PERSONAL INFORMATION POLICY:

Our privacy policy describes how McPhersonClarke ensures the protection of the personal information that you entrust to us.

Please read this document clearly because we want you to know that McPhersonClarke protects your personal information and the personal information held in our custody on behalf of our client associations.  As you read you will come across certain specialized words, Industry Terms.  We have underlined these words and provided definitions to make sure everything is perfectly clear.  Simply go to the end of this document and look under our “Industry Terms, and what they mean” heading.

We view our privacy policy as if it were another McPhersonClarke service, not just a legal obligation. 

As a client/customer of McPhersonClarke or a member of a McPhersonClarke client association, you may have shared important personal information with us.  You did so we could serve you better and knowing we would honour and respect your privacy.  Your trust was not misplaced.  At McPhersonClarke, we are committed to offering you superior services, so it should come to no surprise that we are also committed to meeting the privacy standards applicable to you. 

Let’s be perfectly clear.  What is “personal information”?

“Personal information” is information about an identifiable individual, but does not include the name, or business contact information of an employee of an organization.

What information are we responsible for protecting?

McPhersonClarke is responsible for protecting your personal information in its custody or under its control, including personal information that has been transferred to, or received from a third party.

Collecting, using and disclosing your personal information.  Why do we do it?

We collect, use and disclose your personal information for one reason:  to serve you better as a client/customer or a member of a McPhersonClarke client association.  Knowing you better helps us understand your needs, communicate effectively with you, and provide you with the services and products you want.

Let’s be specific.  We collect, use and disclose your personal information to:

• Verify your identity on behalf of the client association;

• Determine your eligibility to receive a client association’s products and services;

• Compile statistics and conduct market research on behalf of a client association to understand your needs as a member of the client association;

• Distribute a client association’s information and notices;

• Compile a client association’s database and membership list;

• Collect payments as a customer of McPhersonClarke or on behalf of a McPhersonClarke client association;

• Assist the client association in gaining government funding and assistance;

• Comply with the law; or

• Comply with tax requirements.

Personal information may be collected, used or disclosed for any of these “Identified Purposes” as set above.  If your personal information is not needed for one of these Identified Purposes, we will not use or disclose it without obtaining additional consent from you.

How do we gather your personal information?

The collection, use and disclosure of your personal information depend on how you do business with us.  We may gather information from the following sources:

• From a client association to which you belong that has already compiled personal information from you;

• From a National or International body of the client association to which you belong;

• From a Chapter of the client association to which you belong;

• From you, on behalf of a client association on applications for membership, registrations to events, product and publication orders, or on other forms filled out through telephone, email, or face-to-face interviews; for example your name, address, telephone number, email address, occupation;

• From your interactions with us; for example through your payment history with McPhersonClarke directly or through your payment of your membership or event attendance of a McPhersonClarke client association.

What you are committing to when you share personal information with us.

If you provide personal information to us through any of the above mentioned sources, you do so with the understanding that your personal information may be used or disclosed for the Identified Purposes amongst us, the previously mentioned sources, or third parties.

Your consent.

Your knowledge and consent are required before we may collect, use or disclose your personal information, except in special circumstances when your consent is deemed by law or not required by law.  These circumstances may include during a fraud investigation or other investigation, an investigation by police, where your personal information is publicly available or in situations otherwise permitted by law. 

If any of the personal information that we collect is sensitive, such as financial information, we will obtain additional written or oral consent from you before collecting, using or disclosing the information. 

When collecting personal information about you from third parties for which you have provided us your consent, we will ensure that the third party is notified of your consent to our collection of your personal information.

How do you provide us with your consent?

We accept any of the following as your consent for McPhersonClarke’s existing use and future collection, use and disclosure of your personal information for the Identified Purposes:

• Your consent in writing or orally to the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information about you.

• Your receipt of this Personal Information Policy, unless you advise McPhersonClarke, either orally or in writing, that you do not agree with the terms stated in this policy, and that you wish to opt out of all or portions of it;

• Your consent as obtained and provided by you to a client association in accordance to the Personal Information Policy of the client association;

• Your express written or oral consent as obtained through an application process, registration, product order, or form of McPhersonClarke or a client association; or

• Your consent as provided by your authorized representative, such as a legal guardian or power of attorney.

In some circumstances your consent may not be required.  For instance:

• If you voluntarily provide personal information either orally or in writing if it is reasonable that a person would voluntarily provide that information;

• If the information is publicly available.

• If the collection of the information is necessary to determine if you are suitable to receive an honour, award, or similar benefit from McPhersonClarke or a client association.

• If the collection of the information is necessary in order to collect payment or debt owed to McPhersonClarke or a client association.

• If the collection of the information is necessary in order to repay to you money owed by McPhersonClarke or a client association.

• If the information is disclosed for the purpose of complying with a subpoena, warrant, or order issued or made by a court, person or body having jurisdiction to compel the production of information or with a rule of court that relates to the production of information.

• In the event that McPhersonClarke proceeds with a business transaction such as the purchase, sale, lease, transfer, merger, or amalgamation or any other type of acquisition, or disposal of, or taking of a security interest in respect of, an organization or a position of an organization or any business asset of an organization, your personal information may be shared with such prospective party to complete the transaction. 

You have the power to say no....how you can withdraw your consent.

