The Future of FOI: Smarter Compliance, Lower Costs, and Reduced Risk
By Shaun McIver
CEO, Vayle
Municipalities across Ontario are facing growing challenges in managing Freedom of Information (FOI) requests. According to Vayle’s 2024 State of FOI | Ontario Municipalities Edition report, more than half of participating municipalities reported an increase in FOI request volumes. Yet, only 11% of those experiencing higher demand received a corresponding budget increase. This widening gap is placing significant strain on municipal staff, increasing the risk of missed deadlines, processing errors, and compliance failures.
Traditional FOI management methods—relying on spreadsheets, word processors, and paper-based workflows—are no longer sustainable. Manual processes not only slow response times but also heighten the risk of non-compliance with MFIPPA’s deadlines and reporting obligations. As request volumes grow and resources remain limited, the need for smart, automated FOI solutions has never been more essential.
How Technology is Reducing Risk and Improving Efficiency
Modern FOI management software can help municipalities streamline their FOI processes while mitigating compliance, financial, and operational risks. Here’s how:
- Online FOI Requests and Payments
By enabling FOI requesters to submit requests digitally, municipalities can streamline processing, reduce the risk of lost or incomplete requests, and enhance the citizen experience.
- Legislative Deadline Tracking and Automation
FOI software can automatically track due dates, generate response letters, send reminders, and log all actions, ensure municipalities remain compliant with MFIPPA requirements. Missed deadlines can lead to appeals, reputational damage, and potential compliance issues —automation helps mitigate these risks.
- Secure Redaction and Risk Mitigation
Built-in automated redaction ensures sensitive information is properly identified and removed, reducing the risk of accidental disclosures. With MFIPPA exemption tagging and generating an index of records, municipalities can confidently release files without compromising privacy or security.
- Automated Reporting & Compliance Oversight
Instead of spending hours compiling and calculating data, municipal teams can generate their Annual Statistical Report for the Information and Privacy Commission of Ontario (IPC), along with a range of operational reports, with a single click. This not only saves time but also ensures the accuracy of compliance reporting.
The ROI of Smarter FOI Management
Beyond compliance and risk reduction, FOI automation delivers measurable financial and operational benefits. By streamlining workflows, municipalities can free up staff time, reduce overtime costs, and improve service levels for both internal teams and the public.
As municipalities grapple with rising FOI workloads and constrained budgets, investing in purpose-built FOI software should no longer be viewed an option—it’s a necessity. The future of FOI is digital, efficient, and provides peace of mind to overworked FOI staff.
Vayle FOI software processes approximately 40% of local government FOI requests in Ontario. For more information, please visit the LAS Freedom of Information (FOI) Solutions webpage.