Belleville’s Freedom of Information process requires request forms to be printed out and physically mailed to City Hall to the attention of the City Clerk.
Payment options for the initial $5 request fee are in person at City Hall by cash, debit, credit card or cheque or by mailing a cheque along with the request form:
This is despite the City having recently built many online purchase forms for various applications, licenses and permits, including:
Belleville’s outdated process requires additional time and cost:
- Stamps
- Paper
- Envelopes
- Cheques or travelling to City Hall during business hours
Other public institutions like Quinte Conservation make the process simpler and faster by accepting FOI submissions via email and accepting credit card payments over the phone.
Municipalities are required to prioritize accountability and transparency. Belleville’s Accountability and Transparency Policy its intention to ensure that “that all activities and services are undertaken utilizing a process that is open and accessible to its stakeholders” and recently established a Routine Disclosure and Active Dissemination Policy to “promote accountability and transparency by facilitating public access to municipal records and information through Routine Disclosure and Active Dissemination, in accordance with the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA).”
When the process to submit Freedom of Information requests is left to be slower, more costly, and less accessible, it undermines those commitments.
Take action
Ask the City of Belleville to develop an online form for Freedom of Information requests:
To whom it may concern,
Belleville has online payment forms for various licensing and applications including bag tags and burn permits. I’d like to formally request that an online form be created to accept Freedom of Information request documentation and payments.
[your name]
[your address and postal code]
And email it to: [email protected]
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