Privacy and Data Protection Policy
Colonial Adjusting & Appraisal Services is committed to protecting and keeping private your personal information. Our Privacy & Data Protection Policy sets out principles on the collection, protection, use and disclosure of personal information. All employees are required to comply with the Privacy & Data Protection Policy in the execution of their daily activities. Personal Information is collected by Colonial Adjusting & Appraisal Services and its representatives for the purposes of communicating with you, investigating and settling claims, performing administrative tasks such as accounting and information system activities, reporting to regulatory or industry entities, training employees and monitoring for quality assurance, and acting as required or authorized by law.
At Colonial Adjusting, we identify the rationale for collecting the personal information at or prior to its actual collection. Our contacts in turn must expressly consent to its collection, or consent may be implied by their actions. It’s our promise to ensure that the personal information collected on our customers is only used for the purpose for which it was originally intended. We take our commitment to protecting personal information seriously.
Privacy in Canada
Federal Legislation: Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act
The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) sets standards and regulations governing the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by private sector organizations.
This law impacts the way private corporations, federal agencies, not-for-profit organizations, and associations handle personal information. At the same time, it clearly establishes a code of practices to ensure that the personal information of Canadians is handled respectfully and privately.
Definition of Personal Information
“Personal Information” is defined as information about an identifiable individual, but does not include the name, title or business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization. This is a very broad definition and may encompass most types of information held such as race, medical, criminal, employment, and financial history. The legislation only applies to information collected, used, or disclosed in the course of commercial activities.
The types of personal information that we may collect in order to fulfill the purposes identified in principle two of this policy include an individual's address, telephone number, date of birth, family status, marital status, occupation, medical and health records, income, policy number and vehicle identity number.
However, Personal Information does not include certain prescribed sources of public information such as Personal Information consisting of the name, address and telephone number of a subscriber that appears in a telephone directory that is available to the public, where the subscriber can refuse to have the Personal Information appear in the directory. Personal information including the name, title, address and telephone number of the individual that appears in a professional or business directory, listing or notice, that is available to the public, where the collection use and disclosure of the Personal Information relates directly to the purpose for which the information appears in the directory, listing or notice. Personal Information that appears in a registry collected under statutory authority and to which a right of public access is authorized by law, where the collection, use and disclosure of the Personal Information relate directly to the purpose for which the information appears in the registry. Personal Information that appears in a record or document of a judicial or quasi-judicial body, that is available to the public, where the collection and disclosure of the Personal Information relates directly to the purpose for which the information appears in the record or document. Personal Information that appears in a publication, including a magazine, book or newspaper, in printed or electronic form, that is available to the public, where the individual has provided the information.
Colonial Adjusting’s Privacy & Data Protection Policy: the ten principles
PRINCIPLE ONE: Accountability
Colonial Adjusting is responsible for Personal Information under its possession, custody or control and a designated Privacy Officer is accountable for Colonial Adjusting’s compliance to the Privacy Policy and Procedures.
We are responsible for all Personal Information under our control, whether supplied to us directly by you or by a third party, or that we have provided to a third party for processing. We have established policies and procedures to comply with our Privacy Policy and have designated a Privacy Officer who is responsible for ensuring we comply with privacy legislation. Please see below to contact our Privacy Officer regarding your specific privacy questions or concerns.
PRINCIPLE TWO: Identifying Purposes
Colonial Adjusting shall inform individuals of the purposes for which Personal Information is collected at or before the time the information is collected.
Colonial Adjusting shall collect your Personal Information from, but not limited to, government agencies, brokers, agents, insurers, other insurance reporting or data sharing agencies, credit bureaus and directly from you to communicate with you, investigate and settle claims, detect and prevent fraud, analyze business results, compile statistics, perform administrative tasks such as accounting and information system, report to regulatory or industry entities, train employees and monitor for quality assurance, and act as required or as authorized by law.
If we require your Personal Information for any purpose other than as identified above, Colonial Adjusting will seek your consent prior to using it.
PRINCIPLE THREE: Consent
Colonial Adjusting requires the knowledge and consent of the individuals for the collection, use, or disclosure of their Personal Information, except in certain circumstances where consent is not required.
General
We investigate and settle claims with the understanding that, in addition to providing your consent, you have obtained the consent from all persons named in your insurance policy for the collection, use and disclosure of their Personal Information, for the purposes outlined above.
