US EditionFord government passes budget that lets premier and ministers keep office records secret
The bill retroactively shields premier and cabinet records from FOI requests and roughly doubles processing times, critics said.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford's government passed Bill 97 on Thursday, enacting the 2026 budget alongside controversial changes to Freedom of Information laws that restrict public access to cabinet and Premier records.
- House Leader Steve Clark bypassed standard committee sessions and public hearings last week to expedite passage of the omnibus budget bill through a final vote.
- The retroactive changes shield the Premier's cellphone records from public scrutiny, effectively nullifying ongoing court cases related to the 2022 Greenbelt scandal.
- Opposition members, including NDP Leader Marit Stiles, Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser, and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, condemned the move and chanted 'FOI' during the session.
- Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy defended the budget's investments, asserting that 95 per cent of information requests will remain accessible, despite criticism from Information and Privacy Commissioner Patricia Kosseim.
22 Articles
22 Articles
Ontario passes law shielding provincial ministers’ records from information requests
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario voted on Thursday to exempt records held by ministers from freedom of information (FOI) requests. The amendment is said to have violated the right of Ontario citizens to transparency and privacy. Bill 97, also known as the Plan to Protect Ontario Act (Budget Measures), contains several statutes and amendments to implement its fiscal budget. Also contained in the bill is an amendment to the provincial Freedom o…
Sudbury Star
The London free PressOntario limits access to some government records – does it matter?
Members of the Opposition heckled and chanted “F-O-I, F-O-I” as the Ford government passed its controversial changes to Ontario’s Freedom of Information (FOI) rules on Thursday. From now on, it will be much harder to get a look inside the workings of the highest levels of government. But does this matter to the lives of most Ontarians, or is it an issue largely confined to Queen’s Park? Let’s break it down:
Guelph Today
Doug Ford’s PCs vote to end access to political officials’ records
Government MPPs passed the bill that will retroactively exempt records of the premier, cabinet ministers, parliamentary assistants and their staff from FOI requests
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