Community Link North Simcoe
Protecting Your Privacy

Community Link North Simcoe is a not-for-profit organization whose mission is to provide programs, support and resources that promote self-sufficiency and significantly improve quality of life for members of our community.

Our programs and services include:

  • Information & Referral
  • Volunteerism
  • Housing Support Services including Food Access programs
  • Accessible Transit
  • TLC, Volunteer-based Transportation
  • Home at Last Program

In provision of our services we may collect, use and disclose personal information concerning current, past or potential clients, employees, donors and volunteers.

At Community Link North Simcoe, respecting and protecting this personal information is a priority. For this reason, steps have been taken to ensure that personal information collected by the organization is handled with care and integrity in order to protect the privacy interests of all concerned.

What is personal information?

Personal information is any information that can be linked to a specific individual. Some examples include: income source, race, age, marital status, religion, employment history, credit history, email address and assets. Community Link North Simcoe may collect personal information to establish eligibility for service, to apply for funds for clients, to obtain donor information for tax reporting purposes and to create and maintain personnel files for staff and volunteers.

What is NOT considered personal information?

Personal information does not include the name, title, address and telephone number of an individual. (Anything considered as “Phone Book Information”)

Community Link North Simcoe collects, uses and discloses personal information from clients to the extent required to serve the client fully and professionally.  Community Link North Simcoe is committed to maintaining the privacy of personal information and protecting all personal information in its possession or control.

This policy sets out the principles and procedures that are followed in meeting this commitment.

Principle # 1: Community Link North Simcoe is accountable for the personal information in its possession.  People who work/volunteer sign and agree to honour confidentiality agreements.

Principle # 2: Community Link North Simcoe identifies the purposes for which it collects personal information from clients. Information is collected only to provide the services that the client has requested.

Principle # 3: The client’s consent is obtained before collecting personal information from that client.

Such information could include:

  • personal identification numbers (e.g. Social Insurance Numbers)
  • financial information (e.g. income sources, credit ratings, household bills, etc.)
  • personnel information (e.g. employment history, criminal record checks, screening, etc.)
  • information linked to the type of client, for example:
    • medical information (with respect to safe transportation, safe placements, etc)
    • information related to race, religion, receipt of social assistance, subsidized housing (with respect to potential funding sources for assistance, including other nonprofits or charities and government entities)

Principle # 4: Community Link North Simcoe collects only the information required to fully and properly provide the service that is requested by the client.

Principle # 5: Community Link North Simcoe uses or discloses personal information only for the purposes for which it has consent. The information is retained only for as long as necessary to fulfill those purposes.

Principle # 6: Community Link North Simcoe endeavors to keep accurate, complete and up-to-date information and encourages clients to update their personal information as required.

Principle # 7: Community Link North Simcoe protects the privacy of personal information in its possession by using appropriate safeguards.

  • Physical security (e.g. restricted access, locked filing cabinets) is maintained over personal information stored in hard copy form.
  • Authentication is used to prevent unauthorized access to personal information stored electronically. 
  • Each position (staff and volunteer) has access only to the personal information necessary to carry out the responsibilities for that position.

Principle # 8: Community Link North Simcoe is open about the procedures it uses to manage personal information and it responds in a timely fashion to requests from clients about their personal information.

  • To inquire about personal information clients are asked to provide an email message or letter addressed to the Privacy Officer, Community Link North Simcoe, 67 Fourth St., Midland ON L4R 3S9, admin@communitylink.ca

Principle # 9: Clients may challenge Community Link North Simcoe’s compliance with its Privacy Policy.

  • The organization has policies and procedures to receive, investigate and respond to client complaints and questions relating to privacy.
  • To challenge compliance, clients are asked to provide an email message or letter addressed to the Privacy Officer. The Privacy Officer will ensure that a complete investigation of any concern is undertaken and will report the results of the investigation to the client, usually within 30 days.