Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA)
– Our Agency’s Commitment to your Privacy
The Insurance Exchange is committed to providing our clients
with excellent service. Doing business with a multi-line insurance
broker involves providing information about yourself, so protection
of your personal information is one of our highest priorities.
Our brokerage and the insurance industry have a solid track record
of respecting your personal information. As a result of federal
and provincial legislations, we have further strengthened our
privacy commitment by informing you of why and how we collect,
use and disclose your personal information. You can be assured
that we will only handle your personal information in a manner
that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.
What is PIPA?
PIPA or Personal Information Protection Act came
into effect on January 1st, 2004. PIPA has been implemented to
regulate the way that the private sector organizations collect,
use, keep secure and disclose personal information. With the legislation
in place, it ensures that organizations manage personal information
responsibly. This essentially means that individuals have been
given more control over the way their personal information is
handled and has a right to request access to and/or correction
of that particular information.
Why do we collect personal information?
When you first become a client or whenever you acquire or renew
a product from us, we need to collect some of your personal information.
Common purposes include:
- Enable us to acquire or renew an insurance policy for you.
- Assist you and assess your ongoing needs for insurance.
- Assess your need for other products, such as financial products,
and offer them to you.
- Ensure your information is accurate and up-to-date.
- Protect us both against error or fraud.
What personal information do we collect?
Personal information is information that identifies you as an
individual client and relates specifically to you. Depending on
the purpose(s) for which we need to collect it, we may ask for
the following personal information about you including:
- Basic information such as your name, address, telephone, fax
number, e-mail address, birthdate and marital status.
- Claims history.
- Credit and past payment records.
- Driver’s record.
- Details about your property such as the value of your home
and its contents.
- Medical information.
- Smoking habits.
- Employment information.
We may obtain this information from:
- You.
- Insurance companies.
- Other insurance brokers or agents.
- Credit organizations.
- Motor vehicle and driver licensing authorities.
- Financial institutions.
- Medical professionals.
Who do we disclose your personal information to?
For many of the purposes identified above, we will need to share
your personal information with others in order to serve your needs.
These other parties commonly include:
- Insurance Companies.
- Other insurance brokers or agents.
- Credit organizations.
- Professionals working with us such as adjusters or lawyers.
- Financial institutions.
How do we protect your personal information?
In order to protect your personal information and right to privacy
we will:
Not collect, use or disclose your personal information for any
purpose other than those that we identify to you.
Keep your personal information only for as long as we need it
to fulfill the stated purpose or as required by law.
Maintain your personal information in as accurate, complete
and up-to-date a form as possible.
Safeguard your personal information to the best of our ability.
Respond to any request you may make to access or correct the
personal information we hold about you.
Obtain the appropriate consent from you for the collection,
use or disclosure of your personal information.
Consent
We may obtain your express consent or we may determine that consent
has been implied by the circumstances.
We might ask you for your express consent in writing.
We may ask for your express consent in person or over the telephone.
We may determine that by seeking insurance through our organization,
your consent has been implied for us to deal with your personal
information in a reasonable manner.
There are also legal exceptions in which we will not need to
obtain your consent or explain the purposes for the collection,
use or disclosure of your personal information. This could apply
when there is an emergency situation, or if it is necessary for
your protection or ours.
Our Safeguards
Our organization will use the appropriate safeguards such as:
Make reasonable security arrangements to protect personal information
in our custody including physical measures, technical tools and
organizational controls.
Safeguard personal information from unauthorized access, collection,
use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal.
Protect personal information regardless of the format in which
it is held.
Our Agency’s goals in protecting
your personal information and providing you with Choices
It is our Agency’s goal to strengthen our privacy commitments.
We want our clients to be informed about our privacy policies
and aware that they have choices. You have the right to refuse
to allow us to obtain your personal information as well as withdraw
a previously given consent at any given time. However, this may
limit or even prevent our ability to provide you with the products
or service you desire.
For example, if you do not allow us to obtain information about
the claims history of your home, it is unlikely that we will be
able to provide you with home insurance.
If you have any concerns towards the privacy of your personal
information, we would gladly discuss your concerns and assist
you in making your decisions.
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