City Dream Centre Society

 Personal Information and Privacy Protection Policy 

At City Dream Centre, we are committed to providing our clients, donors and volunteers with exceptional service. As providing this service involves the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our clients, donors and volunteers, protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities.

While we have always respected the privacy of our clients, donors and volunteers, 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, sets out the ground rules for how B.C. businesses and not-for-profit organizations may collect, use and disclose personal information.

We will inform our clients, donors and volunteers 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.

This Personal Information Protection Policy, in compliance with PIPA, outlines the principles and practices we will follow in protecting our client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information. Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of our client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information and allowing them to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.

Scope of this Policy 

This Personal Information Protection Policy applies to City Dream Centre Society and its subsidiaries, For the Love of Thrifting Society, City Care Dental, City Learn Society, City Dream Centre Foundation. This policy also applies to any service providers collecting, using or disclosing personal information on behalf of City Dream Centre Society.

Definitions

Personal Information –means information about an identifiable individual, (including name, age, home address and phone number, social insurance number, marital status, religion, income, credit history, medical information, education, employment information].  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 City Dream Centre Society complies with this policy and PIPA.

Policy 1 – Collecting Personal Information

1.1  Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the client or donor 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 client or donor information that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:

·       To verify identity;

·       To identify client or donor preferences;

·       To understand the needs of our clients, donors or volunteers

·       To deliver requested products and services;

·       To provide medical, dental, or counselling services;

·       To enrol a client in a program;

·       To send out charity information;

·       To contact our clients, donors and volunteers for fundraising;

·       To contact our clients, donors and volunteers for volunteer information and opportunities;

·       To contact our clients, donors and volunteers with reports about our work that they support;

·       To ensure a high standard of service to our clients, donors and volunteers;

·       To meet regulatory requirements;

·       To collect and process payments or donations;

Policy 2 – Consent

2.1  We will obtain the consent of clients, donors and volunteers 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, or  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 clients, donors and volunteers voluntarily provide personal information for that purpose.

2.3  Consent may also be implied where a client, donor or volunteer 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 client, donor or volunteer 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), clients, donors and volunteers can withhold or withdraw their consent for City Dream Centre Society to use their personal information in certain ways.  A client’s, donor’s or volunteer’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 the client, donor or volunteer in making the decision.

2.5  We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the client’s, donor’s or volunteer’s 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 client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information where necessary to fulfill the purposes identified at the time of collection or for a purpose reasonably related to those purposes such as:

·       To conduct client, customer, member surveys in order to enhance the provision of our services;

·       To contact our clients, donors and volunteers directly about products and services that may be of interest;]

3.2  We will not use or disclose client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information for any additional purpose unless we obtain consent to do so.

3.3  We will not sell client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s lists or personal information to other parties unless we have consent to do so.

Policy 4 – Retaining Personal Information

4.1  If we use client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information to make a decision that directly affects the clients, donors and volunteers, we will retain that personal information for at least one year so that the clients, donors and volunteers have a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.

4.2  Subject to policy 4.1, we will retain client, donor and volunteer 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 client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information is accurate and complete where it may be used to make a decision about the client, donor or volunteer or disclosed to another organization.

5.2  Clients, donors and volunteers 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 and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information and the correction being sought.

A request to correct personal information should be forwarded to the Privacy Officer ,or designated individual.

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 client’s, donor’s or volunteer’s correction request in the file.

Policy 6 – Securing Personal Information

6.1  We are committed to ensuring the security of client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information in order to protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risks.

6.2  The following security measures will be followed to ensure that client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information is appropriately protected:

The use of user IDs, passwords, encryption, firewalls; restricting employee access to personal information as appropriate (i.e., only those that need to know will have access); contractually requiring any service providers to provide comparable security measures.

6.3  We will use appropriate security measures when destroying client’s, donor’s and volunteer’s personal information including shredding documents and deleting electronically stored information.

6.4  We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure ongoing personal information security.

Policy 7 – Providing clients, donors and volunteers Access to Personal Information

 7.1  Clients, donors and volunteers have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions such as:  solicitor-client privilege, disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual, health and safety concerns.

7.2  A request to access personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought. A request to access personal information should be forwarded to the Privacy Officer, or designated individual.

7.3  Upon request, we will also tell clients, donors and volunteers how we use their personal information and to whom it has been disclosed if applicable.

7.4  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.

7.5  A minimal fee may be charged for providing access to personal information.  Where a fee may apply, we will inform the client, donor or volunteer of the cost and request further direction from the client, donor or volunteer on whether or not we should proceed with the request.

7.6  If a request is refused in full or in part, we will notify the client, donor or volunteer in writing, providing the reasons for refusal and the recourse available to the client, donor or volunteer.

Policy 8 – Questions and Complaints:  The Role of the Privacy Officer or designated individual

8.1  The Privacy Officer or designated individual, is responsible for ensuring City Dream Centre Society’s compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection Act.

8.2  Clients, donors or volunteers should direct any complaints, concerns or questions City Dream Centre Society’s compliance in writing to the Privacy Officer. If the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the concern, the client, donor or volunteer may also write to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.

Contact information for City Dream Centre Society’s Privacy Officer:

             Kelly Voros – kelly@citydreamcentre.com