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Privacy Policy

Introduction

Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your information — over the Internet, on the telephone, or through our offices – has always been fundamental to the way we do business at Grain Farmers of Ontario. We operate based on a Privacy Policy and related procedures that guide the handling of the personal information we collect. We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to protecting the privacy of our members, partners and potential Web site visitors. This policy and related procedures are consistent with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)del Code”) and applicable privacy legislation.

Privacy Statement

This policy deals only with personal information handled by Grain Farmers of Ontario. Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, excluding business contact information. The following explains how Grain Farmers of Ontario handles personal information. Grain Farmers of Ontario reserves the right to change this policy and it may be updated periodically. These changes may affect our use of your personal information. Accordingly, please check for changes regularly.

Accountability

Grain Farmers of Ontario is accountable for all personal information under its control. Grain Farmers of Ontario’s privacy officer is Crosby Devitt, Chief Executive Officer who is designated as being responsible for Grain Farmers of Ontario’s privacy policy. Privacy questions and concerns can be sent to our Human Resource department at:

• e-mail: hr@gfo.ca
• telephone: 1-800-265-0550 ext. 405
• mail or in person: 679 Southgate Drive, Guelph, Ontario, Canada N1G 4S2

Any questions about Grain Farmers of Ontario’s handling of personal information will be directed to the privacy officer. Please see below for more information about the process for referring questions about Grain Farmers of Ontario’s handling of personal information.

Purpose of Personal Information

The purpose for which Grain Farmers of Ontario collects personal information will be identified at or before the time the information is collected. Grain Farmers of Ontario will collect personal information for the purposes of:

• Administering Grain Farmers of Ontario membership and providing member services;
• Registering for Grain Farmers of Ontario events, for example the Annual General Meeting; 
• Purchasing various Grain Farmers of Ontario products or services including document certification, and;
• Processing and administering the above or other purposes, as necessary;
• Responding to feedback under our AODA policies.

Grain Farmers of Ontario will not use personal information for any other purpose than identified at or before the time of collection.

Consent

Grain Farmers of Ontario seeks consent for all personal information we collect, use and disclose through information provided to individuals prior to collection, or at the time of collection. If you have voluntarily provided information, you have consented to the collection, use and disclosure of your personally identifiable information as described in this privacy policy. Grain Farmers of Ontario will not use personal information for any purpose other than that for which you consented. Should Grain Farmers of Ontario require personal information for a new purpose, we will contact you to seek consent for that new use.

Limits for Collecting, Using, Disclosing and Keeping Personal Information

Grain Farmers of Ontario does not collect, use, or disclose personal information of individuals except when individuals give consent and provide the information on a voluntary basis. There may be occasions where more specific personal information is necessary for us to proceed with a request for information or provide you with a product or service. In such cases, we will provide you with a description on the information we need. In all cases, Grain Farmers of Ontario limits the amount and type of information collected to only the personal information that is required to provide the individual with the requested information, product, or service. We collect only information that is voluntarily provided by you and undertake that such information will be kept strictly confidential.

We retain personal information only if is necessary to provide the individual with the requested product, service or information and delete or destroy this information after that time. If personal information is given to enable you to register for an event, the personal information will only be used for this event and will then be deleted or destroyed unless authorization is given to retain. In some cases, however, legal reporting and retention requirements necessitate that Grain Farmers of Ontario retain information for a specific amount of time. In general, Grain Farmers of Ontario retains information for a period not longer than seven years.

Grain Farmers of Ontario does not sell or trade any personal information with third parties. Grain Farmers of Ontario may transfer information to service providers where information processing is outsourced by Grain Farmers of Ontario during its administrative procedures or member services in specific cases. Where personal information is transferred to a service provider for processing, we require the service provider to respect this Privacy Policy and we restrict them from using or disclosing personal information transferred to them for any purpose other than the provision of services to us.

Any personal information that Grain Farmers of Ontario retains is always kept in such a manner as to ensure its security and confidentiality.

Safeguarding Personal Information

Grain Farmers of Ontario respects the privacy of our members, partners, potential website visitors and internet users and will protect that privacy as vigorously as possible. We store personal information in electronic files and files that are secure. Our security measures include using industry standard techniques such as firewalls, encryption, intrusion detection and restricted access to records and to equipment, including computers. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information, we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or receive from us electronically. This is especially true for information you transmit to us via e-mail. We have no way of protecting that information until it reaches us. Once we receive your transmission, we make our best efforts to ensure its security on our servers.

Accuracy of and Access to Personal Information Collected

GFO makes every effort to keep personal information as accurate, complete, current and relevant as necessary for the identified purposes. GFO does not routinely update personal information. GFO makes readily available to individuals our Privacy Policy and related procedures for managing personal information. We provide access to the Privacy Policy and related procedures to individuals on Grain Farmers of Ontario’s Web site and in written form. Any questions about the handling of personal information by Grain Farmers of Ontario can be raised with our privacy officer. At the written request of an individual, they may view or edit their personal information as collected by Grain Farmers of Ontario. Grain Farmers of Ontario will inform them of what personal information we have about the individual, what it is being used for and, in cases where it has been disclosed, to whom it has been disclosed. There may be some exceptions as permitted by the PIPEDA. To make a request, please contact Human Resources by email, phone, mail, or in person and your request will be submitted to our Privacy Officer. In your request, please include the following information: Name, contact details, the nature of your request, including whether you wish to view and/or edit information or inquire regarding use and/or disclosure. Grain Farmers of Ontario will reply to your request in no later than thirty days after receipt of the request, or if we are not able to respond within this time, we will send you a notice of extension. If we are not able to disclose all the personal information, we hold on you, we will give you a reason for our inability to do so, unless prohibited by law.

Questions

Any questions or comments about Grain Farmers of Ontario’s handling of personal information should be directed to our privacy officer through the method outlined above.

Information on our Website

Information which includes all facts, data and other information, collectively the “Information” in the pages of this website is of a general nature, is intended only for informational purposes, is subject to change without notice, and is not intended to be relied on by visitors as binding legal advice on any matter. The information is believed to be accurate, complete, and current when posted, but Grain Farmers of Ontario cannot guarantee that it will remain accurate or complete or that it will always be current. Grain Farmers of Ontario is not responsible for direct, indirect, special, or consequential damages, regardless of the cause, arising out the use of this website. Through the links to other sites found on Grain Farmers of Ontario’s website, the user may enter domains that are beyond the boundaries of Grain Farmers of Ontario and, once there, Grain Farmers of Ontario is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of these websites. Grain Farmers of Ontario has no control over the accuracy, completeness, or relevance of the information on these sites and provides links to these sites solely for the information and convenience of visitors to our website. Grain Farmers of Ontario is not responsible for the way in which the information may be used or copied. Grain Farmers of Ontario reserves the right to change, delete or add information at any time.