Website Privacy Policy
The Personal Information Protection Act (“the Act”) regulates the way private sector organizations within British Columbia collect, use, keep, secure and disclose personal information. “Personal Information” means all information about an identifiable individual. Hungerford Tomyn Lawrenson and Nichols (“HTL&N) recognizes the importance of privacy and recognizes the sensitivity of personal information received by us in the course of our legal practice.
Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
The Act deems that an individual has consented to our collection, use or disclosure of personal information about that individual if, at the time the consent is deemed to be given, the purpose would be considered obvious to a reasonable person. In such circumstances, we will collect, use or disclose personal information without obtaining a written or verbal consent to do so.
Among other things, we may collect your name and contact information when you attempt to communicate with us through this website. Personal information collected on this site may be used to respond to an inquiry, to contact you or to send brochures and/or e-mails that we think may be of interest to you. By accessing this site and providing your name and contact information to HTL&N you agree to our collection and use of your personal information as set out herein. We will only disclose your personal information if authorized by you or permitted by law, including the Act, to do so.
Security of Personal Information
We recognize our legal obligation to protect the personal information that we have gathered during the course of our practice of law. We have therefore made arrangements to secure against the unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction of personal information. However, it must be remembered that internet communications are not entirely secure. We cannot guarantee that communications to us over the internet which contain personal information will not be intercepted by others.
Requests for Access to Personal Information
The Act permits individuals to submit written requests to us to provide them with their personal information under our custody or control; information about how their personal information under our control has been and is being used by us; and the names of the individuals and organizations to whom their personal information under our control has been disclosed by us.
We will respond to requests in the time allowed by the Act and will make a reasonable effort to assist applicants and to respond as accurately and completely as reasonably possible. All requests may be subject to any fees and disbursements that the law permits us to charge.
An individual’s ability to access his or her personal information under our control is not absolute. The Act provides that we must not disclose personal information in certain circumstances and in those cases we will not. The Act further provides that we are not required to disclose personal information in certain circumstances, and in those cases we will disclose personal information only if it is prudent that we do so.
Requests for Correction of Personal Information
The law permits individuals to submit written requests to us to correct errors or omissions in their personal information that is in our custody or control.
We will:
- correct the personal information and, if reasonable to do so, send correction notifications to any other organizations to whom we disclosed the incorrect information; or
- decide not to correct the personal information, but annotate the personal information that a correction was requested but not made.
Contacting or Communicating with Us
If you have any questions with respect to our policy concerning the handling of your personal information gathered from our website, or if you wish to request access to, or correction of, your personal information under our care and control, please contact our Privacy Officer, Tim Nichols, at tnichols@htln.com.
