PRIVACY POLICY
Credit Counselling of Simcoe County has been serving the area since 1973. In providing you with counselling services, we are sensitive to the nature of the information that you provide and diligent with respect to the protection of that information. We are committed to collecting, using and disclosing personal information responsibly and only to the extent necessary for the services that we provide. We also try to be open and transparent as to how we handle personal information. This document describes our privacy policies.
WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Personal information is information about an identifiable individual. It
includes information that relates to personal characteristics, health, history,
activities and views. Personal information does not include business
information, which is not protected by current privacy legislation.
PRIMARY PURPOSES
All personal information you give us is kept strictly confidential and is
protected in accordance with the standards set out in the Personal
Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
Information about clients is collected, used and disclosed for the primary
purposes of providing credit counselling services to that client and to contact
the client. We may also collect information about people who are not clients, in
conjunction with interviewing a client and obtaining particulars about his or
her family, history, creditors, etc. or in obtaining information about a
prospective client. This sort of information might be used to mediate a dispute
between a client and a creditor or for the purposes of third party mediations.
Contract Staff that we hire may also provide us with personal information which
is collected primarily in order to communicate on work-related issues and in
order to contact them when they are not in the office.
SECONDARY PURPOSES
Like many organizations, we may also collect, use and disclose personal
information for purposes related to or secondary to our primary purposes. Some
examples might to comply with regulatory requirements or if required to disclose
information by law or in an emergency situation.
We may communicate with The Ontario
Association of Credit Counselling Services for general research and reporting
requirements. We may also access information in order to ensure high
quality services (ie) assessing performance of our counsellors. Various
government agencies have the authority to review our files and interview our
staff as part of their mandates. Clients may have questions about the services
that we have provided after their file has been closed. Finally, we may from
time to time retain the services of contractors who may have limited access to
personal information that we hold. These consultants or contractors may include
computer consultants, office security and maintenance advisors, bookkeepers,
accountants, storage companies, temporary workers or volunteers, cleaners, etc.
We restrict their access to any personal information that we hold as much as is
reasonably possible. We also have their assurance that they will follow
appropriate privacy principles. We do not sell information to other
organizations.
PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Our relationship with our clients is based upon trust and confidence. We
endeavor at all times to protect the personal information that we collect by,
first of all, collecting only relevant and necessary information. We then store
that information in locked filing cabinets, restricting access to the
information to only those individuals who require it. We utilize security
clearances, and shred unnecessary documentation. We delete unneeded computer
files and our computers are password protected. We also utilize encryption for
any electronic messaging. Our staff is made aware of our commitment to your
privacy and our policies in this regard.
AUTHORITY
Wherever possible, we attempt to obtain our clients’ written consent for the
collection, use and disclosure of personal information. We utilize the consent
form (attached) for this purpose. A client’s personal information may, from time
to time, be delivered to third parties as part of our program. In such a case
the Agency will request that the client sign specific consents that outline the
purposes for passing his/her personal information along to third parties. We
also may obtain your verbal consent and document that consent in your file, if
written consent is not practical. When you provide your consent to the
collection, use and disclosure of your personal information, it is subject to
the provisions of this Privacy Policy.
Sometimes, your consent will be implied. For instance, when you retain our
services and provide us with personal information, your consent to the use of
that information in order to supply those services may be implied. If you
disclose personal information to us about others, it is your responsibility to
ensure that you have consent to do so.
ACCESS TO YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
Our clients have the right to review their file in the presence of their
Counselor or the Agency’s Privacy Officer (the Executive Director) and request
that any incorrect information be corrected. Clients also have the right to file
a complaint about the services rendered by the Agency, or to appeal a decision
that they consider unsatisfactory. Further information regarding our appeal
process is available from our staff. Other individuals may have a right to
access certain information that we retain about them, subject to issues of
client confidentiality. The Privacy Officer should be contacted to obtain
further particulars on the process, including the costs involved.
STILL HAVE QUESTIONS?
Please feel free to email our
Privacy
Officer or send correspondence to:
Privacy Officer
c/o Credit Counselling
4 Cedar Pointe Dr., Unit R
Barrie ON L4N 5R7
For more general inquiries, the
Information and
Privacy Commissioner of Canada oversees the administration of Ontario
privacy legislation. The Commissioner also acts as an ombudsman for privacy
disputes.