Introduction

As a national non-profit organization and registered charity, the Lifesaving Society advocates and sponsors superior education, research and public education programs to promote water safety both in Canada and around the world. Our national and international presence means that the Society serves as the Canadian authority in lifesaving education and lifeguarding. Our goal of excellence is translated into every program we offer.

The Personal information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, otherwise known as PIPEDA, came into force on January 1, 2004.

The Lifesaving Society takes your privacy concerns very seriously and we seek to ensure in contract, policy and practice that each member’s personal information is valued and guarded. While our core programs and services are not subject to PIPEDA, from time to time we may engage in a commercial activity, which does require that we comply with the principles of the Act. As a result, we have prepared this policy to explain why we collect your personal information, when we may use such information, how it is used by our National Office, and what measures we take to keep the personal information you share with us secure and accurate.

We welcome any concerns, questions or comments you may have regarding our policy.

What Is Personal Information?

Personal information is any information that identifies you, or by which your identity can be determined. This does not include your business information, such as your position or where you work.

Why Do We Collect Such Information?

We collect your personal information for the following reasons:

• to provide our newsletters, education materials and other Society related material to you;



• to identify the number of users visiting our Web sites;



• to respond to your inquiries via email or letters;



• to occasionally survey our membership regarding their experiences with the services and programs of the Lifesaving Society;



• to involve you in various fundraising activities sponsored by the Lifesaving Society.

Web Site

When you visit our Web site, we collect information using cookies. This is standard practice and allows you to access our site more quickly. A cookie is a piece of information that a Web site stores on your computer. Cookies are not linked to any personal identifiable information about you. We may use this information to generate statistical information so we can evaluate and improve our Web site for our customers.

You can disable cookies in your Web browser. However, all or parts of our Web site may not work properly if you choose not to accept cookies.

Customer Inquiries and Concerns

At the Lifesaving Society, we seek to provide you with the best possible programs and services. If you have any questions, concerns or complaints, we will use your personal information to respond to you, if you confirm that you wish us to do so.

Marketing and Surveys

We do not sell or share our members list with any individual, group or business.

However, there may be occasions when the Lifesaving Society will conduct market research. In that case, we may hire a company to conduct that research on our behalf. In such a situation we will include contractual safeguards to ensure your personal information is used only for that particular purpose. The third party will not retain any personal information provided by us or obtained while conducting research once the project has been completed.

Your Consent

You may choose whether to give us your personal information and, if you do, how we use it. If we request your personal information, we will tell you why we are asking for it and what we intend to do with the information you provide to us. Sometimes, you will be asked to give your consent expressly by checking off a box on a form or clicking on a box on our Web site.

There are certain exceptions within PIPEDA as to when we may collect, use or disclose your personal information without your knowledge or consent. These include when the use or disclosure is for your benefit and there is insufficient time to obtain consent; when required by courts or contracts; or in an emergency involving a person’s health, life or security. Obviously, these are rare exceptions.

How Do We Protect Your Personal Information?

The security of your personal information is a high priority for us. We maintain administrative, technical and physical security to protect against unauthorized disclosure, use, change or destruction of the personal information in our possession. Our staff are also trained to maintain confidentiality of all information that they come into contact with both during and after their employment with us.

Updating Your Information

We require accurate and up-to-date information about you and your preferences to maintain the high quality of service we seek to provide to our customers. You can update your information by calling, writing or emailing the Lifesaving Society using the contact information below.

Privacy Policy Changes

We reserve the right to change our National Privacy Policy without notice. Any changes to our policy will be immediately posted on our Web site.

Who to contact

Please contact our Privacy Officer at the Lifesaving Society with any concerns, questions or comments you may have regarding our policy

As well, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at:

The Privacy Commissioner of Canada
112 Kent Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1H3

Telephone: 613-995-8210 or 1-800-282-1376
Fax: 613-947-6850

APPENDIX 1

Commercial Activities

MBNA Canada Bank Promotional Program

The Lifesaving Society has cultivated a relationship with MBNA. In a given province, the Lifesaving Society, MBNA and the provincial Lifesaving Branch may enter into a contract that allows MBNA the right to offer their financial products to the members on the over 18 list in that province. In turn, MBNA pays a royalty to the Lifesaving Society and the provincial Branch for every successful product sale. This contractual relationship has resulted in revenue, which is used to help our organizations.

There are significant contractual safeguards within each MBNA contract. These include but are not limited to:

• MBNA shall use the list only for the purposes as outlined in each contract;



• the list is the sole property of the Lifesaving Society and the provincial Branch;



• MBNA shall not sell or share the list with any other entity without the express permission of the other parties.

We do not include your name on the MBNA over 18 list if you tell us not to do so.