Privacy Policy

The personal information Protection Act governing the collection, use and disclosure of personal information applies to all charitable organizations effective January 1, 2004. Harmony Foundation has adopted the following Privacy Policy in compliance with the Act;

Our Commitment

Harmony Foundation remains committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information provided to us by employees, members, directors, volunteers, customers, donors and others who are involved with our work. We value the trust of those we deal with, and of the public, and treat the personal information shared with us with respect. Anyone who provides such information can rest assured that it will be appropriately protected. Any use of this information is subject to consent. We do not share or use personal information provided to us for purposes beyond those for which it was collected. Any subsequent use would require prior consent.

Defining Personal Information

Personal information is any information that can be used to distinguish, identify or contact a specific individual. This information can include an individual’s private opinions or beliefs, as well as facts about, or related to, the individual. Business and professional contact information as well as certain publicly available information, such as names, addresses and telephone numbers as published in telephone directories, is not considered personal information. Where home contact information is used by an individual as business contact information and provided as such it is not subject to protection as personal information.

Privacy Practices

Personal information gathered by Harmony Foundation is kept in confidence. When persons acting on behalf of the Foundation are authorized to access personal information such access is based only on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained. The information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose for which it was gathered. We endeavour to ensure the integrity of this information and to prevent its being lost. We collect, use and disclose personal information only as appropriate to our work, it is used only for the purposes for which it was collected and to comply with any laws which may apply. We do not sell, trade or transfer mailing lists. We do not share or use personal information provided to us for purposes beyond those for which it was explicitly collected.

Website and Electronic Commerce

At this time we do not engage in electronic commerce. However, should we do so in the future we would endeavour to use password protocols and encryption software to protect personal and other information we receive when a product or service is requested and/or paid for online.

Donor Recognition

We routinely publish the names of donors in our publications and reports and on our website. Anyone who chooses this option simply needs to write to the Foundation at the postal or email address shown below. We do not exchange donor mailing lists with other organizations. The release or publication of personal donor information will be done only with permission from the donor. If a donor organization does not wish for this information to be published we would comply with their wishes.

Sharing Personally Identifiable Information

We only share personally identifiable information with third parties if required to do so by law or when the person authorizes us to share it; for example to process a donation or book purchase, e.g. a credit card transaction, or for a reason specified in their request, e.g. for a mortgage application, or insurance claim. All such requests must be written, signed and dated.

Updating of Privacy Policy

We will review our privacy practices periodically, and update our policy as the need arises.

Contact Information

Question, concerns or complaints relating to the Foundation’s privacy policy on the treatment of personal information should be e-mailed to: harmony@islandnet.com or mailed to:

Attention: Privacy Officer
Harmony Foundation of Canada
PO Box 50022
Unit 15-1594 Fairfield Road
Victoria, B.C. V8S 1G1

Further information on privacy and your rights in regard to your personal information may be found on the website of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.privcom.gc.ca.

Effective January 01, 2004