Freedom of Information

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) provides individuals with the right to:

  • Access to (non-health) personal information held by the hospital;
  • Access general records about the management and operation of the hospital;
  • Correct their personal information held by the hospital.

Scroll down for more information about Freedom of Information (FOI) and FIPPA.

Looking for personal health information or records?

Access to personal health information, such as your medical chart or diagnostic images, is not available under FIPPA. The Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) applies to a patient’s medical information and the hospital protects medical information in accordance with PHIPA.

Click here to learn more about accessing your personal health information.

Making an FOI request

Before you make a formal request for information, please first review our Directory of Records (DoR) to make sure that Hamilton Health Sciences keeps the type of information you’re looking for. Some information is also available on our website. Use the search function or visit the “About Us” section.

Once you are sure that the information you’re looking for is not available through this website, follow these steps to submit a request for information:

  1. Complete the FOI Access Request Form.
  2. Mail the completed FOI Access Request Form to the address listed below, along with the required $5 application fee in the form of cheque or money order (do not mail cash).

Mailing address:

Privacy and Freedom of Information Office
Hamilton Health Sciences
100 King St. W.
P.O. Box 2000
Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5

Requesting corrections to your personal information

Hamilton Health Sciences is required by law to take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information in our custody or under our control is accurate and up-to-date. The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) gives individuals the right to access their personal information. Accompanying the right of access is the right to request that any inaccuracies in that person’s personal information be corrected.

If, after obtaining access to your personal information through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request, you believe that there is an error or omission in the information, you may request a correction to that information using the FOI Correction Request Form. Please send your completed form to the mailing address below.

Mailing address:

Privacy and Freedom of Information Office
Hamilton Health Sciences
100 King St. W.
P.O. Box 2000
Hamilton, ON L8N 3Z5