Privacy Policy
Canadian Optometric Regulatory Authorities
Privacy of personal information is an important principle to the Canadian Optometric Regulatory Authorities (CORA). We are committed to collecting, using and disclosing personal information responsibly and only to the extent necessary for the services that we provide. We also attempt to be reasonable, open and transparent as to how we handle personal information.
CORA’s privacy policy adheres to privacy requirements as set out in the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
EFFECTIVE DATE AND CHANGES
We are required to comply with the terms of this privacy policy while it is in effect. We reserve the right to modify the policy at any time and the revised privacy policy will apply to all protected health information that we currently have as well as to information that we may generate in the future. This policy will be in effect from September 01, 2008 until the date an amended policy is published. If we change the privacy policy, we will post the amendments in our office, have copies available and publish it on our website.
WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?
Personal information is information about an identifiable individual. Personal information includes information that relates to their personal characteristics (e.g., gender, age, income, home address or phone number, ethnic background, family status), their health (e.g., health history, health conditions, health services received by them) or their activities and views (e.g., religion, politics, opinions expressed by an individual, an opinion or evaluation of an individual). Personal information is to be contrasted with business information (e.g., an individual’s business address and telephone number), which is not protected by privacy legislation.
WHO WE ARE
CORA is a federation of the optometric regulatory and licensing bodies in Canada. Individuals that may come in contact with personal information include all member representatives, Chief Executive Officer, other employees, management firms and consultants authorized to collect, use or disclose personal information. We restrict their access to any personal information we hold as much as is reasonably possible. All member representatives, employees, management firms and consultants have agreed to abide by our office privacy policy.
PROTECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION
We understand the importance of protecting personal information. For that reason, we have taken the following steps:
q Employees, including temporary staff, are trained to collect, use and disclose personal information only as necessary to fulfill their duties and in accordance with our privacy policy.
q Paper information is either under supervision or secured in a locked or restricted area.
q Electronic hardware is either under supervision or secured in a locked or restricted area at all times. In addition, passwords are used on computers.
q Paper information is transmitted through sealed, addressed envelopes or boxes by reputable companies or collected by authorized persons who ask for the information
q Electronic information is transmitted either through a direct line or is anonymized or encrypted.
q Verbal personal information is collected and used in such a manner that the information is not overheard by other non-authorized persons.
q External consultants and agencies with access to personal information must enter into privacy agreements with us.
RETENTION AND DESTRUCTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We need to retain personal information for some time to ensure that we can answer any questions you might have about the services we provided to you and for our own accountability to external bodies.
In compliance with the requirements of other legislation, we keep our records for a minimum of ten years. You can ask us, in writing, to restrict our uses and disclosures of personal information at any time. We will also discontinue to use or to disclose your personal information after a written revocation of your implied or informed consent is received, unless we have already acted in reliance upon this consent.
We destroy paper files containing personal information by shredding. We destroy electronic information by deleting it and, when the hardware is discarded, we ensure that information on the hard drive is destroyed.
YOU CAN LOOK AT YOUR INFORMATION
With rare exceptions, you have the right to see what personal information we hold about you. Often all you have to do is ask. We can help you identify what records we might have about you. We will also try to help you understand any information you do not understand (e.g., short forms, technical language, etc.). We will need to confirm your identity, if we do not know you, before providing you with this access. We reserve the right to charge a nominal fee for such requests.
We may ask you to put your request in writing. If we cannot give you access, we will notify you within 30 days if at all possible, and provide the reason, as best we can, as to why we cannot give you access.
If you believe there is a mistake in the information we have about you, you have the right to ask for it to be corrected. This applies to factual information and not to any professional opinions we may have formed. We may ask you to provide documentation that our files are incorrect. Where a mistake has been made, we will make the correction and notify anyone to whom we sent this information. If we do not agree that a mistake has been made, we will include in our file a brief statement from you on the point and we will forward that statement to anyone else who received the earlier information.
DO YOU HAVE A QUESTION?
Our Privacy Officer can be reached at:
Dr. Gordon Hensel
#102 8407 Argyll Road
Edmonton, Alberta T6C 4B2
780-466-5999 (phone)
780-466-5969 (fax)
He will attempt to answer any questions or concerns you might have.
If you wish to make a formal complaint about our privacy practices or the application of those practices, you may make it in writing to our Information Officer. He will acknowledge receipt of your complaint, ensure that it is investigated promptly and that you are provided with a formal decision and reasons in writing.
If you have a concern about the professionalism or competence of our services or the mental or physical capacity of any of our professional staff we would ask you to discuss those concerns with us.
This policy is made under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. That is a complex Act and provides some additional exceptions to the privacy principles that are too detailed to set out here.
For more general inquiries, the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Canada oversees the administration of the privacy legislation in the private sector. The Commissioner also acts as a kind of ombudsman for privacy disputes. The Information and Privacy Commissioner can be reached at:
112 Kent Street | Ottawa, Ontario | K1A 1H3
Phone (613) 995-8210 | Toll-free 1-800-282-1376
Fax (613) 947-6850 | TTY (613) 992-9190
