Premier Doug Ford’s daily calendar will now be kept from the public, as confirmed by , following recent updates to Ontario’s freedom of information law – which no longer allows access to records held by ministers and their offices.
Unlike previous leaders, Ford hasn’t shared a daily schedule of his public events since he took office in 2018. Because of this, has regularly submitted freedom of information (FOI) requests for his calendar and has often received those records with some sections blacked out.
However, a denial of an FOI request from late last month confirmed that these records are no longer accessible.
The retroactive changes to Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) that exclude records held by ministers, parliamentary assistants, and their offices were announced in March and took effect in late April.
One reason given for the change was that Ontario was one of the only regions in Canada without “explicit protections” for cabinet minister records. However, the amendments have led to backlash from experts, opposition parties, and the province’s privacy commissioner.
James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University, argues that Ford’s calendar was already protected from revealing cabinet secrets by existing laws so he finds it “mind boggling” that it’s excluded entirely.
“It’s a fundamental assault on democracy; he’s the premier of our province; we have a right to know what he does and who he meets with,” Turk said.
James Turk is the director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University. (Submitted by James Turk)
“The media are the public’s eyes and ears and basically he’s putting a blindfold on them.”
Alasdair Roberts has been examining FOI laws in Canada and elsewhere for 30 years and sees these changes as “offensive to the principle of transparency.”
“Any well-structured freedom of information law should acknowledge that sometimes the government has a right to withhold information but also guarantee there’s some independent body making sure that balance is being struck appropriately,” said Roberts, a professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst.
“But what the Ontario government has done has made it impossible for anyone to figure out whether that balance is being struck.”
reached out to Ford’s office asking why they decided to exclude ministers’ records like his calendar and if his office would share his calendar proactively now that it’s not subject to FOI requests anymore.
Alasdair Roberts, a professor of public policy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has been studying FOI laws in Canada and abroad for 30 years. (Submitted by Alasdair Roberts)
Ford’s office did not reply but forwarded the inquiry to Stephen Crawford’s office-the minister responsible for public service delivery-who announced these changes back in March.
In an emailed response, Crawford’s press secretary didn’t answer questions about Ford’s calendar but reiterated reasons behind these amendments.
“Ontario’s FOI and privacy laws were created for a pre-digital era with legislation that’s not been updated in 40 years; this creates delays and inconsistent practices,” said Giulia Paikin.
“That’s why we’re establishing a clear modern FOI system while aligning Ontario with nearly every other province-and even federal government-that have had similar legislation in place for decades.”
Turk acknowledges these changes mimic federal access legislation but believes that’s heading down an undesirable path because federal rules “have probably the most secretive cabinet confidentiality provisions among Western countries.”
“There was nothing that posed risks here before,” he said. “There were all sorts of exclusions or exceptions regarding what we could access.”
Most provinces don’t actively publish daily calendars showing public events anymore. Some do offer weekly lists or will release details through an FOI request when asked.
Roberts mentions there was a time between the ’80s until early 2000s when transparency gained momentum globally as many governments adopted open governance laws.
But over recent decades crises like 9/11, COVID-19 pandemic responses, plus ongoing U. S.-Canada tensions shifted things back toward secrecy.
“Governments often seize upon crises as chances to roll back transparency rules,” noted Roberts.
“This situation is especially concerning because during critical moments where stakes are high-and governments make important decisions-transparency becomes crucial just as part of democracy.”
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