Windsor Police plan online freedom of information requests, target January 2027
Windsor Police say people will be able to file and pay for freedom of information requests online, with a target date of January 2027. For now: in person or by mail, with a $5 fee. Can't do either? WPS says to contact its Information Services office.
Topics: Public safety
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What's planned
In an email reply to Windsor News on Oct. 21, Dawn Hill, Windsor Police's director of Information Services, said the service has reviewed how in-person Information Services, including freedom of information access requests, are delivered at its main office. As part of that review, she said, WPS has sourced third-party freedom of information case management software that will let people submit and pay for access requests online through the WPS website.
Hill said the estimated timeline is January 2027. In a follow-up later that day, she said January 2027 is the target, but that many factors beyond the service's control could affect it, so she would not commit to an exact date. She said WPS corporate communications will announce the change when it's ready.
How to file now
The WPS Freedom of Information page lists two ways to file a request under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act:
In person at Information Services, with two approved forms of ID and the $5 application fee, paid by cash, debit, Visa or Mastercard.
By mail to the Information and Privacy Unit, Windsor Police Service, 150 Goyeau St., P.O. Box 60, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5, with two pieces of acceptable ID and a $5 cheque payable to the City of Windsor.
Other fees can apply once a request is done, the page says, such as 20 cents per photocopied page and $7.50 per 15 minutes of search and preparation time.
What it means for you
If you can't file by mail or in person, Hill said to contact Information Services and WPS "will do our best to accommodate you" until online filing is available.
If you plan to file in person, note that public hours at headquarters are changing. Windsor Police said in an Oct. 8 news release that starting Nov. 2, 2026, headquarters at 150 Goyeau St. will be open to the public Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., including statutory holidays, replacing the current seven-day hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Why we asked
Windsor News asked WPS on Oct. 17 whether it would add an online or phone payment option for access request fees. The service already takes online applications, paid by Visa or Mastercard, for police record checks.
