Our ongoing commitment to respect and protect the privacy and confidentiality of our members' and clients' personal information is addressed in our Privacy Code. It is important to understand in plain terms why your personal information is needed, how it is used, how confidentiality of your personal information is maintained and how you can inquire about the personal information held by the Division.

The term "personal information" refers to information that specifically identifies an individual and is provided to or collected by the Division. It includes information provided by the member or collected from other sources with the member's permission, for example: name and address, age and gender, identification numbers including social insurance number, personal references, and employment records.

The strict policy of the Division is that no personal information will be released subject to the important exceptions listed below:

personal consent has been given for the release of such information;

there is a legal obligation, such as a court order; and

the public's interest (for example a criminal investigation).

In the case of an employee, the most common reason for release of your personal information is that you have given your consent. For example, when you apply for a loan, or other credit service, you give your consent to the exchange of information about you with a credit bureau, credit insurer or other lenders.

Your personal information will be secured within the Division regardless of the format in which it is held. Comprehensive security controls are maintained to protect against unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risks. For example:

the physical, organizational and electronic security of personal information are maintained through the use of secure locks on filing cabinets and     doors;

access is restricted to information processing and storage areas;

access is limited to relevant electronic information by authorized employees only and the use of passwords and firewalls; and

strict procedures are followed when destroying, deleting, or disposing of personal information when it is no longer required for the purposes set     out in our Privacy Code or by law.

We only keep personal information for as long as it is needed to meet the purposes set out in our Privacy Code. The length of time we retain personal information depends on:

status as an active employee or client;

the type of benefits you have with us; and

any legal or regulatory requirements we may have to meet.

For example, we must be able to respond to any concerns you may have even if you are no longer an employee or client of this Division. We have policies in place that govern the destruction of personal information when its retention is no longer required.

The Division's privacy policy has been developed out of respect for the privacy preferences and choices of our members and clients and in compliance with the Personal Information Protection Act. We have established procedures to ensure that every reasonable effort is made to address your concerns. If you have questions or comments about our privacy policy, please send them to the Director of Administration.