Privacy Statement
Introduction
Jeremy Fuellbrandt Chartered Professional Accountant (the “Firm”) is committed to safeguarding the personal information entrusted to it by its clients. The Firm manages your personal information in accordance with Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act(“PIPA”) and other applicable laws. This policy outlines the principles and practices the Firm follows in protecting your personal information.
Personal information means information about an identifiable individual. This includes an individual’s name, home address and phone number, age, sex, marital or family status, an identifying number, financial information, educational history, etc.
A copy of this privacy statement is provided to any client on request.
Information Collected
The Firm requires its clients to provide it with all the relevant facts and information related to its engagements. This information may include personal information about its clients and about other individuals with whom its clients conduct commercial transactions.
Consent for Collection, Use, and Disclosure
The Firm asks for consent to collect, use or disclose client personal information, except in specific circumstances where collection, use or disclosure without consent is authorized or required by law. The Firm may assume your consent in cases where you volunteer information for an obvious purpose.
A client may withdraw consent to the use and disclosure of personal information at any time, unless the personal information is necessary for the Firm to fulfil its legal obligations. The Firm will respect your decision, but it may not be able to provide you with certain products and services if it does not have the necessary personal information.
The Firm may collect, use or disclose client personal information without consent only as authorized by law. For example, the Firm may not request consent when the collection, use or disclosure is reasonable for an investigation or legal proceeding, to collect a debt owed to our organization, in an emergency that threatens life, health or safety, or when the personal information is from a public telephone directory.
Security and Retention
In recognition of the Firm’s professional and legal obligations to protect its confidential client information, the Firm has arrangements in place to protect against unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal, or destruction of personal information.
The Firm will retain client personal information for a reasonable time period as required by the Chartered Professional Accountants of Alberta’s Rules of Professional Conduct and the terms of the Firm’s professional liability insurance policy. When no longer required, client personal information will be disposed of in a secured manner.
The Firm protects client personal information in a manner appropriate for the sensitivity of the information. It makes every reasonable effort to prevent any loss, misuse, disclosure or modification of personal information, as well as any unauthorized access to personal information.
The Firm will notify the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, without delay, of a security breach affecting personal information if it creates a real risk of significant harm to individuals.
The Firm renders client personal information non-identifying, or destroy records containing personal information once the information is no longer needed. The Firm uses appropriate security measures when destroying client personal information, including shredding paper records and permanently deleting electronic records.
Requests for Access and Correction
Individuals have the right to ask, in writing, for access to their own personal information in the custody or under the controls of the Firm as permitted under PIPA. The Firm will respond to requests as accurately and completely as reasonably possible in the time allowed by PIPA. The Firm is entitled to refuse access in certain situation such as when:
The personal information is protected by solicitor-client privilege.
Disclosure of the personal information would reveal confidential commercial information that could, in a reasonable person’s opinion, harm the competitive position of the Firm.
The personal information was collected for an investigation or legal proceeding that has not concluded, including any appeals.
The information was collected by a mediator or arbitrator in conducting a mediation or arbitration where the mediator or arbitrator was appointed under a collective agreement, a law, or by a court.
Disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the safety or physical or mental health of another individual.
Disclosure could reasonably be expected to cause immediate or grave harm to the safety or to the physical or mental health of the individual who made the request.
Disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual.
Disclosure would identify the individual who has provided personal information about another individual and that individual does not consent to disclosure of his or her identity.
Contact
If you have any questions or concerns about this privacy statement, please contact the Firm in writing at:
Jeremy Fuellbrandt
Jeremy Fuellbrandt Chartered Professional Accountant
612 Burgess Close NW
Edmonton, AB T6R 1Z7
If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you should contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta
Suite 2460, 801 - 6 Avenue, SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3W2
Phone: 403-297-2728
Toll Free: 1-888-878-4044
E-mail: generalinfo@oipc.ab.ca
Website: www.oipc.ab.ca