Website Policies
Customer Service Policy
South Essex Community Council is committed to providing services in which all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. SECC has the responsibility to ensure the provision of equitable and supportive client services.
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to describe the policy of the board of Directors regarding the provision of service to clients of the Council.
Policy
It is the policy of the South Essex Community Council to provide services in a friendly and supportive environment that respects the dignity of each individual regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, citizenship, creed, marital status, receipt of public assistance, record of offenses, age or disability.
This policy applies to all person who deal with members of the public on behalf of South Essex Community Council, whether the person does so as an employee, volunteer, Board member, student on placement or otherwise and all persons who participate in developing policies, practices and procedures governing the provision of programs and services to members of the public.
Policy Implementation
The implementation of this policy shall be responsibility of the Executive Director who shall develop operational policies for all staff in accordance with agency standards and other legislative requirements as outlined by the Province of Ontario (i.e.AODA).
Privacy Policy
Protecting Your Privacy
At South Essex Community Council we respect and protect your privacy. This means that:
We will not sell, exchange, loan or make available to other organizations any personal information that you have provided to us.
We keep all personal information confidential and we will have safeguards to protect that information whether it is in print, electronic or other form.
We will make available to you upon request, your personal information that we have on file and we will correct, amend or delete information at your request.
Personal Information
Personal Information is the information that relates to you as an individual. Personal information beyond your name and contact information may include any or all of the following:
a record of your program participation;
a record of your membership history, purchases, donations and preferred payment method; and/or
a record of your volunteer involvement.
We will only request information from you that relates directly to the resources or services we are providing to you and we will keep that information active only as long as the uses for which it has been collected are relevant to your needs or as per our government funder guidelines
Consent
We must obtain the consent of anyone whose name may be retained in our records to receive information. If a client or other person/service provider sends in a form requesting our services, we accept that as implied consent. If we need information beyond that which you have indicated we will request your explicit consent either verbally or in writing. You can withdraw your consent at any time. If you withdraw your consent, we will remove your name and personal information within 5 days.
Employee Commitment
Our employees are committed to respecting the personal information we hold in our files. Our employees have been trained in the proper and respectful use of personal information and are subject to the organization’s Confidentiality Agreement.
Third Party Commitment
Your personal information will not be shared with another party or service provider unless you have authorized a staff member to do so. The organization does not provide lists of clients, members, volunteers, sponsors or stakeholders to third parties.
Limitations on Use
We will not use your personal information for any purposes other than those outlined above unless we have asked your permission and have received your consent. We will remove or destroy personal information when it is no longer relevant for the uses for which it was gathered. We will delete your name from our mailing lists following the receipt of your request by letter, fax, email or phone.
Retention of Personal Information
We will not retain personal information indefinitely. SECC is subject to rules and regulations about the retention of personal information of a number of government funding bodies and other regulatory bodies. These include:
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Industry Canada
Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration
Ministry of Health and Long Term Care
Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities
Revenue Canada
Files will be destroyed in accordance with the above-named bodies’ regulations. Archived information is not accessible for operational or marketing purposes.
Security
All information held by us is subject to strict internal security to prevent unauthorized access and improper usage.
Electronic records are subject to limited access by authorized personnel who must use passwords and other security measures. Print records containing personal information are subject to physical protection such as locked rooms or cabinets, accessible only to authorized personnel.
Access to Information
You have a right to know what information we are holding about you and to ensure that it is accurate. On request, we will arrange to supply you with a printout of our files relating to your information. If you wish to verify your information, please send us a written request.
If you find errors or omissions, we will be pleased to make corrections. Contact Us.
If you have questions or comments about our policy or about the personal information we have about you, you may contact us and we will do our best to answer your questions. Our Privacy Officer can be reached at 519-326-8629 ext. 320 or via email at privacy@secc.on.ca
You can also write to us at
Privacy Officer, South Essex Community Council
215 Talbot Street East, Leamington, ON N8H 3X5
If having shared your concerns with us, you are still not satisfied, you may file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada by telephone (1-800-282-1376) or write to 112 Kent Street, Ottawa K1A 1H3