Partners In Research Privacy Statement

New federal legislation, entitled the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA"), came into force as of January 1, 2004. PIPEDA requires that "Personal Information" must be gathered with consent for a reasonable purpose, used for the limited purposes for which it was gathered, be available for the owner's inspection and correction, and be stored securely.

At Partners in Research, we respect our friends and supporters’ rights to personal privacy. It has always been our priority to safeguard any personal information we receive, and we are committed to full compliance with the Privacy Laws that relate to our charity. Our privacy policy is based on the principles that are set out in the Canadian Federal Privacy Law.

This statement is meant to describe what types of identifiable information about our contacts (“Personal Information”) we collect and use, why we do so and whether and to whom we disclose it.

This statement is also meant to describe how you can contact us with any inquiries or complaints, or to exercise your rights under the Privacy Laws, including your right to access and modify your Personal Information.

"Personal Information" is information about an identifiable individual, such as name, address, and coordinates, e.g. email address, telephone number, etc. Essentially, this is information on how to contact an individual or organization by mail, phone, fax or electronically.

What Types of Personal Information Do We Collect, and Why?

Personal Information usually comes to us in connection with a donation, request for information, or volunteer involvement with PIR, or from a third party’s relationship with PIR in its professional capacity. When people request PIR materials or order tickets to our fundraisers, we ask for their name and contact information. We may also need personal financial information such as credit card numbers, if payments are to be made to PIR for a donation or to purchase a ticket to a fundraising event.

We use Personal Information for two main purposes: (i) to provide individuals and organizations with Newsletters and information about PIR, events and activities which we believe will be of interest to them; and (ii) to solicit the support of individuals and organizations for PIR fundraising initiatives. Of course, and necessarily so, we also use Personal Information in any correspondence between PIR and said individuals and organizations.

We may also use Personal Information to inform our contacts of new educational outreach programs and services we feel may be of interest to them, or to ask their opinions.

We keep Personal Information (including archived records of all persons and organizations which have supported our charity in the past) for a reasonable period of time in order to fulfill our primary purposes, or in accordance with usual business practices. Personal Information may be kept longer if required or permitted by law.

Protecting Your Personal Information

We keep Personal Information in strict confidence. Access to our database is firewall and password protected. Correspondence containing Personal Information (originals or copies, including financial information) are secured in locked files.

Unless release is required or permitted by law, we do NOT disclose Personal Information to third parties. In particular, we will never sell, lease or trade Personal Information to third parties for any reason. We will not use Personal Information for any purpose other than those described above, without prior consent.

Any individuals and organizations who DO NOT want us to continue to use their Personal Information in connection with newsletters, fundraising-related correspondence, or any other purpose may request that all said Personal Information be removed from our files and database. Updates or corrections of any Personal Information will also be done promptly, upon request.

Individuals and organizations who want to:

• know more about our privacy policies and practices
• have access to their own Personal Information
• raise a concern about our collection, use or disclosure of Personal Information

are encouraged to contact us at their convenience.

This Policy Statement is periodically subject to change