Privacy Policy

Your Privacy and SOGC

The SOGC is committed to upholding the confidentiality and security of your personal information. We respect your right to privacy and have instituted policies and practices that will help ensure that your personal information is handled responsibly.

As of January 1, 2004 the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) is in full force. The obligations in PIPEDA apply to all organizations in Canada, except in British Columbia, Alberta, and Quebec, which have substantially similar provincial legislation. The SOGC Privacy Policy is guided by the 10 principles of the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information. The (CSA) Model Code is the basis for the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

In this privacy statement, we describe how we protect the personal information of our members, our stakeholders, and other third parties, such as consultants.

Personal Information

We often communicate with our members regarding SOGC activities and during the membership recruitment process. As a result, we require current contact information and email addresses. Any personal information provided to the SOGC remains confidential in accordance with the CSA Model Code. SOGC use the term “personal information” to describe most types of information such as: your name, date of birth, home address and telephone number, credit card information and identification number. Information on your business card (such as your job title, business address, business telephone and fax numbers, and e-mail address) is not typically considered personal information.

Your date of birth is collected to ensure that a life membership fee is automatically applied when you reach age 65 and or after having been in practice for 35 years.

We also keep track of educational training attained through the SOGC offered programs, and personal medical or training details (post-graduate training, maternity leave, etc.) that may affect your membership fees.

The Ten Privacy Principles

SOGC needs to collect, use and retain information to provide services. We will request from you only the personal information necessary to provide our services, and will tell you how we intend to use this information. You will have the right the refuse having your information disclosed to outside sources and or for publication purposes. To ensure that your privacy is protected, SOGC is committed to honouring the ten principles as outlined by CSA.

1. Accountability

   SOGC is structured in such a way that information is maintained primarily by certain employees. SOGC has given those employees the responsibility of addressing your privacy concerns. Should you have concerns about how your information is handled, or any questions about our privacy policy, feel free to contact us at spaquette@sogc.com. Member records are maintained by the membership department lkollesh@sogc.com.

2. Identifying Purposes

   If we intend to use or disclose your information in ways other than those described to you at the time of collection, we will ensure that you are informed and that consent is given.

   The SOGC will also use personal information for other purposes such as reviewing demographic information and/or conducting statistical analyses in order to develop services that based on the needs of our members.

   On occasion, the SOGC may release limited data to third parties such as university departments, or to members involved in research activities. Data released for this purpose may include names, business addresses and specialties, but does not include business phone/fax numbers, or email addresses. Our agreements with organizations restrict use to the approved purposes. The SOGC does not sell or rent member information to telemarketers, mailing list brokers, or pharmaceutical companies.

   The SOGC does hire on occasion external companies/individuals to provide certain administrative services that require access to member information. These services can include document management services and mailing and distribution services. In addition, the SOGC may shares statistics and non-personal information with the media, other medical organizations, government agencies, and other third parties. For example, we may publish statistics on the geographic distribution of our members. This data, however, does not allow anyone to identify member names or link to other personal information.

3. Consent

   The SOGC respects your rights to privacy. For this reason, we obtain your consent whenever we collect your personal information. Depending on the nature of the information, your consent may be collected on a form, within a letter, orally, or in some instances, consent will be implied. You have the right to withhold your consent on any request to use your personal information. To exercise your choices, or ask questions about your personal information, please contact: spaquette@sogc.com or lkollesh@sogc.com.

4. Limiting Collection

   The SOGC does not collect personal information indiscriminately and limits collection to what is necessary to carry out its mission. By collecting information limited to these purposes, SOGC helps protect you from unnecessary or accidental uses of your information. The SOGC prohibits its staff from collecting information through deception or misrepresentation.

5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention

   We do not use your information for purposes other than those to which you have consented. SOGC does not sell or trade personal information for commercial purposes.

   SOGC is committed to retaining your personal information only as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it is collected. SOGC is also committed to deleting or destroying the records containing that information when they are no longer required; this will be done in ways that will ensure your continued privacy. In order to maintain complete archives of SOGC activities, member records are retained while they are members and until they are no longer life members.

   Should SOGC require the services of third parties to handle your information, we will require them to adhere to privacy procedures that will keep your information confidential. These third parties will be given only the information necessary for performing their information-handling services.

6. Accuracy

   We are committed to ensuring that our records of your personal information are accurate, complete, and up-to-date. It is your responsibility to inform SOGC of any relevant changes in your personal information. We will take steps to ensure that you are able from time to time to verify the information in your file.

   When there is conflicting information (such as information on an educational event registration form), you will be contacted to confirm the accuracy of your personal information.

7. Safeguards

   SOGC uses appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of your personal information. These safeguards are designed to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, loss or theft, disclosure, copying, use or modification. Your records are accessible only to staff who have been given the authority to access them and only as is necessary to provide services to you. Physical (such as building alarm systems, perimeter fences, locked filing cabinets) and technological risk (firewalls, passwords for all users in order to gain access to computers, separate passwords for access to the database, firewalls, and software programs that detect intrusion attempts and viruses) management processes are in place to protect your information.

   All employees of the SOGC are familiar with the procedures that must be taken to safeguard your information. Protecting its confidentiality is specified in SOGC employment agreements and is confirmed in writing.

   The SOGC is committed to ensuring the protection of your personal information. Security measures are in place to protect our building, the computer systems, and your files from unauthorized access and use. The safeguards used vary, and depend on the sensitivity of the information being protected; that is, a higher level of protection is used to safeguard more sensitive information.

8. Openness

   So that you can be confident that SOGC is handling your personal information appropriately, SOGC will make information about its policies and practices concerning management of personal information readily available.

9. Individual Access

   If at any time you have a question about our records containing your personal information, we will do our best to answer it. You have the right to be told about the kind of personal information SOGC maintains, how it is used, and with whom it is shared. Incorrect information will be promptly corrected upon your request. You can help us maintain your record up to date by keeping us informed of any modifications such as address changes or legal name changes. Most of the information is in electronic format, securely stored in the SOGC database, or in a hard copy file, stored in a restricted area.

   If you would like to view this information, simply forward a signed written request to the Membership and Subscription Services Coordinator. You will be required to provide sufficient information to allow us to verify your identity, e.g. your member Identification Number.

10. Addressing Comments and Concerns

    An important measure of SOGC’s compliance with the ten (10) privacy principles is your perception of our practices and procedures. We welcome your comments and suggestions concerning this Privacy Policy Statement and will respond to any concerns you may have about its application. Please visit our Web site at www.sogc.org for contact information and links to additional privacy related materials.

    Updating your information is easy. Each year in January, the SOGC sends you a "Membership Information Update Form." This form provides you with a summary of the information we have in your file. Any errors or omissions to your information can be marked directly on the form and returned to the SOGC.

    Alternatively, changes can be made at any time of the year by contacting:

    Membership and Subscription Services Coordinator
    The Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecology of Canada
    780 Echo Drive
    Ottawa ON K1S 5R7
    1-800-561-2416 or 613-730-4192
    Fax: 613-730-4314
    Email: lkollesh@sogc.com

This document has been adapted from the Privacy Policy of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.