Calgary Divorce Solutions Inc.

At Calgary Divorce Solutions Inc, we are committed to providing our clients with exceptional service.  As providing this service involves the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our clients, protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities.

We will inform our clients of why and how we collect, use and disclose their personal information, obtain their consent where required, and only handle their personal information in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.

This Personal Information Protection Policy, in compliance with PIPA, outlines the principles and practices we will follow in protecting our clients’ personal information.  Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of our clients’ personal information and allowing our clients to request access to and correction of, their personal information.

Definitions

Personal Information

–means information about an identifiable individual [For Example, but not limited to such things as; name, age, home address, phone number, marital status, income or financial information etc…

Contact information

– means information that would enable an individual to be contacted at a place of business and includes name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email or business fax number.  Contact information is not covered by this policy or PIPA.

Privacy Officer

– means the individual designated responsibility for ensuring that Calgary Divorce Solutions Inc. complies with this policy and PIPA.

Policy 1 – Collecting Personal Information

1.1  Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the client voluntarily provides his or her personal information for those purposes, we will communicate the purposes for which personal information is being collected, either orally or in writing, before or at the time of collection.
1.2  We will only collect client information that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:

* For full financial disclosure relevant to the division of Matrimonial Property;
* To contact our clients and enter them into our client files.
* To ensure a high standard of service to our clients.

Policy 2 – Consent

2.1  We will obtain client consent to collect, use or disclose personal information (except where, as noted below, we are authorized to do so without consent).
2.2  Consent can be provided in writing, orally or electronically or it can be implied where the purpose for collecting using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the client voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.
2.3  Subject to certain exceptions (e.g., the personal information is necessary to provide the service or product, or the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), clients, can withhold or withdraw their consent for Calgary Divorce Solutions Inc. to use their personal information in certain ways.  A client’s decision to withhold or withdraw their consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service or product.  If so, we will explain the situation to assist the client in making the decision.
2.4  We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the client’s knowledge or consent in the following limited circumstances:

* When the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is permitted or required by law;
* In an emergency that threatens an individual’s life, health, or personal security;
* When the personal information is available from a public source (e.g., a telephone directory);

Policy 3 – Using and Disclosing Personal Information

3.1  We will not use or disclose client personal information for any additional purpose unless we obtain consent to do so.

Policy 4 – Retaining Personal Information

4.1  If we use client personal information to make a decision that directly affects the client, we will retain that personal information for at least one year electronically so that the client has a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.
4.2  Subject to policy 4.1, we will retain client personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purpose of our services required.

Policy 5 – Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information

5.1  We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that client personal information is accurate and complete,
5.2  Clients may request correction to their personal information in order to ensure its accuracy and completeness.  A request to correct personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information and the correction being sought.
5.3  If the personal information is demonstrated to be inaccurate or incomplete, we will correct the information as required.

Policy 6 – Securing Personal Information

6.1  We are committed to ensuring the security of client personal information in order to protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risks.
6.2  The following security measures will be followed to ensure that client personal information is appropriately protected:
Examples may include: the use of locked filing cabinets; physically securing offices where personal information is held; the use of user IDs, passwords, encryption, firewalls; restricting employee access to personal information as appropriate (i.e., only those that need to know will have access; contractually requiring any service providers to provide comparable security measures].
6.3  We will use appropriate security measures when destroying client’s personal information such as shredding documents, deleting electronically stored information on a regular basis and upon the discretion of Calgary Divorce Solutions Inc.
6.4  We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure ongoing personal information security.

Policy 7 – Providing Clients Access to Personal Information

7.1  Clients have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions.
An example would  be:  mediator-client privilege, disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual.
7.2  A request to access personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought.
7.3  Upon request, we will also tell clients how we use their personal information and to whom it has been disclosed if applicable.
7.4  We will make the requested information available within 30 business days, or provide written notice of an extension where additional time is required to fulfill the request.