“Society of Sharing is committed to protecting the collection, use, disclosure and retention of personal information from our employees and volunteers and health information from our clients and other health practitioners. The steps we have taken to achieve this protection have been based on 10 internationally recognized “privacy principles” of fair information practice and ensure that we are in compliance with both the Personal Information and Protection of Electronic Data Act (“PIPEDA”) and Personal Health Information Protection Act (“PHIPA”).

ACCOUNTABILITY

Society of Sharing shall be responsible for the personal information and personal health information held in its control and/or transferred to a third party. A Privacy Officer has been appointed to be responsible and accountable for Society of Sharing’s compliance with these privacy principles.

IDENTIFYING PURPOSES

Society of Sharing shall identify the purposes for which the personal information and personal health information is collected either before or at the time of collection. Society of Sharing collects (general) personal information for reasons related to the recruitment and employment of volunteers and paid employees. The primary purposes for collection of personal health information are to evaluate and provide appropriate programs and/or services to the client, the administration of the health care system, to collect statistics, and to comply with legal and regulatory requirements.

CONSENT

Knowledge and consent of the individual shall be obtained before or at the time of collection, for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information and/or personal health information. Society of Sharing shall obtain express consent whenever possible and in all cases when the personal information is considered sensitive.

LIMITING COLLECTION

The collection of personal information and/or personal health information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by Society of Sharing. Information shall be collected by fair and lawful means.

LIMITING USE, DISCLOSURE and RETENTION

Use or disclosure of personal information and/or personal health information shall only be for the purpose for which it was collected, unless the individual consents, or the use or disclosure is authorized by the Act. All personal information and/or personal health information shall be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.

ACCURACY

Society of Sharing shall minimize the possibility of using incorrect information by ensuring that all personal information and/or personal health information is as accurate, complete and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.

SAFEGUARDS

Society of Sharing shall take every precaution to ensure that personal information and/or personal health information held in its control shall be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. Reasonable information practices shall be implemented to protect personal information and/or personal health information against theft, loss and unauthorized access, copying, modification, use, disclosure and disposal.

OPENNESS

Society of Sharing’s policies and practices relating to the management of personal information and/or personal health information shall be made readily available to individuals.

INDIVIDUAL ACCESS

Society of Sharing, upon request, shall inform an individual of the existence, use and disclosure of his or her personal information and/or personal health information and shall be given access to that information. An individual shall be able to request a correction or amendment to any personal information and/or personal health information if its accuracy and completeness is challenged and found to be deficient. Disagreements of this nature will be noted on the individual’s file and shared with third parties where appropriate.

COMPLAINTS and RECOURSE

Questions or concerns about Society of Sharing’s privacy policies or practices should be directed to Society of Sharing’s Privacy Officer at 416-413-0380 ext. 223 or by email to privacy@societyofsharing.org, or to the Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario at 416-326-3333 or 1-800-387-0073 or by email to info@ipc.on.ca.

LINKS to EXTERNAL WEBSITES

Please note that this site has links to other Web sites whose privacy policies may differ from ours. We have no control over these links or sites. These sites may have different privacy policies and information-gathering practices. Society of Sharing claims no responsibility or liability for the content, reliability of information, and privacy policies. Once you have entered these sites, you are under their terms and policies.