You may withdraw your consent at any time upon reasonable notice, subject to legal or contractual restrictions.  If the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation, your consent may not be withdrawn unless agreed to by us.  Please note, however, that withdrawing your consent may affect our ability to continue to provide you with the products and services that you have or would like to receive from McPhersonClarke or the client association to which you belong.

To withdraw your consent, you should first contact the client association to which you belong, or formally belonged to, and follow the Privacy Policy and procedures of the client association.  You may also contact our Privacy Officer at the address and telephone number listed.  Unless we hear otherwise from you, you are giving to us your consent for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information as provided in this policy for the Identified Purposes.

How long do we keep your personal information?

Your personal information is retained only so long as we need it to effectively provide products and services to you and for a reasonable length of time thereafter in case we need to meet any legal or business purposes.

How do we protect your personal information?

Whether in electronic or paper-based format, McPhersonClarke maintains strict security systems to safeguard your personal information in its custody or under its control from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, or disposal.  As well, when we no longer need your personal information, we take as much care to destroy it as we do when storing it. 

In the event that we transfer your personal information to a third party for processing (for example, when printing directories, auditing client association financials, or for data processing), we contractually require any person or organization providing products or services on our behalf to protect our customer’s confidentially in a manner consistent with our own measures, or as required by law.

Your right to access your personal information.

You have a right to access your personal information that we have in our custody or under our control subject to any legal restrictions or rights of refusal of McPhersonClarke.  You also have the right to know which third parties have received your personal information from McPhersonClarke, and under what circumstances. 

How do you access your personal information?

Please make your request in writing to McPhersonClarke’s Privacy Officer, stating as specifically as possible which personal information you are requesting.

We will try to respond to such requests as soon as possible, and will advise you if for some reason we cannot respond right away.  McPhersonClarke may charge you a reasonable fee for providing access to your personal information, but only after first advising you of the approximate cost, at which time a deposit maybe requested for the preparation of your access request.

McPhersonClarke has the right or legal obligation to refuse your request for access to personal information if:

• The information is protected by any legal privilege;

• Granting access would reveal confidential commercial information;

• Doing so would reasonably be expected to threaten the life or security of another individual;

• The information was collected for purposes related to an investigation or legal proceeding;

• The disclosure of the information might result in that type of information no longer being provided to the organization when it is reasonable that that type of information would be provided;

• The information would reveal the identity of an individual who has provided an opinion about another individual and the individual providing the opinion does not consent to the disclosure of his or her identity;

• The information is generated in the course of a formal dispute resolution process;

• The information would likely reveal personal information about another individual.

Keeping your information accurate.  A priority.

McPhersonClarke strives to ensure that the personal information we have on file about you is accurate and up-to-date as necessary for the Identified Purposes for which it is to be used.  If any information needs to be updated or amended to reflect the change in your situation, we make every effort to update our records.  McPhersonClarke shall amend personal information that is materially inaccurate or incomplete and, where appropriate, shall endeavour to advise other parties having access to the information in question.

How to contact us. Easy.

Updated versions of this Personal Information Policy are posted on the McPhersonClarke website at www.mcphersonclarke.com, or you can direct any queries about this Policy to McPhersonClarke’s Privacy Officer at the telephone, email address, or mailing address listed below. 

For more information, to file a complaint, to make inquiries, or to opt out of all or parts of the Policy, please contact McPhersonClarke’s Privacy Officer;

McPhersonClarke

201, 5403 Crowchild Trail NW

Calgary, Alberta, Canada  T3B 4Z1

Telephone No. (403) 541-0911

Fax No. (403) 541-0915

Email Address  info@mcphersonclarke.com

Internet  www.mcphersonclarke.com

If you have a complaint, we want to know about it.

If you have a complaint related to this Personal Information Policy or any of our procedures, contact our Privacy Officer.  If your complaint is justified, we will take the steps necessary to resolve the issue, including amending our Policy and practices, if necessary. 

If we are not able to resolve your concern, of if you have any other concerns about McPhersonClarke’s Personal Information Policy and procedures, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or, if applicable, the provincial Privacy Commissioner.  McPhersonClarke’s Privacy Officer will provide you with this contact information upon request.

Industry Terms, and what they mean.

McPhersonClarke - The trade name used by both McPherson Management Ltd. and Clarke Association Services Inc. 

client association - An association under contractual agreement with McPhersonClarke (either McPherson Management Ltd. or Clarke Association Services Inc.) whereby McPhersonClarke provides association management and/or event/conference planning services to the association.

power of attorney - The authority given to one person or corporation to act on the behalf of another person or corporation in legal and financial matters.

third party - Person other than you who is involved in a transaction.

About this document.

This Personal Information Policy spells out the responsibility of McPhersonClarke (McPherson Management Ltd., Clarke Association Services Inc.), and your rights as a customer, former customer or supplier of McPhersonClarke, or a member or former member of a McPhersonClarke client association, regarding the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information.

McPhersonClarke includes McPherson Management Ltd. and Clarke Association Services Inc.

This Personal Information Policy is subject to any amendments, which will be posted on the McPhersonClarke website and will also be available from McPhersonClarke’s Privacy Officer by calling 1-403-541-0911.

If you are a member or a former member of a McPhersonClarke client association, you may also want to check the Privacy Policy of the association to which you are or were a member of.

Dated: January 1, 2004