At Kingston 4 Paws Service Dogs (K4PSD), the privacy of your personal information has always been an important aspect of how we operate. On January 1, 2004, the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) began to apply to federally regulated organizations that collect, use and disclose personal information in the course of commercial activity. As such, K4PSD has developed the following Privacy Policy in order to ensure compliance with PIPEDA, as well as to inform individuals of our continuing commitment to the protection of their personal information.
What is personal information?
Personal information includes any factual or subjective information, recorded or not, about an identifiable individual. This includes information in any form such as a personal e-mail address, credit card numbers, home addresses and so on. It does not include information normally found on a business card, such as name, title, company, business address, business e-mail address, business telephone or fax number.
Who is responsible for protecting the personal information collected, used and disclosed by the K4PSD?
The President, Elizabeth Bailey of K4PSD, is the Chief Privacy Officer for the organization. The Chief Privacy Officer, along with K4PSD staff, volunteers, and board members, are responsible for ensuring compliance with PIPEDA and with this Privacy Policy. At times, K4PSD staff may be delegated to act on behalf of the Chief Privacy Officer or to take responsibility for occasional collection, use and disclosure of personal information.
Why does K4PSD collect, use or disclose personal information?
K4PSD is committed to enriching the quality of life and enhancing the independence of people including children who benefit the Service Dogs offered in our various programs. In order to meet these goals, K4PSD may collect, use and disclose personal information, when applicable, for the following purposes:
- To assess applications for a service dog;
- To assess applications for volunteering;
- To evaluate donor needs and interests;
- To issue newsletters and event notifications;
- To solicit annual donations;
- To add information to our website, social media sites, displays and presentations;
- With additional consent to provide stories to media, research and other public relations work.K4PSD does not sell or rent its client, volunteer, staff or donor information to any external parties.
How do individuals provide K4PSD with their consent for the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information?
Individuals may provide personal information expressly through the application, events/programs registration, or sponsor a team process. During these processes, they may also provide their preferred contact information. K4PSD staff and board members have access only to the personal information provided by the member that is required to fulfill the purposes stated within this policy. Personal information about potential donors may be collected from individuals when they attend K4PSD related events. At times, K4PSD may communicate information and details about future activities to these individuals.
K4PSD will collect specific permissions on release forms for general use items such as graduation photos, separate projects such as information for brochures and research projects. Information will not be released to any third party without the express permission of the K4PSD client.
Consent can be withdrawn by contacting K4PSD’s Chief Privacy Officer who will ensure that the individual’s personal information is no longer used or disclosed by the organization.
How much personal information does K4PSD collect, use or disclose?
K4PSD collects, uses and discloses personal information only to the extent required to fulfill the purposes stated within this policy.
How long does K4PSD retain personal information?
K4PSD retains personal information only for as long as is required to fulfill the purposes stated within this policy, and to meet all requirements by law. For example, inactive client records are retained in a protected storage facility for a five (5) year period as required by law. Another example is client’s contact information being retained only for the duration of their active period. All financial transaction records are retained as long as required by Canada Customs and Revenue Agency.
How accurate is the personal information collected, used and disclosed by K4PSD?
Personal information that is collected, used and disclosed by K4PSD is provided by individuals and is updated by the K4PSD when requested by the individual. If an individual’s personal information requires amendment, they may contact the K4PSD office at 829 Norwest Road, Suite 202, Kingston, ON, K7P 2N3 or by email at info@k4paws.ca to ensure that the correction is made.
How secure is the personal information stored at K4PSD?
K4PSD is committed to ensuring that personal information is protected from unauthorized access, unintended disclosures or theft. This protection is provided by firewalls in the computer system, passwords to protect databases, locked filing cabinets and restricted access to offices. No photocopying of personal information is allowed. Only the Chief Privacy Officer and delegated individuals have access to this information.
How is personal information collected, used or disclosed via K4PSD web site?
In order to enhance your browsing experience when accessing K4PSD’s web site, a small text file called a “cookie” is sent from our web server to your browser and stored on your computer. Cookies enhance our browsing experience, and also allow us to recognize you when you return to K4PSD’s web site. You may set your browser to notify you when you receive cookies and you may choose to disable or delete cookies if you wish. Cookies are not programs or code, and only used to optimize browsing. K4PSD’s web site also logs IP addresses of visitors. This information is used, in aggregate form, to provide statistical measures about usage of the site. This in turn allows us to continually improve the content and design of our web site.
K4PSD’s web sites may contain links to other web sites owned and operated by third parties. While we attempt to ensure that these organizations adhere to similar privacy policies, we are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of such sites. It is highly recommended that you review the privacy policies of other sites prior to providing any personal information on those sites.
How can individuals learn more about K4PSD’s Privacy Policy?
Updated versions of this Privacy Policy will continue to be posted on the web site at www.KingstonServiceDogs.ca as we make improvements. This Policy is also available in hard-copy at the K4PSD office, a copy of which can be requested by contacting K4PSD at:
829 Norwest Road, Suite 202
Kingston, Ontario K7P 2N3
Phone: (613) 766-4441
E-mail: info@k4paws.ca
How can individuals access their personal information held by K4PSD?
Individuals have a right to access their own personal information in the possession and control of K4PSD. They also have a right to know if their information has been disclosed to any third parties. If individuals wish to access their personal information, they need to contact K4PSD in writing at the above mailing or e-mail address. K4PSD reserves the right to charge a reasonable fee for the copying of this information.
How can individuals relay their concerns about their personal information held by K4PSD?
If individuals have a complaint related to K4PSD’s Privacy Policy, they can contact the Chief Privacy Officer in writing using the above contact information. If the Chief Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the concern, or if there are further complaints, individuals may contact the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.privcom.gc.ca or at:
112 Kent Street,
Ottawa, ON K1A 1H3
Tel: (613) 995-8210
Toll free: 1-800-282-1376
Fax: (613) 947-6850
E-mail: info@privcom.gc.ca