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Policy No. 120-013
Records Management
POLICY
Page 1 of 4
Records Management
Policy No.
120-013
Supersedes Policy Number
1221-24
Effective Date
2015-10-20
Amended:
Approved By Council (Motion Number)
26-10-15
1.0
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish a Records Management Policy for the Town of Wolfville and as
outlined in section 34 of the Municipal Government Act, to provide guidance with respect to the disposal
of the Town of Wolfville municipal documents to ensure:
Municipal documents/records are, as a minimum, retained for the length of time as outlined
in the AMA Records Management Manual;
Limited space and/or dollar resources are not unnecessarily utilized for archiving historical
records; and
That records are managed in a way that supports the efficient and effective functioning of
the Town of Wolfville.
2.0
Scope
This Policy covers all records created and received by the Town of Wolfville. Its provisions extend to all
staff conducting business on behalf of the Town.
3.0
References
3.1
Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act
3.2
Government Records Act
3.3
Public Archives Act
3.4
Municipal Government Act (MGA), Section 34
3.5
AMA Records Management Manual, Second Edition, 2013
4.0
Definitions
4.1
Council means the council of the Town of Wolfville.
4.2
Designated Officer means the person designated and authorized by the Chief
Administrative Officer of the Town of Wolfville to act on behalf of the Town of Wolfville
to manage and maintain the Records Management System. For the Town of Wolfville,
the Designated Officer is the Director of Corporate Services.
Policy No. 120-013
Records Management
POLICY
Page 2 of 4
4.3
Manual means the AMA Records Management Manual, second edition, as amended
from time to time.
4.4
Record includes books, documents, maps, drawings, photographs, letters, vouchers,
papers and any other thing on which information is recorded or stored by graphic,
electronic, mechanical or other means, but does not include a computer program or any
other mechanism that produces records.
4.5
Records Management System means an electronic or paper-based system used by the
Town of Wolfville to manage the records of the Town of Wolfville from record creation
through to records disposal.
5.0
Policy
5.1
Records Management System Established
The Records Management System of the Town of Wolfville is established and authorized
from the effective date of this Policy.
5.2
Compliance with Records Management System
All records in the custody and control of the employees of the Town of Wolfville are the
property of the Town of Wolfville. All records of the Town of Wolfville must comply
with the Records Management System and this policy. All employees and management
of the Town of Wolfville must comply with this policy.
5.3
Designated Officer
The Director of Corporate Services, is responsible for the management and maintenance
of the Records Management System.
5.4
Adoption of the Manual
The Director of Corporate Services is authorized to adopt and maintain the Manual as
part of the Records Management System. Records of the Town of Wolfville must be
created, accessed, maintained and disposed of only as provided by the Manual. The
Manual includes a Records Retention Schedule that prescribes the period of time that
records are kept to meet the operational, legal, regulatory, financial or other
requirements of the Town of Wolfville. The Records Retention Schedule also provides
instructions as to the manner and time of the disposition of the record.
5.5
Integrity and Authenticity Maintained
The Records Management System must maintain the integrity and authenticity of
records made or kept in the usual and ordinary course of business.
5.6
Authorization to Amend Manual
The Director of Corporate Services is authorized to amend the Manual.
Policy No. 120-013
Records Management
POLICY
Page 3 of 4
5.7
Disposal by Designated Officer
When the Director of Corporate Services determines that the retention period for a
given record described in the Records Retention Schedule has ended, the Director of
Corporate Services may allow the record to be destroyed or otherwise disposed of in
accordance with the instructions outlined in the Records Retention Schedule and in
consultation with stakeholders within the organization as detailed below:
5.7.1
Annually, the Town will dispose of records no longer required to be maintained
by policy and/or law. Disposal will be carried out by way of shredding for paper
documents
and
effective
deletion/destruction
of
electronic
records;
5.7.2
The following documents shall not be disposed/destroyed:
Minutes of Council, Committee of Council, Council Advisory Committees, or
any committee/commission appointed by Council;
Town By-laws and policies; and
Assessment rolls
5.7.3
The destruction actions must always be authorized, allowing for staff to
intercede if specific issues such as a government investigation, audit, freedom of
information access request, litigation or legal claim require that destruction
must be halted;
5.7.4
Records pertaining to any actual or pending government investigation, audit,
freedom of information access request, litigation or legal claim should not be
destroyed. There should be processes to impose a "legal hold" when specific
requirements arise;
5.7.5
Records destruction should be undertaken in a manner that preserves the
confidentiality of records, including the privacy of information about individuals;
5.7.6
All copies of records that are authorized for destruction, including security,
preservation and backup copies, should be destroyed as soon as reasonably
possible; and
5.7.7
Records will be maintained electronically to document the destruction actions.
5.7.8
Records that are required by an enactment to be kept, and all minutes, by-laws,
policies and resolution of Council shall not be destroyed.
Policy No. 120-013
Records Management
POLICY
Page 4 of 4
5.8
Policy Review
The policy will be reviewed every four years from effective/amended date.
October 20, 2015
CAO or Town Clerk
Date