Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your information – over the Internet, on the telephone, or through our office – has always been fundamental to the way we do business at the Clean Energy Association of British Columbia (herein “CEBC). While we have always respected the privacy of our members, partners and potential website visitors and safeguarded their personal information, we have strengthened our commitment to protecting personal information as a result of British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). PIPA, which came into effect on January 1, 2004, and sets out the ground rules for how B.C. businesses and not-for-profit organizations may collect, use and disclose personal information. We operate on the basis of this Privacy Policy and related procedures that guide the handling of the personal information we collect.
This Personal Information Protection Policy, in compliance with PIPA, outlines the principles and practices we will follow to inform our members, partners and potential website visitors of 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.
Scope of this Policy
This policy deals only with personal information handled by CEBC. Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, excluding business contact information. The following explains how CEBC handles personal information. CEBC reserves the right to change this policy and it may be updated periodically. These changes may affect our use of your personal information. Accordingly, please check for changes regularly.
Definitions
Personal Information –means information about an identifiable individual [E.g., including name, age, home address and phone number]. 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 the Clean Energy Association of British Columbia complies with this policy and PIPA.
Policy 1 – Collecting Personal Information
1.1 Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the members, partners and potential website visitors 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, partner and potential website visitor information that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:
- To verify identity;
- To identify member, partner or website visitor preferences;
- To open and manage an account;
- To enrol the member, partner or website visitor in a program;
- To send out association membership information;
- To contact our members and partners for fundraising;
- To ensure a high standard of service to our membership and partners;
- To meet regulatory requirements;
- To collect and process payments;
Policy 2 – Consent
2.1 We will obtain 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 orally, in writing, electronically, through an authorized representative or it can be implied where the purpose for collecting using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the member, partner and potential website visitor voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.
2.3 Consent may also be implied where a member, partner and potential website visitor is given notice and a reasonable opportunity to opt-out of his or her personal information being used for mail-outs, the marketing of new services or products, fundraising and the member, partner and potential website visitor does not opt-out.
2.4 Subject to certain exceptions (e.g., the personal information is necessary to provide the service or product, or the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), member, partner and potential website visitor can withhold or withdraw their consent for CEBC to use their personal information in certain ways. A member, partner and potential website visitor’s decision to withhold or withdraw their consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service or product. If so, we will explain the situation to assist in making the decision.
2.5 We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the member, partner and potential website visitor knowledge or consent in the following limited circumstances:
- 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 the personal information is available from a public source (e.g., a telephone directory);
- When we require legal advice from a lawyer;
- For the purposes of collecting a debt;
- To protect ourselves from fraud;
- To investigate an anticipated breach of an agreement or a contravention of law
Policy 3 – Using and Disclosing Personal Information
3.1 We will only use or disclose personal information where necessary to fulfill the purposes identified at the time of collection such as:
- To conduct surveys in order to enhance the provision of our services;
- To contact our members, partners and potential website visitors directly about products and services that may be of interest;
3.2 We will not use or disclose personal information for any additional purpose unless we obtain consent to do so.
3.3 We will not sell lists or personal information to other parties.
Policy 4 – Retaining Personal Information
4.1 If we use personal information to make a decision that directly affects the member, partner and potential website visitor, we will retain that personal information for at least one year so that there is a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.
4.2 Subject to policy 4.1, we will retain 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 personal information is accurate and complete where it may be used to make a decision about the member, partner and potential website visitor or disclosed to another organization.
5.2 Members, partners and potential website visitors 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 to the Privacy Officer and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information and the correction being sought.
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 correction request in the file.
Policy 6 – Securing Personal Information
6.1 We are committed to ensuring the security of personal information in order to protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risks.
6.2 We will use appropriate security measures when destroying personal information.
6.3 We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure ongoing personal information security.
Policy 7 – Providing Member, Partner and Potential Website Visitor’s Access to Personal Information
7.1 Members, partners and potential website visitors have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions. A full listing of the exceptions to access can be found in section 23 of PIPA.
7.2 A request to access personal information must be made in writing to the Privacy Officer and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought.
7.3 We will make the requested information available within 30 business days, or provide written notice of an extension where additional time is required to fulfill the request.
7.4 A minimal fee may be charged for providing access to personal information. Where a fee may apply, we will inform the member, partner and potential website visitor of the cost and request further direction on whether or not we should proceed with the request.
7.5 If a request is refused in full or in part, we will notify the requestor in writing, providing the reasons for refusal and the recourse available.
Policy 8 – Questions and Complaints: The Role of the Privacy Officer or designated individual
8.1 The Privacy Officer is responsible for ensuring Clean Energy Association of British Columbia’s compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection Act.
8.2 Any complaints, concerns or questions regarding compliance should be submitted in writing to the Privacy Officer. If the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the concern, the member, partner and potential website visitor may also write to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.
Contact information for CEBC’s Privacy Officer:
Kavita McDaniel
Manager, External Relations & Policy
[email protected]
