Privacy Policy

Policy With Respect to Customer Information

Coast Mountain Benefits Inc. recognizes the importance of privacy and recognizes the sensitivity of personal information received in the course of our administration business.

On October 12, 2004, the Federal Cabinet exempted any organization to which British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) applies from application of the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) "in respect of the collection, use and disclosure of personal information that occurs within the Province of British Columbia."

The British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) regulates the way organizations in British Columbia use, keep, secure, disclose and collect personal information. "Personal Information" means all information about an identifiable individual.

At Coast Mountain Benefits Inc. we recognize our obligation to maintain the confidentiality of our customer's information, and recognize our obligations concerning the personal information of all individuals that we collect, use or disclose in our administration business. This policy has been developed with those obligations in mind.

Why does Coast Mountain Benefits Inc. need personal information?

In order to communicate with our customers and to provide services under the private health services plans that we administer, we need to collect contact information and medical/dental information. This information will necessarily include personal information about our customers and their dependants.

What does Coast Mountain Benefits Inc. do with the information?

When we can, we collect personal information directly from the person to whom the information pertains. If necessary, we will collect personal information from other sources.

It is our policy to collect personal information about individuals in accordance with the provisions of PIPA. The Act requires us to disclose verbally or in writing

• the purpose for the collection of the information and
• on the request of the individual , the position name and title and the contact information for an officer or employee of Coast Mountain Benefits who is able to answer the individual's questions about the collection.

Our Employee Enrollment Form for Private Health Services Plan provides both of these disclosures. By signing the Employee Enrollment Form for Private Health Services Plan, our customers consent to our collection, use or disclosure of the customer's personal information in order to properly provide administrative services under the private health services plan.

When we collect, use or disclose personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to ensure that it is accurate and complete.

How will Coast Mountain Benefits Inc. keep personal information secure?

We recognize our obligation to protect the confidential information of our customers that we have collected in the course of our business. We have, therefore, made arrangements to secure against the unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction of personal information. Personal information includes paper and electronic information.

Under what circumstances will Coast Mountain Benefits Inc. release personal information?

The Act permits individuals to submit written requests to us to provide them with:

• their personal information in our custody or control;
• information about how we use their personal information under our control;
• the names of the individuals and organizations to whom we have disclosed their personal information under our control.

We will respond to requests in the time allowed by the Act and in a manner allowed by the Act. We will make a reasonable effort to assist applicants and to respond as accurately and completely as possible.

An individual does not have an absolute ability to access his or her personal information under our control. The Act provides that we must not disclose personal information when:

• disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the safety or physical or mental health of someone else;
• disclosure can reasonably be expected to cause the person who made the request immediate or grave harm as to their safety or physical or mental health;
• disclosure would reveal personal information about someone else;
• disclosure would reveal the identity of an individual who has provided personal information about someone else and the person providing the personal information does not consent to disclosure of his or her identity.

Under what circumstances will Coast Mountain Benefits Inc. release personal information?

The law allows individuals to ask Coast Mountain Benefits Inc. to correct errors or omissions in their personal information that it is in our custody or control. The request must be in writing and we will correct the information and, if it is reasonable to do so, send correction notifications to other organizations to whom we disclosed the incorrect information.