Privacy Policy

Quarantine Conflict Resolution Service

A. Introduction

Mediate BC Society (the “Society”) is committed to protecting your privacy. The objective of our Privacy Policy is to promote responsible and transparent personal information management practices in a manner consistent with the provisions of British Columbia’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA). Our policy confirms our commitment to protecting personal information and outlines how we manage your personal information and safeguard your privacy. 

B. Our Principles 

1. Accountability 

We are responsibly maintaining and protecting all personal information under our control. In order to fulfill this responsibility we have designated a Chief Privacy Officer (see section C) to be responsible for the day-to-day care and control of personal information. We have developed policies and procedures to protect personal information and a complaint process. 

2. Our Purpose for Collecting Personal Information in the Project 

We collect personal information to administer the Quarantine Conflict Resolution Service. 

In particular, we may collect your personal information:

• to help you decide whether mediation is the right choice for you;
• to provide you with appropriate referrals to other services and information, in order to prepare and support you through the mediation process;  
• to match you with a mediator who meets your needs;
• to assign a mediator fee based on the sliding scale fee rate for the project, and
• to evaluate the project’s effectiveness.

Personal information revealed during the mediation process is protected by confidentiality provisions.

3. Consent 

The Society is committed to ensuring that you are aware of how your personal information is used. When asking for personal information, we will obtain your consent to collect, use or disclose that information for the purposes we identify.  Consent may be given orally or in writing. Consent may be implied or deemed to have been given in some situations. How we obtain your consent will depend upon the sensitivity of the information and the purposes for which we will use the information. 

You have the right to withdraw consent to the collection, use or disclosure of personal information at any time by giving us reasonable notice, except where doing so would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation. We will inform you of the likely consequences of withdrawing consent. 

4. Limit Collection 

We will only collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we are collecting it. We are committed to collecting personal information in a fair, open and lawful manner. 

5. Limit Use, Disclosure and Retention 

We only collect personal information that is reasonable in the circumstances in order to fulfill the identified purposes for its collection. We will not use personal information for purposes other than those for which it was originally collected. 

Personal information will be retained only for as long as it is needed, or for as long as required by law, and only for the fulfillment of the purposes for which it was originally collected. 

6. Be Accurate 

The Society is committed to maintaining accurate, complete and up-to-date personal information. If you are aware of changes to the personal information you have given to us, simply inform us of the changes and we will update our records accordingly. You may check and correct your personal information by contacting the Chief Privacy Officer at the address set out in Section C below.

7. Safeguards

We have developed and implemented security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity level of the personal information held by us.  We require all employees, contractors and volunteers who deal with personal information to be properly trained and to follow the Society’s policies and procedures regarding the handling of personal information. We restrict access to personal information to authorized Society representatives who have a legitimate reason for obtaining access to personal information. 

We protect personal information by using locked filing cabinets, secured storage areas and restricted access. We manage electronic information with appropriate passwords and security measures to limit access to only authorized personnel.  We review and update our security protocols regularly. 

8. Openness 

We are pleased to answer any questions that you may have regarding the collection and maintenance of personal information. Please forward any questions in writing or email to the Chief Privacy Officer.  

9. Access

You may request access to your personal information held by us by making a written request to the Chief Privacy Officer. We reserve the right to confirm the identity of the person seeking access to personal information before complying.  We will tell you if we have your personal information and details of its use and disclosure unless denial is required or authorized by law.

If you can demonstrate an error in the accuracy or completeness of your personal information, we will amend your personal information appropriately. 

10. Recourse  

If you have a complaint, contact the Chief Privacy Officer.  We investigate all complaints and will respond in writing in a timely manner. If we find your complaint is justified, we will take appropriate measures to resolve the matter. 

C. Chief Privacy Officer

Ann Lee, Chief Privacy Officer
Mediate BC Society 
Suite 613 - 1066 Hastings St. W
Vancouver, BC V6E 3X1
Phone: 604-684-1300 x101
Email: ann.lee@mediatebc.com

March 2020