Obtaining Consent
You can provide consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your Personal Information expressly or consent may be implied by your actions.
Express consent can be given orally or in writing. It is given by agreement or action on the part of the customer, to acquire or accept a product or service. For example, express oral consent can be given over the telephone, or express written consent can be given by signing an application form or an agreement which may relate to Personal Information.
Express consent by an action can be given by clicking an accept button on a computer screen. If oral express consent is given, Colonial Adjusting and/or intermediaries will document and/or record the conversation, specifically the name, date, and details of the conversation in either hard or soft copy within the appropriate policy or claim file documentation in order that it may be easily located and accessed should this be necessary.
Implied consent can be inferred from the relationship between the parties or from the nature of the dealings between the parties. For example, when you give Personal Information to an adjuster for the purpose of adjusting a claim, it is reasonable to infer that there is implied consent to the disclosure of that information to the adjuster to investigate and settle the claim.
When your Personal Information is highly sensitive, for example medical reports or financial records such as income tax returns, we obtain your express written consent before using it.
In addition, when you make changes to your policy or when your policy automatically renews, you are agreeing that any consent you have previously provided to us relative to your policy remains in effect unless the consent is otherwise withdrawn.
Who Can Give Consent
Consent may be given by the individual or by an authorized representative (such as a person having power of attorney, or a legal guardian). Colonial Adjusting will verify authorization by requesting identification of the representative, the reason for representation, and if applicable, the approval of representation by the applicable individual.
When consent is not required:
Knowledge and consent are not required in many circumstances under the law for the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information, such as:
Where it would compromise the availability or accuracy of the Personal Information relating to the breach of an agreement or the contravention of any law, including the detection and prevention of fraud;
For compliance with subpoenas, search warrants, and other court or government orders;
When Personal Information is transferred to lawyers retained by Colonial Adjusting pursuant to the contractual obligation in the insurance policy to defend legal actions against the insured;
When, under exceptional circumstances, Colonial Adjusting may, under a public requirement, disclose Personal Information to appropriate authorities in matters of significant public interest;
Where the individual is a minor, seriously ill, or mentally incapacitated, and seeking consent is impossible or inappropriate;
Where the Personal Information is publicly available and is specified by the regulations; and When required by law.
Withdrawing your consent:
Subject to certain legal and contractual restrictions and reasonable notice, you may refuse or withdraw consent to the collection, use or disclosure of Personal Information at any time by notifying our Privacy Officer in writing. However, you should be aware that withdrawing your consent may affect our ability to respond to your insurance needs.
PRINCIPLE FOUR: Limiting Collection
Colonial Adjusting shall only collect Personal Information that is necessary for the Identified Purposes mentioned above and such information shall be collected by fair and lawful means.
We only collect information that we require to do business with you. We will collect it openly, fairly and lawfully.
PRINCIPLE FIVE: Limiting use, disclosure and retention
Colonial Adjusting shall not use or disclose Personal Information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required or permitted by law. Colonial Adjusting shall only retain Personal Information as long as necessary for the fulfillment of such purposes.
General
There are situations specific to Property and Casualty insurance claims where we will use, disclose and retain Personal Information as dictated by prudent insurance practices. Examples of these situations include:
Information services: disclosure for underwriting, claims classification and rating purposes;
Insurance intermediaries: brokers and agents. We do not use or disclose your Personal Information for purposes not identified in Principle Two unless we have your consent or it is required by law.
We will keep your information only for as long as it is needed.
Disclosure within Colonial Adjusting
Colonial Adjusting and the insurers we handle claims for may internally share your personal information for the purposes identified in this policy with its Canadian affiliates or other related companies outside of Canada. Only such companies with legitimate business reasons will have access to your Personal Information and must ensure that Personal Information in their possession is securely held.
Disclosure to Third Parties
We may disclose your Personal Information to: third parties, which include brokers, agents, private investigators, and adjusters. Third parties are also subject to PIPEDA and other applicable privacy legislation. Only those companies or individuals who are authorized, based on their need to carry out work for the purposes identified in Principle Two, can have Personal Information disclosed to them. Furthermore, should Colonial Adjusting and/or any of the insurer companies we handle claims for become involved in any business transaction including purchase or sale, merger or amalgamation or a financing arrangement, pertaining to any of its business assets, your Personal Information may need to be shared with applicable third parties to complete such a transaction.
