Ottawa Police Service: Service vehicle marking: authority and cost
2 Sept 2026 · Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (Ontario)
2 Sept: the Service required the request by mail, with a cheque.
MFIPPA request with fee waiver — service vehicle marking, authority and cost
Hello,
This is a request for general records under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, together with a request for a waiver of all fees under section 45(4).
The records requested concern the marking of service vehicles and service property with symbols other than the standard service livery, and the cost of that marking.
DESCRIPTION OF RECORDS REQUESTED
1. The policy or directive in force governing the appearance, livery and marking of Ottawa Police Service vehicles, together with every prior version since 1 January 2015, and the record of approval for each version.
2. Every record showing the approval authority for the marking of any service vehicle with symbols other than the standard service livery, including any report to the Ottawa Police Service Board, the Board minutes, and any recorded vote of the Board.
3. Every record identifying the legislative or by-law authority under which service vehicles are marked with symbols other than the standard service livery.
4. The total cost of applying, maintaining and subsequently removing or restoring any non-standard marking on service vehicles from 1 January 2015 to the date of this request, itemised by vehicle and by expenditure category, including the vehicle unveiled in August 2015 at a reported cost of 1,300 dollars.
5. Every record setting out performance indicators, targets, measured outcomes or evaluation for the expenditures identified in item 4, including any assessment of the effect on public confidence, response times, or vehicle recognisability.
6. Every record concerning the display of flags, banners, decals, lighting or painted surfaces on Ottawa Police Service buildings and property from 1 January 2020 to the date of this request, together with the cost of each and the approving official.
7. Every complaint received by the Ottawa Police Service or the Ottawa Police Service Board concerning non-standard marking of service vehicles or service property from 1 January 2015 to the date of this request, and the response to each complaint.
8. Every record setting out the operational standard for the recognisability of marked service vehicles, and any assessment of whether non-standard marking affects that standard.
FEE WAIVER
A waiver of all fees, including the application fee, is requested under section 45(4) of the Act, which permits the waiver of all or any part of an amount required to be paid where it is fair and equitable to do so.
Financial hardship. The requester is an applicant for social assistance. The Social Benefits Tribunal issued an interim assistance order on 21 August 2026 in file 2608-06747 directing payment from 1 August 2026. The Director has not complied with that order and no payment has been made. The requester is without means to pay any fee. Documentation will be provided on request.
Public benefit. The records concern the legal authority for the use of public property and the expenditure of public funds. Both are matters the public is entitled to examine, and neither is available elsewhere.
A decision on this waiver request is required in writing and separately from any decision on access. Refusal of the waiver, or the treatment of an unpaid application fee as a reason not to process this request, will be appealed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
FORMAT
Electronic copies by email are requested.
NEXT STEP ON REFUSAL OR SILENCE
Failure to respond within 30 days constitutes a deemed refusal under section 22(4) of the Act and will be appealed to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. The absence of an approved policy for non-standard vehicle marking will be placed before the Ottawa Police Service Board as a matter of expenditure without authority.
Respectfully,
Danilo Dzyuban