Public Records

The Directory of Records (PDF) doubles as Norfolk County’s records classification system and is updated annually.

Records in the custody and control of Norfolk County may be accessible to the public without submitting a formal access request.

Requests for your property file are considered routine access without associated costs unless the request is for a large property file with many records or would require many search hours to complete. Any previous property owner information would also be removed before release.

Your request and the type of request that should be submitted will be reviewed. It is important to note that the rules governing access and privacy under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) apply to formal and informal information requests.

Alternatively, you may request records from your property file by directly contacting the Building Department or e-mailing permits@norfolkcounty.ca.

The Norfolk County’s Online Municipal Records Archive provides the public with access to records of Norfolk County’s council, boards and commissions, and by-laws. All digitalized records of the same type from the former municipalities are also available in the archive. The archive contains over 8000 documents and is fully text-searchable.

Norfolk County’s Online Records Archive

Searching Norfolk County’s Online Records Archive

There are three ways to search the archive. All methods sort the results by relevance.

Search the entire library

The first option will search the entire library. Open the link to Norfolk County’s Online Records Archive; the search bar is at the top middle of the page. Type in the keyword/words you wish to search and click search or press enter. This will return every document, including the keyword, in the entire library.

Search by-laws, council records, agendas, and minutes

The second option lets you quickly limit the search to by-laws, council records, agendas, and minutes. Select the plus or expand icon next to the search button in the left panel. Select saved public searches. Double-click the quick search required for the search. A search bar will appear; type in the keyword/words you wish to search and click search or press enter. The results will only include the document type of the saved search. For example, the council minute’s quick search will only return minutes as results.

Search by folder

The third option is to search is by folder. To do this, right-click the folder on the left side of the panel and select search. A search bar will appear; type in the keyword/words you wish to search and click search or press enter. This search will be limited to the folder selected. Multiword searches may result in an error depending on the scope of the search. For phrases or coupled words, use quotation marks to avoid an error. For example, instead of Norfolk County use “Norfolk County.”

Searching PDF documents

All documents within the Norfolk County’s Online Records Archive are PDF documents. You can conduct text searches within the documents once they are opened. To do this, either click Crtl and F or click edit on the top toolbar. This will bring up the search bar. Enter the term to search and click enter. This will take you to the word in the document. Click next or previous navigate results.

If you are seeking a historical record from one of the former townships within Norfolk County before 2001 or a historical record from a related agency within Norfolk County, your request may be directed to Norfolk County Archives for review through the following contact information:

Norfolk County Archives
109 Norfolk Street South
Simcoe, Ontario N3Y 2W3

Phone: 519-426-1583
E-mail: archives@norfolkcounty.ca
Website: norfolkheritage.ca

Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for The Corporation of The County of Norfolk

How we protect your privacy

We handle and protect your personal health information in accordance with Ontario’s Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, 1990 (MFIPPA) and any other laws that we are required to follow. We provide training, follow established policies, and take other steps to ensure that our staff and anyone else acting on our behalf protect your privacy.

Your rights and choices

MFIPPA provides you with certain rights related to your personal information under our custody or control. Please communicate with our Privacy Contact for more information related to your rights:

• to request a copy of your personal information;
• to ask us to make corrections to inaccurate or incomplete personal information;

Our privacy contact

For more information or to raise a concern about our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Contact:

Norfolk County Clerk
Phone: 519-426-5870
Email: Clerk@norfolkcounty.ca

Mailing Address:
50 Colbourne Street South
Simcoe, ON.
N3Y 4H3

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is responsible for making sure that privacy law is followed in Ontario. For more information about your privacy rights, or if you are unable to resolve an issue directly with our Privacy Contact and wish to make a complaint, contact:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8

Email: info@ipc.on.ca
Toll Free: 1-800-387-0073
TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539

Formal requests are also addressed to the County Clerk.

All MFIPPA formal requests must be made in writing and be accompanied by a $5.00 mandatory application fee made payable to Norfolk County. Cheque and money order payments are accepted by mail; cash and debit-only payments are accepted in person at ServiceNorfolk. 

• Freedom of Information (FOI) Request Form (PDF)

Formal requests for police records from Norfolk County are requested to the Ministry of Solicitor General Freedom of Information Office.

Request for Ontario Works files

A request for an Ontario Works file kept with Haldimand-Norfolk Social Services is processed as a formal request for personal information. 

