RLB LLP Privacy and Protection Policy

THE ACCOUNTING FIRM OF RLB LLP knows how important your privacy is to you. Our commitment to our clients and others is to respect and protect the privacy and confidentiality of personal and business information that is entrusted to us in the course of rendering services to our clients. As Chartered Accountants we are governed by the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario Rules of Professional Conduct which have always and will continue to protect the privacy and confidentiality of your personal information.
 
For these reasons, we have created the following privacy policy.  It confirms our commitment to protecting your privacy and maintaining the trust that you have placed in our accounting firm. In this privacy policy we explain how we collect and use personal information and your rights related to its collection and use.
 
1. ACCOUNTABILITY
 
Our firm is responsible for the personal information collected and maintained by it and which is under its control. In order to fulfill this responsibility:
  1. We have designated an official to be responsible for the day-to-day care and control of personal information; 
  2. Our firm has taken the following measures to ensure compliance with this Privacy Policy:
  1. developed procedures to protect personal information;
  2. developed procedures to receive and respond to complaints and inquiries;
  3. trained our staff about our policies and practices respecting personal information; and
  4. developed and distributed information to our staff and the general public explaining our policies and procedures respecting personal information.

2. OUR PURPOSE FOR COLLECTING PERSONAL INFORMATION
 
Our firm collects personal information for the following limited purposes:
  1. To assist us in providing services pertaining to the preparation of your financial statements;
  2. For the preparation of your taxation and other returns as required for various governmental and other regulatory purposes;
  3. To advise you on personal financial planning, retirement and succession planning, and other business and personal advisory services;
  4. To understand your needs and determine the suitability of other services we may be able to offer you; and
  5. To share, as reasonably required, for the purposes stated above, within our group of businesses.

3. CONSENT
 
Our firm is committed to ensuring that you are aware of how your personal information is used. We will not collect, use, or disclose your personal information without your consent. By providing us with your personal information for the purposes listed above, you consent to our collection and use of the information for those purposes. With respect to personal information that you provide for the preparation of your tax and other returns, you consent to our transmitting such personal information to the appropriate government or regulatory authorities.
 
If we wish to collect your personal information for purposes other than as stated above, we may request that you consent, verbally or in writing, to such collection. If we wish to use personal information that we have already collected, for a purpose other than as stated above, then we will first seek your consent to such use.
 
We may periodically request written confirmation from you to ensure that the personal information collected and maintained by us is up-to-date and accurate. We also may ensure that we have your continuing consent to the use and retention of your personal information.
 
You have the right to refuse or withdraw your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information at any time. In some cases such refusal or withdrawal may prohibit or adversely affect the completion of our professional engagement. We will advise you if that is the case.
 
Our firm will disclose your personal information, for other than the purposes stated above, only if required to do so by law. We will notify you of any such disclosure and provide you with the reason that obligates us to release the personal information.
 
4. LIMITING COLLECTION
 
Our firm restricts the collection of personal information only to that information that is necessary for the limited purposes noted above. We are committed to collecting personal information in a fair, open and lawful manner.
 
For this reason, our firm does not indiscriminately collect personal information. We collect personal information to fulfill the above-noted purposes only, and for no other purposes.
 
5. LIMITING USE, DISCLOSURE AND RETENTION

Our firm does not use personal information for purposes other than those for which it was originally collected, unless it has first obtained the consent of the person from whom such information was received. We retain personal information only for as long as it is needed and only for the fulfillment of the purposes for which it was originally collected.

6. ACCURACY
 
Our firm is committed to maintaining accurate, complete and up-to-date personal information. If you are aware of changes to the personal information you have given to us, simply inform us of the changes and we will update our records accordingly.
 
You may check and correct your personal information by contacting our firm and the official assigned to oversee the day-to-day care and control of personal information by writing or emailing your request to the address set out in Appendix 1 below.
 
7. SAFEGUARDS
 
Our firm has developed and implemented security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the personal information kept by us. These security safeguards include:
 
  1. Physical security measures, such as locked cabinet storage and restricted access to areas where personal information is stored; and
  2. Internal employee security measures, including restricted computer access, employee confidentiality agreements, and limited access to where personal information is stored;
  3. We have and will continue to take every safeguard to protect the confidentiality of electronically transferred personal information, but may not guarantee absolute assurance that it will not be compromised during transmission.

Each and every one of our employees, partners and associates is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of all personal information to which they have access. Our employees are trained to know and respect our privacy policy, and compliance with our policies and procedures for protecting personal information is a condition of their employment.
 
Any personal information kept by us is disposed of or destroyed once it is no longer needed to meet the purposes for which it was collected.
 
8. OPENNESS
 
Our firm makes information about its policies and practices respecting the collection and maintenance of personal information available to all interested parties.
 
We are pleased to answer any questions that you may have regarding the collection and maintenance of personal information. Please forward any questions in writing or email to the address set out in Appendix 1 below.
 
9. INDIVIDUAL ACCESS
 
You can request access to your personal information held by us. However, we reserve the right to confirm the identity of the person seeking access to personal information before complying with any access requests. Please forward your access request in writing or email to the address set out in Appendix 1 below.
 
Upon request, we will inform you if we have any of your personal information in our care and control, as well as providing you with the details of such personal information. In responding to your request, our firm may charge you a reasonable fee.
 
We are also committed to ensuring that the personal information that is collected and maintained by us is correct, accurate and complete.
 
10. CHALLENGING COMPLIANCE
 
Our firm has designated an official who is responsible for the day-to-day care and control of personal information. This official will receive and respond to all information requests regarding our privacy policies or about your personal information under our care and control. Equally, if you wish to be added or removed from any of the lists RLB LLP maintains, please write or email your request to this official.
 
We investigate all complaints received by us and will respond in writing in a timely manner. If any complaint is found to be justified, then we will take appropriate measures to resolve the matter.
 
APPENDIX 1
 
HOW TO ADD, REMOVE OR AMEND YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
 
If, at any time, you wish to amend your personal information with us or remove your name from our mailing, or newsletter mailing lists, simply inform us in writing at either of the addresses below or by e-mail at privacyofficer@rlb.ca.
 
 
15 Lewis Road                                686 St. David Street North          151 Frobisher Drive, Suite C111
Guelph, Ontario                                Fergus, Ontario                             Waterloo, Ontario
N1H 1E9                                        N1M 2K8                                      N2V 2C9
Tel:  (519) 822-9933                          Tel:  (519) 843-1320                    Tel:  (519) 884-4445
Fax: (519) 822-9212                          Fax: (519) 843-3289                    Fax: (519) 884-3858      
TOLL FREE: 1-866-822-9992