Retention Periods
The retention periods for Personal Information are consistent with Colonial Adjusting’s Data Destruction Policy, which in turn meets provincial and federal legislation requirements. Your Personal Information will only be retained for as long as necessary for Colonial Adjusting to serve you or as long as may be required for legal purposes. As soon as any of the Personal Information reaches its maximum retention period, it is either destroyed, made anonymous, or archived from operating systems to a secured, limited access site.
Personal Information that still serves an identified purpose may be retained indefinitely provided that it is archived outside of the regular operating environment with more restrictive accessibility.
PRINCIPLE SIX: Accuracy
Colonial Adjusting shall ensure that Personal Information is as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is deemed necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.
We will make sure to keep your Personal Information sufficiently accurate, complete, and up-to-date, to minimize the possibility that inappropriate information may be used to make a decision about you.
If Colonial Adjusting has any doubt about your Personal Information being accurate, complete and/or up-to-date, given that there is a business need, you may be contacted to verify the information currently available, and amendments shall be made where necessary.
If we are unable to verify your Personal Information or contact you, we may be limited in our ability to service your insurance needs.
PRINCIPLE SEVEN: Safeguards
Colonial Adjusting shall protect Personal Information by establishing and operating security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, which is held, and to prevent any unauthorized activity relative to the information.
Responsibility for safeguarding:
Colonial Adjusting is responsible for safeguarding your Personal Information from loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification, regardless of the format in which it is stored.
Methods of Safeguarding
The nature of the safeguards will vary depending on sensitivity, amount, distribution, format and method of storage of the Personal Information. In general, the following are observed:
Personal Information is not left unattended out in the open;
Access to Personal Information is only permitted when a legitimate business need exists;
Personal Information is not photocopied, modified, disclosed, or destroyed without the specific consent and order of the responsible employee;
When information is supplied to a third party, only necessary information is released from a sensitive file, rather than the complete file;
No unescorted individual is given access to floors where sensitive information is retained;
Passwords are changed on a periodic basis, and are not shared under any circumstances;
Sensitive files are segregated and only authorized individuals allowed access;
All mail received after hours is secured in the mail and supply area;
Information of a sensitive nature is transferred to third parties by secure means; and Offsite information is stored in a secure location.
Colonial Adjusting employees are required to be diligent about safeguarding Personal Information. We take particular care with sensitive Personal Information such as:
Medical/hospital records;
Employment records;
Income tax returns;
Criminal records; and
Financial records.
Information Received from Third Parties
Colonial Adjusting employees adhere to the same diligence for Personal Information received from outside Colonial Adjusting and adhere to any higher standard of third parties if so contracted.
Destruction of Information
All Personal Information that is no longer required for its original purpose and has been retained for the minimum required term shall be destroyed, erased, made anonymous, or archived to the secure limited access site.
PRINCIPLE EIGHT: Openness
Colonial Adjusting shall make available to individuals upon receipt of a written request, specific information about its policies and practices relating to the management of Personal Information and its complaints handling process.
Upon request, Colonial Adjusting will provide an explanation of its Policy with respect to the management of Personal Information. You can contact our Privacy Officer with any inquiries or complaints or if you require further information.
PRINCIPLE NINE: Customer Access
Colonial Adjusting shall, upon the receipt of a written request from individuals, inform them of the existence, use, and disclosure of any Personal Information about them, and they shall be given access to such information except as may be limited by law. Colonial Adjusting shall amend Personal Information as deemed appropriate to ensure continued accuracy.
Requests for disclosure must be made in writing, by fax, email, or letter. We respond to all requests within 30 days.
It is important to verify that the individual requesting information is in fact the person in question. For
this reason, we demand that all inquiries be in writing and that our responses, also in writing are sent to
the address we have on file. Any alternative handling will require mandatory validation of the
requestor’s identity and address information.
Colonial Adjusting will assist any individual who needs help in preparing the request. Any responses shall be provided in an understandable manner with adequate explanation of abbreviations or codes. Upon request, Colonial Adjusting will provide access to Personal Information in an alternative format for individuals with sensory disabilities, if conversion to an alternate format is reasonable and necessary.
Timeframe for Responding to the Request
Reponses shall be made within 30 days of receipt of the request. However, if an extension is required, a notice of extension for up to an additional 30 days will be sent to you, within 30 days of receipt of the request, stating the reasons for the extension, the new time limit and explaining your right to complain to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, or if applicable, the Provincial Privacy Commissioner about the extension.
