario implement recommendations of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario to increase and ensure proper security, record keeping and demo