Privacy Policies
Our firm has developed its privacy policy in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”), which governs use, disclosure and security of personal information, defined as “all information about an identifiable individual.”
Collection of personal information
In order to provide the highest quality of service to my clients, to act proactively to counteract fraud and to comply with B.C. Notary Society regulations and standards, it will be necessary for our firm to collect and retain personal information from all my clients. This includes obtaining information directly from the clients and/or from third parties, if necessary.
By retaining me for advice or representation, my client consents to my collection, use or disclosure of the client’s personal information in order to properly advise and represent the client.
Releasing personal information
PIPA permits me to collect, use or disclose a client’s personal information in certain circumstances, regardless of the individual’s consent, whereby:
- It is in the interests of the individual to do so and where consent cannot be obtained in a timely manner;
- The information is necessary for an investigation or proceeding;
- The information is already available to the public (through other sources);
- It is a legal requirement.
A client may submit a written request to me to present them with: their own personal information, which I possess; the names of third parties to which I have provided the client’s personal information; and particulars about how I have used their personal information. In response to such requests, I will comply with PIPA timelines and will reserve the right to charge fees and disbursements, as permitted by law.
Non-disclosure of personal information
Outside of the above-noted parameters, a client does not necessarily have the right to access his/her personal information, which is under the firm’s control. PIPA prevents release of personal information when disclosure:
- Could reasonably be expected to threaten the health or safety of a third party or of the requesting party;
- Would reveal personal information about someone else;
- Would reveal the identity of an individual who has provided personal information about someone else and the person providing the personal information does not consent to disclosure of his or her identity;
- Would reveal confidential commercial information that could harm the competitive position of an organization;
PIPA further prevents disclosure of personal information that was retained by a mediator or arbitrator, appointed to act:
- Under a collective agreement;
- Under an enactment; or
- By a court.
Our commitment to privacy protection
Our firm pledges to:
- Make reasonable efforts to ensure that information collected is accurate and complete.
- Make reasonable efforts to correct information that is discovered to be incorrect or incomplete.
- Ensure that appropriate arrangements are made to secure personal information – stored electronically and in paper copy – is secured against unauthorized access.
Contacting me
Please contact our firm, in writing, if you have questions or concerns about the collection or handling of your personal information.
Note: this policy pertains to website users and subscribers only. If you wish to access our client privacy policy, please view above content box toggle for Client Privacy.
By using our website and/or subscription service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with the policy contained herein:
Using our website
We may automatically collect “Usage Data” when you visit our website: kcnotary.ca. Usage Data refers to information about a user’s IP address – including the user’s physical (country) location, the domain and browser used to access our website, and the entry and exit webpages to and from our website.
We may also employ “Cookies,” small data files with unique identifiers, which are stored on your device, to collect information. You may opt out of our use of Cookies but, as a result, may not be able to access part(s) of our website.
Our collection of user information helps us to evaluate and improve our website performance to ensure a better experience for our users.
A note to subscribers
If provided by you as a voluntary subscriber to our website, we collect your name and email address so that we may reply to your inquiries and, periodically, contact you with useful information about our company and services.
We do not release your name or email unless given user consent or unless required by applicable law or regulatory requirement. We never sell your information.
Unscubscribing may be done at any time and effectively withdraws your consent for us to retain your name and email for the purpose of our email list.
Questions
If you have questions about this privacy policy, please contact our office.