Privacy Policy
Introduction
Protecting the privacy and the confidentiality of personal information -- over the Internet, on the telephone, or through our offices – has always been fundamental to the way the Swiss Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Ontario) Inc. (the "Swiss Canadian Chamber") conducts its affairs. The Swiss Canadian Chamber operates on the basis of a Privacy Policy and related procedures that guide the handling of the personal information collected. This privacy statement has been created to demonstrate the Swiss Canadian Chamber’s firm commitment to protecting the privacy of its members, partners and potential Web site visitors. This policy and related procedures are consistent with the Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (herein "CSA Model Code) and applicable privacy legislation.
Privacy Statement
This policy deals only with personal information handled by the Swiss Canadian Chamber. Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, excluding business contact information. The following explains how the Swiss Canadian Chamber handles personal information. The Swiss Canadian Chamber reserves the right to change this policy and it may be updated periodically. These changes may affect our use of your personal information. Accordingly, please check for changes regularly.
Accountability
The Swiss Canadian Chamber is accountable for all personal information under its control. The Swiss Canadian Chamber’s Privacy Officer is designated as responsible for the Swiss Canadian Chamber’s privacy policy. The Privacy Officer can be reached by:
- e-mail, at
- telephone, at
- fax, at
- mail, at
Any questions about the Swiss Canadian Chamber’s handling of personal information should be directed to the privacy officer. Please see below for more information about the process for referring questions about the Swiss Canadian Chamber’s handling of personal information.
Purposes for Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information The purpose for which the Swiss Canadian Chamber collects personal information will be identified at or before the time the information is collected. Personal information may be collected for such purposes as:
- administering Swiss Canadian Chamber membership and providing member services; which include sending out newsletters and other relevant information, informing members of upcoming Swiss Canadian Chamber events and sending out invoices and otherwise administering Swiss Canadian Chamber membership;
- registering for Swiss Canadian Chamber events;
- purchasing various products or services; and
- processing and administering the above or other purposes as necessary.
The Swiss Canadian Chamber will not use personal information for any other purpose than identified at or before the time of collection.
Consent The Swiss Canadian Chamber seeks consent for all personal information it collects, uses and discloses through information provided to individuals prior to collection, or at the time of collection. For information which is considered to be more sensitive, for example credit card numbers, the Swiss Canadian Chamber will ask for a signature as a sign of consent.
If information is voluntarily provided, it is assumed that you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personally identifiable information as described in this Privacy Policy. For further clarity it is assumed that all contact information is voluntarily provided by the Swiss Canadian Chamber members. Members may at any time request in writing to be taken off Swiss Canadian Chamber mailing lists. As required by the CSA Model Code, the Swiss Canadian Chamber will not use personal information for any purpose other than that for which consent has been provided. Should the Swiss Canadian Chamber require use of personal information for a new purpose, consent will be sought for that new use.
Limits for Collecting, Using, Disclosing and Keeping Personal Information The Swiss Canadian Chamber does not collect, use or disclose personal information of individuals except when individuals give consent and provide the information on a voluntary basis. There may be occasions where more specific personal information is necessary for the Swiss Canadian Chamber to proceed with a request for information, or provide a product or service. In such cases, the Swiss Canadian Chamber will describe the information required. In all such cases, the Swiss Canadian Chamber limits the amount and type of information collected to only the personal information that is required to provide the individual with the requested information, product, or service.
The Swiss Canadian Chamber collects only information that is voluntarily provided by the individual and undertakes that such information will be kept strictly confidential. The Swiss Canadian Chamber may disclose personal information collected by it without the knowledge or consent of the individual, for example to its lawyers; for purposes relating to an investigation under, the enforcement of or the administration of a law or where required by law to disclose the information. The Swiss Canadian Chamber will not use or disclose personal information without the knowledge or consent of the individual except as authorized by applicable law.
The Swiss Canadian Chamber retains personal information only as long as is necessary to provide the individual with the requested product, service or information. For example, if personal information is given to register for an event, the personal information will only be used for this event and will then be deleted or destroyed. In some cases, however, legal reporting or retention requirements necessitate that the Swiss Canadian Chamber retains information for a specific amount of time. In general, the Swiss Canadian Chamber retains personal information for a period not longer than seven years, in secure storage.
The Swiss Canadian Chamber does not sell or trade any personal information with third parties. Information may be transferred to third parties where information processing is outsourced by the Swiss Canadian Chamber in the course of its activities or administrative procedures in specific cases. Where personal information is transferred to a service provider for processing, the Swiss Canadian Chamber requires service providers to respect this Privacy Policy. Service providers are restricted from using or disclosing personal information transferred to them for any purpose other than the provision of services to the Swiss Canadian Chamber.
Any personal information that the Swiss Canadian Chamber retains is kept in such a manner as to ensure its security and confidentiality at all times.
Safeguarding Personal Information The Swiss Canadian Chamber respects the privacy of its members, partners, potential Web site visitors and internet users and will protect that privacy as vigorously as possible. Personal information is stored in electronic and physical files that are secure. Security measures include secure locks on filing cabinets, and using industry standard techniques such as firewalls, encryption, intrusion detection and restricted access to computers. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while the Swiss Canadian Chamber strives to protect personal information, it cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information transmitted to it or received from it electronically. This is especially true for information transmitted via e-mail. The Swiss Canadian Chamber has no way of protecting that information until it reaches us. Once a transmission is received, the Swiss Canadian Chamber makes its best efforts to ensure its security on its servers.
Accuracy of and Access to Personal Information Collected The Swiss Canadian Chamber makes every effort to keep personal information as accurate, complete, current and relevant as necessary for the identified purposes. The Swiss Canadian Chamber does not routinely update personal information.
The Swiss Canadian Chamber makes readily available to individuals its Privacy Policy and related procedures for managing personal information. Customer access to the Privacy Policy and related procedures is provided on the Swiss Canadian Chamber’s Web site and in written form. Any questions about the handling of personal information by the Swiss Canadian Chamber can be raised with the Privacy Officer.
At the written request of an individual, he or she may view or edit their personal information as collected by the Swiss Canadian Chamber. The Swiss Canadian Chamber will inform them of what personal information it has about the individual, what it is being used for and, in cases where it has been disclosed, to whom it has been disclosed. There may be exceptional circumstances as provided by the CSA Model Code under which the Swiss Canadian Chamber may not be able to give an individual access to personal information held about them by the Swiss Canadian Chamber. In this case the Swiss Canadian Chamber will explain the reason for this lack of access, as provided by the CSA Model Code. To make a request, please send a letter, email or fax addressed to our Privacy Officer at the address indicated above. In any written request, please include the following information:
- Name
- Contact details
- Membership number (where applicable)
- Nature of your request, including whether you wish to view and/or edit information or inquire regarding use and/or disclosure
The Swiss Canadian Chamber will reply to requests in no later than thirty days after receipt of the request, or if we are not able to respond within this time period, a notice of extension will be sent.
Questions Any questions or comments about the Swiss Canadian Chamber’s handling of personal information should be directed to the Privacy Officer.