Web Privacy Statement

Introduction

This privacy statement discloses the privacy practices for every WECHU website.

Commitment

The WECHU is committed to protecting your privacy, whether you are browsing for information or communicating with the WECHU through electronic channels.  Information we collect, use and disclose about you is governed by applicable privacy law including:

• Health Protection and Promotion Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. H.7 (HPPA) [2]
• Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. M56 (MFIPPA) [3]
• Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004, S.O. 2004, c. 3, Sch. A (PHIPA) [4]

Personal Information Collection and Use

When you visit our websites, we will not collect your personal information without your consent. Your consent however will be implied when you submit your personal information to the WECHU online for the uses indicated at the time of collection.  The WECHU will not use your personal information for any other purposes without obtaining your consent first, unless authorized by law.  Examples include.

• Applying for a Job or to Volunteer at WECHU (Work with Us Section)
  To sign up for job opportunities, we collect email addresses and relevant profile information. Information submitted to WECHU is done on a strictly voluntary basis. This information is used to contact you should a potential position become available that we think may fit your profile.
• Health Card Number
  The immunization records of children are provided to the WECHU by parents when they register their children for child care or school in Windsor-Essex County. We monitor the immunization records of children in our community to protect them from potential vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks. For the convenience of parents, we have provided an online vaccine reporting service [5] where we ask for a child’s health card number. This information is not required and if given is done so voluntarily. Other options for updating child immunization records at the WECHU include the following:
  • Fax a copy of your child’s immunization history to 519-258-8672,
  • Mail a photocopy of your child’s immunization history to VPD Program, Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, 1005 Ouellette Avenue, Windsor, ON, N9A 4J8,
  • Drop off a photocopy of your child’s immunization history to any one of the Health Unit office locations [6],
  • Call the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at 519-258-2146 ext. 1222.
• Contact Forms
  Information collected from contact forms on wechu.org is stored in a database and placed into the body of an email and used to provide us with information, so we may follow-up with your information request.  We recommend that you not submit personal health information through any online forms.
• Surveys
  From time to time, our websites may ask you to complete online surveys to obtain your input on services and these surveys may be associated with on-line contests. Participation in these surveys and contests are completely voluntary. Information requested may include contact information such as name and mailing address, and demographic information such as gender or approximate age.  Contact information will be used to help track the associated demographics of the responses and if provided in the context of a contest to administer any prize. No information that could be identifiable to you will be in any report generated from the research.
• Telephone Numbers
  If you choose to use telephone numbers listed in the website to contact WECHU staff, then personal information may also be collected through that method.  Telephone sets in WECHU offices are equipped with call display technology which will display the number from which you call unless you block the number.  If you leave a message at one of the numbers, WECHU voice mail system will record the number from which the call is made.  In both cases, the information will only be used to respond to you.
• E-mail
  In the event that you send an email to the WECHU, we may retain your email address, as well as any information contained in the email, on a secure internal system for responding to your request and tracking any follow-up action.

Other Information Collection and Use

When you visit our website we collect other information from you but you are not personally identified in any way. Examples include:

• Log files
  IP addresses are monitored to analyze trends, manage the website, track visitors' movements on the site, and gather broad demographic information. We do not link IP addresses to personally identifiable information.
• Cookies
  Third party web applications are used to assist us in tracking visitor statistics on wechu.org. The process of collecting and analyzing visitors use and interaction with the website is done through cookies.  We collect this information to help us make informed decisions when making changes to the website. You can choose to have your computer warn you each time a cookie is being sent or you can choose to turn off all cookies. This can be done through your browser.

This information helps us to improve and enhance your online experience. We also use this aggregate information for research and analytical purposes to better understand how people are using our websites.

Disclosure

We occasionally partner with other parties to provide specific services. When a website visitor signs up for any services that are provided by such parties, we will share names or other contact information that is necessary for the third party to provide these services. These parties are not allowed to use personally identifiable information except for the purpose of providing these services.

We will not otherwise disclose, sell, share, or rent this information to others in ways different from what is disclosed in this privacy statement, unless authorized by law.

Security of Personal Information

The WECHU uses processes to ensure that security standards for the operation of the website are current and adequate for known security threats.  More specifically:

• Access Controls
  Access controls are applied to data and other files to ensure that they are accessible only to WECHU staff or agents for necessary purposes.
• Encryption
  Secure Socket Layer encryption software is used throughout the website to protect your information during transmission.  A security icon will appear in your browser window to indicate that you are using a secure channel.  Please note that the WECHU cannot guarantee the security of email or files sent through unsecured channels.  If encryption is not available through a WECHU website, an alternative means of communication is recommended (i.e., telephone call).
• Disposal
  Personal information is disposed of according to the WECHU's record retention schedule. To ensure personal and personal health information is unrecoverable, any paper records generated are shredded, and electronic media is wiped prior to disposal using a utility program or by physical destruction of the media.
• External Links
  The WECHU’s website includes links to external websites.  The WECHU includes these links as a courtesy to the user and takes no responsibility whatsoever for the privacy practices of these websites.  You should take steps to ensure your comfort with the privacy policies and security of these websites before providing any personal information to them.  This privacy statement does not apply to external links.

Access

You have a right to see and get a copy of the information that the WECHU has collected and retained about you, unless the law restricts access. You can request information in writing [6]. The law allows WECHU to charge you a fee which may vary depending upon the amount of information you ask for, or additional actions that the WECHU needs to take to provide the information. The Health Unit may waive this fee.

The WECHU will respond to your request for information within 30 calendar days. If there is a delay in providing the information, we will notify you and respond as quickly as possible. When all or a part of a record cannot be provided, we will inform you why access is restricted and give the Health Unit’s legal authority for this refusal.

Questions and How to Reach WECHU

If you have a question about this privacy statement, our privacy policies and procedures, or our information handling practices, please contact:

Privacy Officer
Windsor-Essex County Health Unit
1005 Ouellette Avenue
Windsor, Ontario N9A 4J8
(519) 258-2146, Ext. 1476
Email: privacy@wechu.org [7]

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario ("IPC/O")

If you do not agree with how the WECHU has responded to your request for access to a record or correction of a record, you have the right to make a complaint to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. For more information about how to make a complaint, please see the Information and Privacy Commissioner’s website at www.ipc.on.ca [8], or you may write to them at:

Information and Privacy Commissioner/Ontario
2 Bloor Street East
Suite 1400
Toronto, Ontario  M4W 1A8