Privacy Policy

Introduction

The Saskatchewan College of Opticians (the “SCO”) recognizes, and respects users’ need for privacy and security while they visit the College website. The Online Privacy and Security Policy (“the Policy”) governs information collected through this website and not information collected by other means unless otherwise noted. Your privacy is important to the SCO and that is why we are committed to ensuring the privacy of your personal information.

Maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality and security of the personal information collected from members, applicants, public council representatives, and our employees is our commitment. As the SCO maintains the following websites, the policy is applicable to:

SCO - Home - Saskatchewan College of Opticians (scoptic.ca)

SCO – test.scoptic.ca

These sites collectively comprise the SCO website, (“the Website”).

All users of the website agree that access to and use of the website is subject to the following terms and conditions and other applicable laws. If you do not agree to these terms and conditions, please do not use the website.

Content Disclaimer

While the SCO makes every effort to ensure that all information posted on the website is accurate and complete, the SCO does not represent or guarantee it, and accepts no liability or obligation for accuracy of completeness. The SCO reserves the right to update the information as necessary without notice.

Please check the SCO website from time to time for changes or updated information.

We encourage you to read the privacy policies of all websites you visit, especially if you provide any personal information to them.

Copyright

The entire content of the website, including logos, except where otherwise indicated, is the property of the Saskatchewan College of Opticians. Permission isgranted for SCO members to copy and print portions of this site provided the source is appropriately indicated and you exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced. All other use of the content of this site, is prohibited unless authorized in writing by the SCO.

If you have any questions regarding the content of the website or its terms of use, please contact:

office@scoptic.ca

Accountability

The SCO is committed to protecting all the personal information that is shared with us. The PIPEDA is federal legislation intended to protect the individual’s submitted information to the SCO.

The SCO has designated one person with the role and responsibilities of a Privacy Officer. The Privacy Officer is responsible for the SCO’s compliance with applicable legislation.

Terms and Conditions

By visiting the Website, you are accepting, without modification, this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to any portion of this privacy policy, please exit the Website immediately.

The SCO reserves the right to change, modify, add, or delete the terms of our Privacy Policy from time to time without further notice. Your continued use of the website following the posting of changes to this Privacy Policy means you agree to the updated terms.

If we make material changes to this Privacy Policy, we will post the changes on this page and will indicate at the top of this page the date these terms were last revised. If we intend to apply the modifications or amendments to this Privacy Policy retroactively, we will provide you with notice of the modifications and amendments.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or do not see your concerns addressed here, please contact us using the Privacy Officer contact information provided in the Contact Us section below.

Privacy

When a user visits the website, the web server automatically collects a limited amount of information essential for the operation and security of the website. Some of this information, for example the browser type you are searching from, does not identify the user, while other information, such as an IP address may identify the user.

Beyond landing on the website, there are instances where a user can elect to provide the SCO with personal information. An example of this is when a user fills out a feedback or request form or sends the SCO an email, they are transmitting the information that appears in the form or the message.

Personal Information can include, but is not limited to:

• User’s name
• User’s residential mailing address
• User’s business address
• Telephone Number
• Fax Number
• Date of Birth (registrants)
• User’s email address
• The kind/type of request they are making/submitting
• Any other information necessary to fulfill the request

It is important to note, that a user never transmits identifying information that they do not enter directly. When they enter the information, they are “opting-in.”

The information you provide to the College is supplied to the staff who require it to respond to your request for the purposes of the consultation concerned.

Cookies and Analytics

This website does not use cookies or Google Analytics.

Personal Information

The SCO only uses your personal information for the purposes for which you provide it to us.

The primary collection of applicant information is through registration and renewal processes. This information is used to determine eligibility for registration, as well as to perform other regulatory functions.

We do not share your personal information with other organizations or individuals unless it is necessary to fulfill the request, it is required by law, or it will prevent a serious or imminent threat to somebody’s health or safety. The SCO does not utilize data for marketing purposes and does not allow targeted advertising on its website.

Personal Information may also be collected through other registration member services and may be used in aggregate, non-identifiable form. The Opticians Act, Section 49 - Annual Register states, the SCO must maintain a register of individuals who are registered, licensed, and regulated by the SCO. This information is not for or intended to be used for any other purpose, including marketing research.

Anonymous Information

“Data traffic” is collected by the SCO through your use of the Website and since it does not identify you individually, it is called “Anonymous Information.” The SCO collects and stores certain pieces of anonymous information such as an IP address, browser information, and reference site domain name are collected upon each site visit. User patterns are also collected along with site usage data. The SCO may use or share Anonymous Information in any manner that is deemed appropriate or necessary, such as for reporting or providing statistical “ratings” information in aggregate form to our partners and other third parties about how site users collectively use the SCO website.

Collection of Public’s Information

The SCO collects personal information from the public for the following purposes

• lodging, investigating, and conducting hearings and appeals concerning complaints against members

Consent

For the purposes for consent, where consent is required by the Act, it must satisfy the following rules:

1. Consent is for the purpose the information is required.
2. Consent is informed.
3. Consent is given voluntarily.
4. Consent is not obtained through misrepresentation, fraud, or coercion.

