PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION POLICY

SATURNA ISLAND FIRE PROTECTION SOCIETY (SIFPS)

PERSONAL INFORMATION PROTECTION POLICY

SIFPS respects our members’ privacy and safeguards their personal information. We have strengthened our commitment to protecting personal information in accordance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). This act sets out the ground rules regarding how B.C. businesses and not-for-profit organizations may collect, use and disclose personal information.

We will inform our members why and how we collect, use and disclose their personal information, obtain their consent where required, and only handle their personal information in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.

This Personal Information Protection Policy, in compliance with PIPA, outlines the principles and practices we will follow in protecting members’ personal information. Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality and security of our members’ personal information and allowing our members to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.

 

Definitions

Personal information-means information about an identifiable individual, such as name, home address and telephone number and email address. Personal information does not include contact information (described below).

Contact information– means information that would enable an individual to be contacted at a place of business and includes name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email or business fax number. Contact information is not covered by this policy or PIPA.

Privacy Officer – means the individual designated responsibility for ensuring that SIFPS complies with this policy and PIPA.

Policy

Policy 1 – Collecting Personal Information

1.1  Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the member voluntarily provides his or her personal information for those purposes, we will communicate the purposes for which personal information is being collected, either orally or in writing, before or at the time of collection.

1.2  We will only collect member information (name, address, phone number, email address) that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:

·       To comply with the requirements of the Society Act,

·       To accept the member’s application to become a member of SIFPS,

·       To send out the SIFPS membership information, e.g. Notices of Meetings.

Policy 2 –Consent

2. 1 We will obtain member consent to collect, use or disclose personal information (except where, as noted below, we are authorized to do so without consent.).

2.2 Consent can be provided, in writing, electronically or it can be implied when the purpose for collecting, using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the member voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.

2.3 Consent may also be implied where a member is given notice and a reasonable opportunity to opt-out of his or her personal information being used for mail-outs and the member does not opt-out.

2.4 Subject to certain exceptions (e.g. the personal information is necessary to provide the service, or withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), members can withhold or withdraw their consent for SIFPS to use their personal information in certain ways. A member’s decision to withhold or withdraw their consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service. If so, we will explain the situation to assist the member in making the decision.

2.5            We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the member’s knowledge or consent in the following limited circumstances:

·       When the personal information is available from a public source (e.g. a telephone directory),

·       When the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is permitted or required by law,

·       In an emergency that threatens an individual’s life, health or personal security,

·       When we require legal advice from a lawyer.

Policy 3- Using and Disclosing Personal Information

3.1 We will only use or disclose member personal information where necessary to fulfill the purposes identified at the time of collection:

·       To comply with the requirements of the Society Act,

·       To accept the member’s application to become a member of SIFPS,

·       To send out the SIFPS membership information, e.g. Notices of Meetings.

3.2 We will not use or disclose the member personal information for any additional purposes unless we obtain consent to do so.

3.3 We will not sell member lists or personal information to other parties.

Policy 4 – Retaining Personal Information 

4.1 If we use member personal information to make a decision that directly affects the member we will retain that personal information for at least one year so that the member has a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.

4.2 Subject to policy 4.1, we will retain member personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or a legal or business purpose.

Policy 5 – Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information

5.1 We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that member personal information is accurate and complete where it may be used to make a decision about the member or disclosed to another organization.

5.2 Members may request correction to their personal information in order to ensure its accuracy and completeness. A request to correct, personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information and the correction being sought. A request to correct personal information should be forwarded to the Privacy Officer of SIFPS.

5.3 If the personal information is demonstrated to be inaccurate or incomplete we will correct the information as required and send the corrected information to any organization to which we disclosed the personal information in the previous year. If the correction is not made, we will note the member’s correction request in the file.

Policy 6 – Securing Personal Information

6.1 We are committed to ensuring the security of member personal information in order to protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risk.

6.2 The following security measure will be followed to ensure that member personal information is appropriately protected:

·       the use of locked filing cabinets,

·       physically securing offices where personal information is held,

·       the use of user ID’s passwords, encryption, firewalls,

·       restricting access to personal information as appropriate (i.e. only those that need to know will have access).

6.3 We will use appropriate security measures when destroying member personal information such as:

·       Deleting electronically stored information,

·       Shredding documents.

6.4 We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure ongoing personal information security.

 

Policy 7 – Providing Members Access to Personal Information

 

7.1 Members have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions, such as:

 

·       Solicitor – client privilege,

·       Disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual,

·       Health and safety concerns.

7.2 A request to access personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought. A request to access personal information should be forwarded to the Privacy Officer of SIFPS.

7.3 Upon, request, we will also tell members how we use their personal information and to whom it has been disclosed, if applicable.

7.4 We will make the requested information available within thirty (30) business days, or provide written notice of an extension where additional time is required to fulfill the request.

7.5 A minimal fee may be charged for providing access to personal information. Where a fee may apply, we will inform the member of the cost and request further direction from the member on whether or not we should proceed with the request.

7.6 If a request is refused in full or in part, we will notify the member in writing, providing the reasons for refusal and the recourse available to the member.

Policy 8 – Questions and Complaints: The Role of the Privacy Officer

8.1 The Privacy Officer is responsible for ensuring SIFPS’s compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection Act.

 

8.2 Members should direct any complaints, concerns or question regarding SIFPS’s compliance in writing to the Privacy Officer. If the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the concern, the member may also write to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.

 

 

Contact Information :

 

SIFPS’s Privacy Officer:

Saturna Island Fire Protection Society

Box 168

Saturna Island, BC V0N2Y0