The Canadian Paraplegic Association’s National Office has spent the past 60 years cultivating strong relationships with our donors, volunteers, and employees. Tremendous care goes into maintaining the integrity of these relationships to ensure that they endure and are based on trust and accountability.
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is the new privacy legislation introduced by the Canadian government. Effective January 1, 2004, this legislation requires organizations to ensure that the public is informed about the collection and use of personal information and that consent is obtained prior to its collection. The legislation will apply to information we currently have on record and have collected, used and disclosed to provide our members, clients, donors, volunteers and employees with services by way of implied consent. Organizations will have to obtain consent from clients before personal information on file is used or disclosed. We collect, use and disclose personal information for : processing applications or donations, communication of any relevant information or materials (for example our Total Access magazine, annual report and information on special events), identification purposes, and to comply with legal or tax requirements. We gather personal information from applications and forms filled out through telephone, email, and website (for example your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, occupation, financial and banking information, and general information). The confidentiality of your personal information is extremely important to us and we would like to assure you that every measure is taken to maintain its security. Our Commitment:
Our organization is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its members, clients, donors, volunteers, employees and other stakeholders. We value the trust of those we deal with, and of the public, and recognize that maintaining this trust requires that we be transparent and accountable in how we treat the information that you choose to share with us. During the course of our various projects and activities, we frequently gather and use personal information. Anyone from whom we collect such information should expect that it will be carefully protected and that any use or other dealing with this information is subject to consent. Our privacy practices are designed to achieve this. Defining Personal Information:
Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. This information can include an individual’s opinions or belief’s, as well as facts about, or related to, the individual. Exceptions: business contact information and certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers as published in telephone directories, are not considered personal information. Privacy Practices:
Personal information gathered by our organization is kept in confidence. Our personnel are authorized to access personal information based only on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained. Safeguards are in place to ensure that the information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was gathered. We also take measures to ensure the integrity of this information is maintained and to prevent it being lost or destroyed.
We collect, use and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the circumstances. We routinely offer individuals we deal with the opportunity to opt not to have their information shared for purposes beyond those for which it was explicitly collected. Website and Electronic Commerce:
We use password protocols, encryption software and a private server with firewalls to protect personal and other information we receive, as well as when a donation, product or service is requested and/or paid for online. Our software is routinely updated to maximize protection of such information. Updating of Privacy Policy:
We regularly review our privacy practices for our various activities, and update our policy. |
