Our Privacy Policy
In order to obtain insurance, you are required to provide personal
information about yourself and the things that you want to insure.
As a broker, protection of this information has always been one
of our highest priorities.
At your request, we act for you in obtaining insurance from insurance
companies. In order to do this effectively, we are obliged to reveal
personal information to these companies. We must also collect information
about you to confirm the data that you have provided. We seek confirmation
of data from a number of sources such as the Vehicle Information
Centre of Canada and your Motor Vehicle Report. However, this collection,
distribution and retention of personal information can only be done
with your consent, implied or stated.
We may collect only that information that is relevant to the insurance
policy in question and which has a defined purpose.
Those in the insurance industry, government regulator and, especially,
consumers are concerned about protection of privacy. Consequently,
we have designated a senior member of our company to deal with all
issues of privacy. The name of this individual is available upon
request from any of our telephone representatives.
What Personal Information Do We Collect?
Personal information is information that identifies an individual
and which is about that person specifically. Depending on the circumstances,
the information we may need includes but is not be limited to the
following personal information:
The above information may be obtained from a number
of sources, which include but may not be limited to:
Your name, business title, business address or business telephone
numbers, facsimile numbers are not considered personal information.
Who Do We Give Information To?
We may have to share your personal information with other parties.
These parties include insurance companies, other insurance brokers
or agents, credit organizations, certain professionals working for
us such as adjusters and lawyers and financial institutions such
as those that carry your mortgage or lien.
Why Do We Collect And Use Personal Information?
We need personal information specifically to:
Our Accountability
Obviously, personal information is necessary to write insurance.
However, we are committed to ensuring that only the information
necessary to write and subsequently service your insurance policy
is collected.
All of our personnel who collect personal information are able to
explain accurately and precisely the purposes for which personal
information is gathered, how it is collected and to whom it is disclosed.
Reasons for Collecting Your Personal Information
Every piece of information that we gather from you must have an
identified purpose. Any use beyond that purpose is explicitly forbidden
by privacy legislation.
We have reviewed our information to ensure that it is being used
only for the purposes of providing continued insurance protection
for you.
Consent to Gather, Use and Disclose Personal
Information
When you request a quotation for insurance or take out an application
for insurance and provide personal information to us, the authorization
for us to collect and use the personal information on that application
is implicit. You also implicitly authorize us to provide that information
to an insurance company to enable us to obtain a quotation or an
insurance policy.
Where we have not already obtained your permission to gather personal
information, we will do so before gathering additional information.
We have a Consent Form that we require you to sign when you sign
your application. Occasionally we will obtain your verbal consent
but we will always follow this up with a request for the completion
of the written Consent Form. If we do not have your consent to use
the information about you, we cannot act on your behalf to provide
you with insurance.
Limiting, Use, Disclosure, and Retention
Your personal information will only be used or disclosed for the
purposes for which it was collected unless you consent otherwise
or when it is required or permitted by law. We will retain personal
information only as long as necessary to fulfil its purposes.
Accuracy
We strive to ensure that personal information is as accurate, complete
and up-to-date as possible to fulfil the purposes for which it is
to be used.
Safeguards
We employ appropriate safeguards to protect the confidentiality
of personal information and limit access as appropriate to the sensitivity
of the information. These safeguards are reviewed periodically to
ensure that they are still adequate to their purpose.
Openness
Upon request, we will provide you with information about our policies
and practices concerning personal information under our control.
Individual's Access
You can obtain information about any personal information that
we have for you. You may challenge the accuracy and completeness
of their personal information and request that it be amended where
appropriate.
Recourse
You may address any concerns in writing to our Privacy Officer.
We must also advise you of other possible recourses that might include
the Registered Insurance Brokers of Ontario, industry associations
and the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Consent
We will not obtain information through deceptive means.
Consent may be express - e.g., written - or implied. Written consent
is always best since it leaves little room for interpretation.
Express consent may be obtained in a signed application or in an
authorization form.
Express consent may be obtained verbally in person or over the telephone.
In situations such as this the file must be documented and it is
wise to follow up with written confirmation of the conversation
to you.
Consent may be implied because you called us to provide insurance
and gives us personal information of your own accord.
Exceptions
There are a few exceptions to the consent rule. Specifically, this
may be the case in an emergency situation or when required to do
so by law.