Privacy Policy

Approved: November 29, 2012

Revised: September 18, 2018

Purpose

This policy outlines how The Pregnancy Centre (TPC) is committed to protecting the privacy of its clients, donors, volunteers, employees, directors, officers, and any other persons about or from whom TPC collects personal information. TPC embraces the principles of the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information to ensure all personal information is appropriately collected, used only for the purposes it is collected, and disposed of safely and timely when no longer required.

Scope

This policy applies to all staff, students, volunteers, and board members of TPC.

Accountability

TPC is responsible for maintaining and protecting personal information under its control. TPC has appointed a Privacy Officer responsible for ensuring that TPC complies with its privacy obligations in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Identifying Purposes

TPC collects and uses personal information for various purposes, including, but not limited to,

providing services to individuals.
establish and maintain members lists.
managing payroll and benefits.
employee performance evaluations.
establishing and maintaining lists of donors.

TPC shall identify and explain the purposes for which it collects personal information, to the person from whom it is being collected before or at the time the information is collected.

Consent

Consent will be obtained from the person whose personal information is collected, used, and disclosed unless obtaining the consent would be inappropriate or not required by law. Sometimes the person’s consent may be implied by virtue of membership in TPC or because of the person’s conduct within the PC. When it is appropriate, written consent will be obtained.

Written consent will be kept on file if the information is reasonably necessary. A person may withdraw their consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. The person will be informed of reasonably foreseeable implications of the withdrawal. See Anti-Spam CASL Policy.

Limiting Collection

Information collected will be limited to that required for the purpose or purposes identified by TPC. TPC is committed to collecting personal information fairly, openly, and lawfully.

Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention

Personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the person’s consent or as required by law. All collected personal information shall be destroyed, erased, or made anonymous as soon as the purpose for which it was collected is no longer relevant or permitted by the law. Nothing in this Privacy Policy prevents the staff or volunteers from collecting, retaining, and using information related to individuals TPC serves since such information assists in providing quality services.

Accuracy

Personal information shall be maintained in as accurate, complete, and up-to-date a form as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected.

Safeguards

Personal information will be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of personal information. This safeguarding could include physical measures such as locked filing cabinets and premises security, organizational measures such as restricted access to files with personal information or technological measures such as security software, strong passwords, and encryption. Personal information will be safeguarded during transfer/delivery to third-party service providers by stipulating in agreements the confidentiality of the information, the purposes for which it is to be used, and the requirement that they provide a level of security comparable to that provided under our Privacy Policy.

Openness

Information regarding the privacy policy of TPC, as well as personal information management, shall be available as requested. The information will include:

Name and address of the Privacy Officer
Means of gaining access to personal information held by TPC.
Copy any brochures or other information explaining TPC’s policies, standards, or codes.

Access to Personal Information

Access to personal information will be granted where TPC is legally required to release the information and provided that the disclosure does not violate any applicable statutes or contracts to the person to whom the information pertains where there is an appropriate written request. The existence, use, and disclosure of personal information will be granted within a reasonable period. Any inaccuracies or incompleteness of personal information will be amended as required.

Challenging Compliance

Complaints or inquiries about collecting, using, disclosing, or retaining personal information and TPC’s compliance with these ten principles should be directed to the Privacy Officer or Compliance Office ([email protected]). The Privacy or Compliance Officer will investigate complaints and ensure appropriate measures are taken.