Introduction
Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your information — over the Internet, on the telephone, or through our offices – has always been fundamental to the way we do business at the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce. We operate on the basis of a Privacy Policy and related procedures that guide the handling of the personal information we collect. We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to protecting the privacy of our members, partners and potential Web site visitors. This policy and related procedures are consistent with the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (herein “CSA Model Code”) and applicable privacy legislation.
Privacy Statement
This policy deals only with personal information handled by the Brockville and District Chamber of Commerce (the “Chamber”). Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, excluding business contact information. Types of personal information collected by the Chamber include name, postal address, telephone number, email address and, in the case of those making credit card purchases of Chamber products and services, credit card information. Personal information will be collected through such means and activities as membership applications, applications to register for Chamber events, purchase of Chamber products and services, direct contact by telephone, email or letter and personal contact. The following explains how the Chamber handles personal information. The Chamber reserves the right to change this policy and it may be updated periodically. These changes may affect our use of your personal information. Accordingly, please check for changes regularly.
Accountability
The Chamber is accountable for all personal information under its control.
The Privacy Officer (Pam Robertson) can be reached by:
• Telephone: 613-342-6553
• Fax: 613-342-6849
• Mail: 3 Market Street West, Suite #1, Brockville, Ontario, K6V 7L2
Any questions about the Chamber’s handling of personal information should be directed to the Privacy Officer. Please see below for more information about the process for referring questions about the Chamber’s handling of personal information.
The Chamber is committed to providing the necessary and appropriate training to all staff in regards to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. Further, the Chamber has adopted the policy of adequately communicating with staff to ensure their reasonable knowledge of and enforcement of the Chamber’s policies and procedures concerning personal information. The Chamber will communicate this policy to its members and others by presenting it on the Chamber’s website and making copies of it available at its offices.
Purpose of Personal Information
The purpose for which the Chamber collects personal information will be identified at or before the time the information is collected. The Chamber may collect personal information for the purposes of:
• Administering Chamber membership and providing member services, including mail and email notifications of Chamber events and communication of Chamber positions on advocacy issues and other matters pertinent to the business of the Chamber;
• Registering for Chamber events, for example the Annual General Meeting;
• Sale of various Chamber products and services;
• Conducting membership surveys; and
• Processing and administering the above or other purposes as necessary.
The Chamber will not use personal information for any other purpose than identified at or before the time of collection.
Consent
The Chamber seeks informed consent for all personal information we collect, use and disclose through information provided to individuals prior to collection, or at the time of collection.
If you have voluntarily provided information, for example by completing a membership application, directing an inquiry to a Chamber representative or registering for a Chamber event, you have consented to the collection, use and disclosure of your personally identifiable information as described in this privacy policy. As required by the CSA Model Code, the Chamber will not use personal information for any purpose other than that for which you consented. Should Chamber require personal information for a new purpose, we will contact you to seek your express consent for that new use. You may withdraw or limit your consent at any time by contacting our privacy officer.
Limits for Collecting, Using, Disclosing and Keeping Personal Information
The Chamber does not collect, use or disclose personal information of individuals except when individuals give consent and provide the information on a voluntary basis. There may be occasions where more specific personal information is necessary for us to proceed with a request for information, or provide you with a product or service. In such cases, we will provide you with a description on the information we need. In all cases, the Chamber limits the amount and type of information collected to only the personal information that is required to provide the individual with the requested information, product, or service. We collect only information that is voluntarily provided by you and undertake that such information will be kept strictly confidential. If the Chamber, in good faith, believes that such information is required by law to be disclosed, it will make the necessary disclosure.
We retain personal information only as long as is necessary to provide the individual with the requested product, service or information and delete or destroy this information after that time. In some cases, however, legal reporting and retention requirements necessitate that the Chamber retain information for a specific amount of time. In general, the Chamber retains information for a period not longer than seven years.
The Chamber does not sell or trade any personal information with third parties. The Chamber may transfer information to service providers where the Chamber in the course of its administrative procedures or member services in specific cases outsources information processing. Where personal information is transferred to a service provider for processing, we require the service provider to respect this Privacy Policy and we restrict them from using or disclosing personal information transferred to them for any purpose other than the provision of services to us.
Any personal information that the Chamber retains is kept in such a manner as to ensure its security and confidentiality at all times.
Safeguarding Personal Information:
The Chamber respects the privacy of our members, partners, potential website visitors and Internet users and will protect that privacy as vigorously as possible. We store personal information in electronic and physical files that are secure. Our security measures include secure locks on filing cabinets, and using industry standard techniques such as firewalls, encryption, intrusion detection and restricted access to records and to equipment, including computers. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or receive from us electronically. This is especially true for information you transmit to us via e-mail. We have no way of protecting that information until it reaches us. Once we receive your transmission, we make our best efforts to ensure its security on our servers.
Accuracy and Access to Personal Information Collected:
The Chamber makes every effort to keep personal information as accurate, complete, current and relevant as necessary for the identified purposes. The Chamber will make reasonable efforts to update the personal information kept on file with each annual membership renewal.
The Chamber makes readily available to individuals our Privacy Policy and related procedures for managing personal information. We provide access to the Privacy Policy and related procedures to individuals on the Chamber’s Web site and in written form. Any questions about the handling of personal information by the Chamber can be raised with our privacy officer.
At the written request of an individual, he or she may view or edit their personal information as collected by the Chamber. The Chamber will inform them of what personal information we have about the individual, what it is being used for and, in cases where it has been disclosed, to whom it has been disclosed. There may be exceptional circumstances as provided by the CSA Model Code under which the Chamber may not be able to give an individual access to the personal information about her or him held by the Chamber. In this case the Chamber will explain the reason for this lack of access, as provided by the CSA Model Code.
Individuals may also register a complaint with respect to the handling of their personal information by following the procedure set out below. To make a request or complaint, please send a letter, email or fax addressed to our Privacy Officer at the addresses indicated above. In your request, please include the following information: Name, contact details, the nature of your request or complaint, including whether you wish to view and/or edit information or inquire regarding, or comment upon, use and/or disclosure. The Chamber will reply to your request or complaint no later than thirty days after receipt of the request or complaint, or if we are not able to respond within this time period, we will send you a notice of extension. If we are not able to disclose all the personal information requested, we will give you a reason for our inability to do so, unless prohibited by law.
Questions:
Any questions or comments about the Chamber’s handling of personal information should be directed to our Privacy Officer.
Back to Top