|
Our Commitment to Protecting Your Privacy
Protecting
the privacy of personal information is fundamental to the
way we do business at McGowan Insurance Services Ltd. Having
practices and procedures in place to maintain the confidentiality
of our clients is critical. As part of our ongoing efforts
to ensure that individual rights are fully respected, we maintain
the following Privacy Policy as part of our best practices.
Collection
of Personal Information
McGowan Insurance Services collects information of a personal
nature in order to offer our clients individual and group
insurance services. This includes collecting information to
understand and meet individual and employer needs and to determine
eligibility for various insurance products and services.
The personal
information that we collect can include an individual’s
name, personal contact information, date of birth, marital
status, gender, health and medical information, employment
and financial information, driving record, previous insurance
and claims information and other information required to provide
our services. We take ongoing measures to keep this information
accurate, up-to-date and current as we receive changes.
In addition,
we may obtain or disclose personal information from and to
various third parties when serving an individual’s insurance
needs. Third parties that we communicate with include: insurance
companies, employers, other brokers or intermediaries, credit
agencies, motor vehicle and driver licensing authorities,
legal/adjusting/medical professionals and/or financial institutions.
We do not sell personal information to third parties.
Nor do we share customer information with organizations that
would use it to contact you about their products or services,
unless your consent is given.
How
We Use and Disclose Personal Information
The personal information that we collect is essential to the
products and services that we offer. Some of the common reasons
that we collect, use or disclose personal information, include
but are not limited to:
- Acquiring,
amending or renewing insurance services and products
- Assessing
or underwriting a client’s ongoing needs
- Administering
and servicing a group or individual plan
- Verifying
the accuracy of personal information of all insured individuals
- Determining
and facilitating the payment of premiums, fees and/or taxes
- Evaluating
and/or paying claims
- Analyzing
business results and/or compiling statistics
- Detecting,
investigating and preventing fraud or other illegal activities
- Complying
with the law or requests made by law enforcement agencies
or regulators
We may
also use personal information for the purpose of marketing
complimentary services that we feel that our clients might
benefit from. Also, to stay in touch with our customers and
to keep them up-to-date with the latest industry news, we
send our clients and associates a bi-monthly e-news bulletin
with links to our website. At any time, a client can opt to
be removed from the mailing.
Limiting
Collection, Use, Disclosure, Safeguards and Retention
We only collect, use and disclose personal information that
is required for purposes that we have identified or that are
required by law. The third party organizations that we share
personal information with are obligated by law to take steps
to protect and safeguard the information.
We take
appropriate steps to ensure that adequate safeguards are in
place to protect the personal information which we obtain.
We have established physical and system safeguards, along
with the proper processes to protect customer information
from unauthorized access or use.
We only
keep personal information on file as long as it is needed
to effectively provide our services and for a reasonable period
of time thereafter to meet any potential obligations or legal
or government requirements.
Consent
Your consent for the collection, use and disclosure of personal
information may be expressed or implied. Expressed consent
can be verbal or written. Consent can be implied or inferred
from certain actions. For example, if an individual obtains
insurance for family members, employees or anyone else they
represent, we assume that the individual has received consent
from them even though they were not present during the application
or renewal process.
You may
withdraw your consent at any time by contacting our Privacy
Officer. Please note that this is subject to legal or contractual
obligations and on providing McGowan Insurance Services Ltd.
with reasonable written notice. It is important to note that
withdrawing consent may prevent us from providing an individual
with the requested service and products.
Access
to Your Personal Information
An individual has the right to request access, review and
if applicable, correct the personal information held by us.
There are some situations where we may not be able to provide
access to personal information. Exceptions may include information
that contains references to other individuals; contains confidential
commercial information, where such information cannot be removed
from the record; or information that was collected for purposes
related to the detection and prevention of fraud. In response
to your request we will advise you if we are unable to provide
the information.
Requests
for access to personal information can be made with proof
of identification, along with your request in writing to the
address listed in the “How to Reach Us” section.
There
is no charge for verifying or correcting personal information.
Depending on the circumstances, there may be a minimal charge
for personal information that you request. We would inform
you in advance if this is the case.
How
to Reach Us
If you have an inquiry about McGowan Insurance Services Ltd.’s
privacy practices, want access to your information or would
like to request changes to your personal information on file,
e-mail to: mcgowan@bellnet.ca
or mail to:
Privacy
Officer
McGowan Insurance Services Limited
P.O. Box 86051
Oakville, ON
L6H 5V6
From time
to time we may review and update our Privacy Policy as appropriate.
Please continue to reference our website for the latest version
of our policy.
If you
would like more information on the federal privacy laws or
would like to report concerns about our Privacy Policy, you
may contact the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at 1-800-282-1376
or go to www.privcom.gc.ca. |
