Green Teams of Canada Personal Information Protection Policy
Green Teams of Canada is committed to safeguarding the personal information entrusted to us by our volunteers. We manage your personal information in accordance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act and other applicable laws. This policy outlines the principles and practices we follow in protecting your personal information.
This policy applies to Green Teams of Canada and to any person providing services on our behalf.
What is personal information?
Personal information means information about an identifiable individual. This includes an individual’s name, home address and phone number, age, sex, marital or family status, an identifying number, financial information, educational history, etc.
What personal information do we collect?
We collect the personal information that we need for the purposes of working with and communicating with our volunteers, including personal information needed to send out information about our projects and activities. We may also ask you for certain personal information that helps us track and measure the demographics of our volunteers, as this can be helpful when we are applying for funding.
We normally collect personal information directly from our volunteers. We may collect your information from other persons with your consent or as authorized by law.
We inform our volunteers, before or at the time of collecting personal information, of the purposes for which we are collecting the information. The only time we don’t provide this notification is when someone provides information for an obvious purpose (for example, producing a credit card to pay a fee when the information will be used only to process the payment).
Consent
We ask for consent to collect, use or disclose personal information, except in specific circumstances where collection, use or disclosure without consent is authorized or required by law. We may assume your consent in cases where you volunteer information for an obvious purpose.
We assume your consent to continue to use and, where applicable, disclose personal information that we have already collected, for the purpose for which the information was collected.
We may ask for your express consent for some purposes and may not be able to provide certain services if you are unwilling to provide consent to the collection, use or disclosure of certain personal information. Where express consent is needed, we will normally ask volunteers to provide their consent orally (in person, by telephone), in writing (by email or by signing a consent form), or by completing an online form.
A person may withdraw consent to the use and disclosure of personal information at any time, unless the personal information is necessary for us to fulfil our legal obligations.
We may collect, use or disclose personal information without consent only as authorized by law. For example, we may not request consent in an emergency that threatens life, health or safety.
How do we use and disclose personal information?
We use and disclose personal information only for the purpose for which the information was collected, except as authorized by law. For example, we may use your contact information to notify you of meetings or volunteer opportunities.
We ask our volunteers to consent to us sharing your contact information with other organizations with similar purposes to Green Teams of Canada. We won’t share your personal information unless you give us your consent, and you can withdraw that consent any time by notifying us in writing (email is fine).
If we wish to use or disclose your personal information for any new purpose, we will ask for your consent. We may not seek consent if the law allows us to use the information without asking (e.g. the law allows organizations to use personal information without consent for the purpose of collecting a debt).
How do we safeguard personal information?
We make every reasonable effort to ensure that personal information is accurate and complete. We rely on individuals to notify us if there is a change to their personal information that may affect their relationship with us. If you are aware of an error in our information about you, please let us know and we will correct it on request wherever possible. In some cases we may ask for a written request for correction.
We protect personal information in a manner appropriate for the sensitivity of the information. We make every reasonable effort to prevent any loss, misuse, disclosure or modification of personal information, as well as any unauthorized access to personal information.
We use appropriate security measures when destroying personal information, including shredding paper records and permanently deleting electronic records.
We retain personal information only as long as is reasonable to fulfil the purposes for which the information was collected or for legal or business purposes.
Access to records containing personal information
Individuals have a right to access their own personal information in a record that is in the custody or under the control of Green Teams of Canada, subject to some exceptions. For example, organizations are required under the Personal Information Protection Act to refuse to provide access to information that would reveal personal information about another individual.
If we refuse a request in whole or in part, we will provide the reasons for the refusal. In some cases where exceptions to access apply, we may withhold that information and provide you with the remainder of the record.
You may make a request for access to your personal information by writing to the Executive Director of GTC who is designated to ensure compliance with PIPA. You must provide sufficient information in your request to allow us to identify the information you are seeking.
You may also request information about our use of your personal information and any disclosure of that information to persons outside our organization. In addition, you may request a correction of an error or omission in your personal information.
We will respond to your request within 30 business days, unless an extension is granted. We may charge a reasonable fee to provide information, but not to make a correction. We will advise you of any fees that may apply before beginning to process your request.
Questions and complaints
If you have a question or concern about any collection, use or disclosure of personal information by, Green Teams of Canada or about a request for access to your own personal information, please contact the Executive Director of GTC who is designated to ensure compliance with PIPA.
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you should contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia
PO Box 9038, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria B.C. V8W 9A4
Phone: 250-387-5629
Email: info@oipc.bc.ca
Website: www.oipc.bc.ca