The $5.00 application fee made payable to Norfolk County applies and is submitted to the Deputy Clerk.  If a lawyer requests the Ontario Works file on an individual’s behalf, authorization is required from the individual and will be addressed to Haldimand-Norfolk Social Services. This authorization must state that the individual authorizes the release of their personal information in the file to their lawyer. The authorization and the application must be provided before the formal request can be processed.

Fees

Additional fees, as outlined in MFIPPA regulations and below, may be applied to submitted formal requests:

• Search time: $7.50 per 15 minutes
• Record preparation: $7.50 per 15 minutes
• If formal request is for paper formatted records: Photocopy costs: $0.20 per page
• If formal request is for digitally formatted records: USB: $10.00 each
  Computer Cost: $15.00 per 15 minutes

For further details on when additional fees may be applied to formal requests, please contact the Clerk.

Personal Health Information for The Corporation of The County of Norfolk

How we protect your privacy

We handle and protect your personal health information in accordance with Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (PHIPA) and any other laws that we are required to follow. We provide training, follow established policies, and take other steps to ensure that our staff and anyone else acting on our behalf protects your privacy.

Collection, use, and disclosure of personal health information

Your request for care from us implies consent for our collection, use, and disclosure of your personal health information for the following purposes:

• to provide and assist in the provision of health care to you through our services, programs, and facilities;
• to get payment for health care and any related goods and services provided to you, including from OHIP, your private insurer, WSIB, and others as necessary;
• to plan, administer, and manage the operation of our services, programs, and facilities;
• to manage risk and improve the quality and safety of our services and programs;
• to educate or train our agents to provide health care;
• to conduct research activities as approved by a research ethics board;
• to comply with legal and regulatory requirements; and,
• to fulfill other purposes that are permitted or required by law.

From time to time, we may communicate about your care with your other health care providers, including collecting, using, and disclosing your personal health information through electronic medical information systems (sometimes called electronic health records, eHealth records, electronic medical records, etc.). If you would like more information about the electronic medical information systems we use, please speak with our Privacy Contact.

Any use of your personal health information other than those mentioned above would require your express consent.

Your rights and choices

PHIPA provides you with certain rights related to your personal health information under our custody or control. Please communicate with our Privacy Contact for more information related to your rights:

• to see and get a copy of your personal health information;
• to ask us to make corrections to inaccurate or incomplete personal health information;
• to withdraw your consent to our collection and use of your personal health information or its disclosure to other health care providers (subject to certain legal obligations); and,
• to be informed if your personal health information is lost, stolen or improperly accessed.

Our privacy contact

For more information or to raise a concern about our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Contact:

County Clerk
Phone: 519-426-5870
Email: Clerks@norfolkcounty.ca

Mailing Address:
50 Colbourne Street South
Simcoe, ON  N3Y 4H3

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario is responsible for making sure that privacy law is followed in Ontario. For more information about your privacy rights, or if you are unable to resolve an issue directly with our Privacy Contact and wish to make a complaint, contact:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400
Toronto, ON M4W 1A8

Email: info@ipc.on.ca
Toll Free: 1-800-387-0073
TDD/TTY: 416-325-7539

Norview Lodge

Personal Health Information requests for Norview Lodge, such as requesting your resident file, may be submitted to:

Bill Nolan, Administrator
Norview Lodge
44 Rob Blake Way
Simcoe, Ontario N3Y 0E3
Phone: 519-426-0902, extension 4224

Ambulance Call Reports

Ambulance Call Report requests are directly mailed to Norfolk County Paramedic Services:

Divisional Support Clerk
Norfolk County Paramedic Services
95 Culver Street
Simcoe, Ontario N3Y 2V5
Fax: 519-426-1316

A fee of $65.00 is payable to Norfolk County for the provision of an Ambulance Call Report. The fee is returned if it is received with the request and the requested Ambulance Call Report does not exist.

Rabies Investigation Forms

Rabies Investigation Forms, more commonly referred to as animal/dog bite information requests, are requests for personal health information. There is a $77.75 processing fee for this request, made payable to Norfolk County and submitted to the Deputy Clerk.

Health Unit

For personal health information requests to the health unit, please contact the Deputy Clerk. Contact the Clerks Department at 519-426-5870 or 226-NORFOLK x 1228 or email clerks@norfolkcounty.ca.

911 calls