Refusal of Request for Disclosure
If a request for disclosure is denied, we will provide an explanation. The individual will be informed that he/she can challenge the denial of the request through Colonial Adjusting's Privacy Officer via the Complaints Handling Process [see Principle Ten: Challenging Compliance] or the Federal or Provincial Privacy Commissioner.
Examples of acceptable reasons for non-disclosure include:
Prohibitive cost
Personal Information that contains information about other individuals that cannot be severed
Legal and security litigation, or commercial proprietary reasons
Disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the life or security of another individual
Amending Details
If you successfully demonstrate the inaccuracy or incompleteness of Personal Information, Colonial Adjusting will amend the information, as required (correction, deletion, addition). Where appropriate, the amended information shall be transmitted to applicable third parties having access to the information in question.
Maintenance of Records
All amendments resulting from this process are formally recorded with an explanation given, if necessary.
When a challenge is not resolved to the satisfaction of the individual, Colonial Adjusting shall record the substance of the unresolved challenge. When appropriate, the existence of the unresolved challenge shall be transmitted to third parties having access to the information in question.
Personal Information that is the subject of a request or has been used to make a decision about an individual shall be retained as long as is necessary to allow the individual to exhaust any recourse that they may have under the applicable privacy legislation.
Cost of the Disclosure
We may charge you for providing access to your information but only after first advising you of the approximate cost.
PRINCIPLE TEN: Challenging Compliance
Colonial Adjusting shall provide a means for individuals to challenge compliance with the above with Colonial Adjusting’s Privacy Officer.
Recognizing and Recording a Complaint or Inquiry
If you feel at any time that we are not complying with the principles set out in our Privacy Policy, you may contact our Privacy Officer in writing.
For an inquiry/complaint on privacy that is received via telephone: The Privacy Officer’s address information is provided along with advice to the individual to put his/her inquiry/complaint in writing to our Privacy Officer.
The Privacy Officer or designate receives all inquiries and complaints, coordinates responses, ensures responses meet Privacy requirements, and ensures that responses are timely.
Investigating
All Privacy complaints received are investigated. If we find a complaint is justified, Colonial Adjusting attempts to resolve it. If necessary, we modify our policies and procedures to ensure that other individuals will not experience the same concerns.
The investigation will involve a review of the facts in order to understand your complaint by:
Referring to the individual file (information both in the database and on paper);
Referencing the Privacy Policy;
Discussion with staff member(s) who were dealing with the individual/file; and
Any other sources or documentation that may provide relevant information.
Acknowledging and Responding
If the inquiry/complaint cannot be resolved immediately, we will advise you that your inquiry/complaint is being reviewed and when you can expect an answer. If you have any concerns about our policy or treatment of your Personal Information and we have not been able to resolve it, you will be advised to contact the office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, or if applicable, the Provincial Privacy Commissioner. Our Privacy Officer will provide this contact information on request.
Follow up
The Privacy Officer or designate will, if warranted and appropriate, contact you to verify whether or not the matter has been resolved satisfactorily.
If the solution means that Colonial Adjusting needs to alter its practices and procedures, then the Privacy Officer or designate is responsible for ensuring such changes are made.
Monitoring of Privacy Complaint Handling Procedures
On a periodic basis, the Privacy Officer or designate will review the complaints process to ensure a fair, appropriate, and prompt process is in place.
Updates to our Policy
Colonial Adjusting is always considering opportunities to improve or update communication to its customers, streamline its business, but at all times be compliant with the law. Our Privacy Policy as a result, is not necessarily a static document. Colonial Adjusting, therefore, reserves the right to alter the Privacy Policy from time to time. Such changes will be effective 10 days following the change. For the most up to date information, please contact our Privacy Officer.
How to contact Colonial Adjusting's Privacy Officer
Lisa Taylor, Privacy Officer
In writing: PO Box 13366, St. John’s, NL A1B 4B7
By Phone: 709-757-0255 ext. 311
By Fax: 709-757-0260
By email: caa@colonialadjusting.com
How to contact Colonial Adjusting's Chief Information Officer
Michael King, Data Protection Manager
In writing: PO Box 13366, St. John’s, NL A1B 4B7
By Phone: 709-757-0255 ext. 312
By Fax: 709-757-0260
By email: caa@colonialadjusting.com