WEAO PRIVACY POLICY

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General

The ongoing commitment of the Water Environment Association of Ontario (WEAO) to protect the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information is addressed in this Privacy Policy. Our policy complies with the requirements of The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) enacted in April 2000.

The WEAO will provide specific notice before collecting any of your personal information (details that can identify you as an individual such as your name or address). We will explain what information is being collected and how it will be used. You have the right to decline to have this information collected or transferred for marketing purposes. We collect no personal information about you unless you choose to provide that information to us. We do not use techniques that collect personal information about you without your knowledge. Any personally identifiable data about our members or web site visitors is stored securely. You can withdraw consent at any time. If we wish to use the information for some other purpose other than the original consent, we would seek consent for the new purpose.

Purpose of Collecting of Data

The WEAO is committed to respecting the personal data you supply to us. The information we collect will be relevant to the purposes for which they are to be used, and we do our utmost to ensure that such data will be accurate, complete and kept up to date. Whenever personal data is obtained from you, you will have access to information as to how that data will be used. Data is collected to provide services to members and to communicate industry information.

The types of personal information collected are:

· Name
· Address
· Email address
· Phone Numbers
· Fax Numbers
· Professional credentials

You can correct factual errors in your personally identifiable information by sending us a request that credibly shows error. To protect your privacy and security, we will also take reasonable steps to verify your identity before granting access or making corrections.


How We Use Non-Personal Information (Web site)

Weao.org’s operating system may automatically record some general information about your visit such as:
· The Internet domain for your Internet service provider, such as “company.com” or “service.ca” and the IP address of the computer accessing the Web site.
· The type of browser (such as “Netscape version x or Internet Explorer version x”) you are using.
· The type of operating system you are using, such as Macintosh, Unix, or Windows.
· The date and time you visit our site and the web pages that you visit on our site, along with the address of the previous Web site you were visiting, if you linked to us from another Web site.

We use this information for statistical analysis, to help us make our site more useful to visitors. We may disclose this non-personalized information to third parties such as sponsors and/or use it for auditing purposes. This tracking system does not record personal information about individuals or link this information to any personal data collected.

We may use “cookies” that identify you as a return visitor. A cookie is a piece of data that a Web site can send to your browser, which may then store the cookie on your hard drive. So, when you come back to visit us again, we can tailor information to suit your individual preferences. The goal is to save you time and provide you with a more meaningful visit and to measure Web site activity. Cookies do not contain any personally identifying information. Browsers such as Microsoft Explorer allow you to disable cookie collection if you wish, or inform you when a cookie is being stored on your hard drive.

Protecting the privacy of the very young is especially important. For that reason, WEAO never collects or maintains information on our Web site from those we know are under 13, and no part of our Web site is structured to attract anyone under 13.

We do not send unsolicited email. If you add your name to an email subscriber’s list on our Web site, you authorize WEAO to send you personalized messages from time to time. At no time does WEAO’s advertisers or third parties have access to your confidential information. You may cancel your subscription to these email messages at any time.

This policy discloses the privacy practices for our Web site. However, our Web site contains links to other sites. Once you link to another site, you are subject to the privacy and security policies of the new site. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of all Web sites you visit, especially if you share any personal information.

Use of Data (why it is required)

Members

Your personal data will enable the WEAO to keep you updated with relevant information, which forms part of your package of membership benefits. Our communications with you may be via post, telephone or email, and may originate from WEAO officers or staff. Visitors to the WEAO Web site may receive communications via pages on the site.

We may disclose your details to carefully selected and strictly controlled partners enabling them to provide you with products or services we feel will support your business activities, your career and personal development.

WEAO communications are an integral part of keeping you informed, and may include interesting and relevant business information from third parties that we think might be relevant and interesting.

Your personal information is retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes required by the WEAO. We do not keep your personal information if it is no longer needed for the purposes required.

Non-members

We may contact non-members who have provided us with details with additional information regarding WEAO’s services and membership requirements. You may choose not to receive WEAO communications by writing to our Executive Administrator at:

Executive Administrator
Water Environment Association of Ontario
P.O. Box 176
Milton, Ontario L9T 4N9

As an industry organization, we may use the information you provide to assist us with database profiling, aimed at improving the quality of products and services offered to you.

Quality Control

WEAO uses data for testing purposes to ensure that its IT system for processing that data is working properly.

Security Safeguards

WEAO respects your data and has taken appropriate technical and organizational measures to ensure we have mitigated against such risks as loss of authorized access, destruction, use, modification or disclosure of data. Membership files that have remained inactive or lapsed for 10 years shall be destroyed.

Openness Principle

WEAO has instigated a formal process to manage requests for access to the data we hold about you. However, in the first instance we encourage you to contact our Executive Administrator to discuss and resolve any concerns you may have relating to the use/acquisition of your data. You may wish to continue the process and contact the federal “Policy Commissioner” at info@privcom.gc.ca or contact its toll-free inquiries line, 1-800-282-1376, available during regular business hours across Canada.

Publication of Personal Data

As part of your relationship with WEAO, we have a policy of transparency with regard to your membership status. This will include the publication of the names of WEAO members both in print and on the WEAO Web site.

Accountability

WEAO is committed to the principles of data protection and will carry out its business in the spirit of The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. To deliver this, WEAO has appointed a Privacy Officer for the processing of personal data.

Privacy Officer
Water Environment Association of Ontario
P.O. Box 176
Milton, Ontario L9T 4N9

December 31, 2003