Privacy Policy
Intent
The organization strives to protect and respect personal information of its clients, employees, and visitors in accordance with all applicable statutory requirements. All employees must abide by the procedures and practices set out below while handling personal information.
Guidelines
This policy outlines the organization’s commitment to privacy and establishes the methods by which privacy is ensured. This policy applies to all personal information in the organization’s care, custody, and control.
Personal information is any factual or subjective identifying information about an individual or group of individuals. This can include name, date of birth, address, income, e-mail address, social insurance number, gender, evaluations, credit records, and so forth.
Consent occurs and is considered obtained by Brass Bell Family Resource Centre when an individual provides express consent orally, in writing, or through an applicable online action. Before being asked to provide consent, individuals will be provided with the reasons their personal information is being collected, how it will be used and stored, and any disclosure or possible disclosure of the information. Individuals whose personal information is being collected are at all times entitled to know how the organization uses their personal information and that the use of any personal information collected is limited to only what is needed for those stated purposes. If necessary, Brass Bell Family Resource Centre will obtain individual consent if personal information is to be used for any other purpose.
Appropriate Use
Brass Bell Family Resource Centre collects and uses personal information solely for the purpose of its operations.
Personal information may only be collected for the following purposes:
- Legislative Requirements
- Employment & Recruitment
- Emergency Contacts
- Health and Safety
- Planning, Programs & Services
Personal information will only be used:
- if the person to whom the information relates has identified that information in particular and consented to its use;
- for the purpose for which it was obtained or compiled or for a consistent purpose; or
- for a purpose for which the information may be disclosed to the institution under section 32 or under section 42 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. R.S.O. 1990, c. M.56, s. 31.
Policy Statements
Brass Bell Family Resource Centre assumes full accountability for the personal information within its possession and control. The organization has appointed the Executive Director as custodian of all privacy matters and legal compliance with privacy laws.
Under no circumstances will the organization sell, distribute, or otherwise disclose personal information, including personal contact information or employee lists, to third parties, unless required to do so by law.
The organization will retain personal information only for the duration it is needed for conducting its business and ensuring statutory compliance. Once personal information is no longer required, it will be destroyed promptly, safely, and securely. However, certain laws may require that certain personal information be kept for a specified amount of time. Where this is the case, the law will supersede this policy.
The organization will take every reasonable precaution to protect personal information with appropriate security measures, physical safeguards, and electronic precautions. The organization maintains personal information through a combination of paper and electronic files. Where required by legislation or disaster recovery or business continuity policies, older records may be stored in a secure, offsite location.
Brass Bell Family Resource Centre will ensure:
- Access to personal information is authorized only for the employees and other agents of the organization who require the information to perform their job duties, and to those otherwise authorized by law;
- The organization’s computer systems and databases are secured by complex passwords and firewalls to which only authorized individuals may access;
- Active physical files are kept in locked filing cabinets;
- Routers and servers connected to the Internet are protected by a firewall, and are further protected against virus attacks or “snooping” by sufficient software solutions;
- Personal information is not transferred to employees, volunteers, summer students, or any other person in the organization unless authorized.
The Brass Bell Family Resource Centre website will include our privacy policy and disclose our personal information practices.
In most instances, Brass Bell Family Resource Centre will grant individuals access to personal information in the care, custody, and control of the organization upon presentation of a written request and satisfactory identification. If an individual finds errors of fact with their personal information, they should notify the organization as soon as possible to make the appropriate corrections.
If the organization denies an individual’s request for access to their personal information, the organization will advise in writing of the reason for such a refusal. The individual may then challenge the decision.
Any questions or concerns regarding this policy can be addressed by contacting Brass Bell Family Resource Centre. The organization will investigate and respond to concerns about any aspect of the handling of personal information. This organization will address concerns to the best of its abilities.