Protecting your Privacy
The federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) came into effect January 1, 2004 and applies to organizations that collect, use and disclose personal information in the course of commercial activity. As a federation of nurses’ unions, CFNU does not participate in commercial activity, and therefore is not covered by this Act.
CFNU follows the highest ethical standards in carrying out its mission and therefore, protecting your privacy is very important to us. We value the trust of those we deal with and recognize that maintaining this trust requires that we be transparent and accountable in how we treat the information that is shared with us.
CFNU has developed, therefore, the following Privacy Policy, using the guidelines set out in the PIPEDA, as we are strongly committed to protecting personal information in our possession.
What kind of personal information do we collect?
During the course of our various programs and activities, we sometimes gather and use personal information, such as name, address, telephone/fax numbers, email addresses, and employment information. Anyone from whom we collect such information should expect that it will be carefully protected and that any use of this information is subject to consent. Our privacy practices are designed to achieve this.
Who is responsible for protecting personal information?
CFNU’s Executive Assistant will assume the position of CFNU’s Privacy Officer. The privacy officer will assume general responsibility for the personal information under CFNU’s control and will be generally accountable for CFNU’s compliance with this privacy policy. The Privacy Officer is entitled to delegate day to day responsibility for administration of this policy to other employees.
Why does CFNU collect, use or disclose personal information?
CFNU may collect, use and disclose personal information when applicable, for the following purposes:
With whom does CFNU share information?
CFNU may share your information with service providers such as those who conduct membership research, or outside mailing houses. These parties cannot use personally identifiable information except for the purpose of providing these services. Confidentiality agreements will be signed with all service providers.
How do individuals provide CFNU with consent for collection of their personal information?
The knowledge and consent of an individual are generally required for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information. Your consent to the use and/or disclosure of your Personal Information will be implied when personal information is provided to obtain a specified service or to register for a specific event. Explicit consent may also be sought in writing or electronically when needed.
CFNU shall use reasonable efforts to ensure that an individual is advised of the identified purposes for which personal information will be used or disclosed. CFNU will require individuals to consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information as a condition of the supply of a service only if such collection, use or disclosure is reasonably required to fulfill the identified purposes. In determining the appropriate form of the consent, CFNU shall take into account the sensitivity of the personal information and the reasonable expectations of the individual.
How secure is personal information stored at CFNU?
CFNU is committed to ensuring that personal information is protected from unauthorized access, unintended disclosures or theft. This protection is provided by firewalls in the computer system, passwords to protect databases, secure filing cabinets and restricted access to the offices. Access levels are assigned as required to fulfill the purposes stated within this policy.
How is personal information collected, used or disclosed via CFNU’s website?
When you visit our website without entering any information, your personal information and email address are not recorded. However, in order to fulfill some of our functions, you may be asked to enter personal information into a form. For example, in order to subscribe to Nurses’ Voice, CFNU’s electronic newsletter, you will have to fill in a form, and similarly if participating in our advocacy activities. This information is collected securely by CFNU and used in accordance with this privacy policy.
Updating, requesting or relaying concerns about personal information held by CFNU
CFNU makes every reasonable effort to keep information accurate and current. Questions, concerns and updates to the information such as address changes, legal name changes or corrections can be forwarded to:
Privacy Officer, CFNU
2841 Riverside Drive
Ottawa, Ontario K1V 8X7
(613) 526-4661
cfnu@nursesunions.ca