For my part, I write to the municipality of North Hatley by email to request a permit or access to information. I always ask for confirmation that my email has been received. This allows me to make sure that I am not being sent to “spam.” Strangely, I feel like I am being sent to “spam” because I no longer receive confirmation of my emails requesting access to information. You can also consult the article on your municipality’s response times.
Obviously, it all depends on the email you send. For a simple question with no legal implications, an acknowledgment of receipt is not necessary. However, if you are making a request for access to information, it would be preferable for both you and the municipality to acknowledge receipt of your request. First, it is essential that your municipality respond to your emails out of respect and because it is its role to serve citizens. Moreover, the municipality operates thanks to public money, most of which comes from taxpayers, who are citizens.
I am far from being a municipal inspector or a municipal lawyer, so check your sources. But, as you know, I like to ask ChatGPT what it thinks. So I asked it this:
Is a municipality required to acknowledge receipt of your email if you request it?
No, not necessarily according to the law, but it should do so in accordance with good administrative practices and the logic of serving citizens.
1. Is there a formal legal obligation?
There is no general law in Quebec that requires municipalities to acknowledge receipt of all emails from citizens, even if they request it.
Except in certain specific cases, for example:
- A request for access to information (Access to Public Documents Act)
- An official complaint to a relevant department (urban planning, environment, etc.)
- A response to a tender or a regulated request
In such cases, acknowledgment of receipt is often required or provided for by regulation.
2. Best practices (recommended, but not mandatory)
Even though it is not a general legal requirement, a municipality should acknowledge receipt in the following cases:
- You expressly request confirmation of receipt.
- You ask a serious question or make a citizen request.
- Report a problem or make a complaint
- You are communicating as part of a public consultation or formal process
In summary
| Situation | Mandatory acknowledgment of receipt? |
| General email from a citizen | ❌ No, not mandatory. |
| Email with express request for acknowledgment | ❌ Not mandatory, but recommended |
| Request for access to information | ✅ Yes, mandatory |
| Participation in a regulated process | ✅ Yes, in several cases. |
What should you do if the municipality does not respond?
- Follow up after a few days
- Use a read receipt (in your email software)
- Call or follow up in writing
- If the situation is serious: contact the general manager or the city council.
Note that common sense prevails. Your municipality is not required to acknowledge receipt except in specific cases. However, out of respect for its citizens, it is recommended that your municipality acknowledge receipt of your email, especially if you have explicitly requested it.
Finally, if your municipality does not acknowledge receipt and does not respond to your email, you should contact the chief administrative officer, according to Chatgpt. In my case, the emails that were neither acknowledged nor responded to were those sent to the chief administrative officer of the municipality.
So, when we don’t get a response from our municipality, do we write to the director general? And if he doesn’t respond, do we write to the mayor? And if she doesn’t respond, do we write to the access to information commission? And if they don’t get a response either, where do we go? WOW! You can see an example of a non-response from the municipality of North Hatley over a period of more than 12 months.
That said, I remain convinced that the municipality is acting with kindness and integrity despite everything.