Whenever possible, the SCO obtains express consent for the collection, use, disclosure, and retention of personal information. The SCO assumes implied consent for personal information necessarily collected in registration, continuing education, complaints management and accreditation programs, by member who provide the requested information.

The SCO will limit the collection of personal information to those elements we require to meet our obligations. This information is collected by the SCO during the application for initial registration and each online application for renewal of registration/license.

Contact and Personal Information is not shared with unaffiliated third parties except where consent has been given and to those, we are satisfied are legitimately requesting the information (such as when required by law). Other uses of personal information will be identified either prior to or at the time the information is collected.

The SCO will communicate verbally, electronically, or in writing for the primary purpose of collecting personal information outside of those uses listed above.

Limited Use

The SCO will only use personal information for the purposes declared upon collection.

Spyware

The SCO never uses or installs spyware on your computer, nor does the SCO use spyware to retrieve information from your computer.

Subscription Communications

We may use the email address of all users who subscribe to any of our communications. Except to our third-party agents (as described below), this information is not shared with any third parties.

Anyone who no longer wishes to receive communications from the SCO may, at any time, follow the “Unsubscribe” instructions located within each communication.

Children and Privacy

The SCO does not collect any personal information from anyone known to be under the age of thirteen. If you are under the age of thirteen, you should use the website only under the immediate supervision of a parent or guardian and should not submit any personal information to SCO.

Third-Party Disclosure and Agents

Except as disclosed in this Privacy Policy, the SCO does not use or disclose information about your individual visits to the website or your personal information collected online to any companies not affiliated with us. If the SCO proposes to permit any use of your personal information, you will be provided an opportunity to decline such contact.

The SCO may occasionally have third-party agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, and partners that perform functions on our behalf, such as marketing, anylitics, security, online voting, etc. These carefully selected entities may have access to the personal information needed to perform their functions and will be contractually obligated to maintain the confidentiality and security of that Personal Information. They are restricted from using, selling, distributing, or altering this data in any way other than to provide the requested services to the site. Information Management Agreements (IMA) or Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) (Privacy Protection Agreements) will be signed by both parties where necessary.

Retention policies have been developed for the organization based on the relevant legislation.

Emergency Situations

The SCO may use or disclose personal information if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to applicable law or comply with legal process served on us or the website, or (b) act under emergency circumstances to protect the personal safety of the SCO, our members, public, or the users of the website.

Securing Personal Information

The SCO shall not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those identified in this policy unless express consent has been received or the disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law or legislation.

Personal information collected by the website is stored in secure operating environments that are not available to the public. Only those employees who need access to your personal information to do their jobs are allowed access. Any employee who violates our privacy and/or security policies is subject to disciplinary action, including termination and civil and/or criminal prosecution.

To protect the security of your information during transmission, we use Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) software, which encrypts information you input. Most browsers will give a visual indication of when your connection is secure (for example, Internet Explorer will show a padlock icon in the lower right of the browser window).

The SCO attempts to safeguard your personal information once we receive it. However, you understand and agree that no transmission of data over the internet or any other public network can be guaranteed as 100% secure.

While we use encryption to protect sensitive information transmitted online, we also protect your information offline. Only employees who need the information to perform a specific job are granted access to personally identifiable information. We take precautions to safely dispose of any printed information once a transaction is complete, and do not share the information that you provide through the Website.

Personal information is held in records that are out of sight and not available to unauthorized persons at the SCO. Firewalls and passwords are used for the safeguarding of electronic information. Upon destruction, paper files are shredded, electronic records are deleted, and hard drives are emptied in the disposal of computer equipment.

Linking to Other Sites

The SCO may link to other websites not operated by the SCO. The practices described in this policy do not apply to information gathered through these other websites. These other sites may also send their own cookies to you, collect your data, or solicit your personal information.

The SCO is not responsible for the actions and privacy policies of third parties and other websites. Be aware when you leave this site and read the privacy policy of each other website you visit.

The SCO does not sell or lease your information.

Governing Law

The SCO website is published in Canada and is intended for users from Canada. This policy shall be governed and construed and enforced in accordance with the laws of the Province of Saskatchewan within the Country of Canada.

The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) requires that websites need to provide informed consent for the use of cookies. Although we are a provincial regulatory body for Canadian citizens, we do have some international visitors to our website who will be asked to agree to the use of cookies upon their first access attempt.

Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) is governed by a partnership between Canada’s Competition Bureau and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada working together to enforce this legislation.

Your Saskatchewan Access and Privacy Rights

Canada’s Access and Privacy Legislation, Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) applies to the private sector in Saskatchewan including, the SCO.

The Health Information Protection Act (HIPA) applies to individuals and corporations who are part of Saskatchewan’s health system and have custody and control of personal health information. The Act calls them trustees, which includes regulated health professionals including Opticians.

The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (OIPC) of Saskatchewan and the Office enforces Freedom of information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) (applies to government bodies) and the Health Information Protection Act (HIPA). The Privacy Commissioner of Canada enforces two federal privacy laws, the Privacy Act and the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)

Public Access to Information

When a member of the public asks for information about a regulated member and specifies the member by name, the SCO must provide the following information:

• members designation/title (Licensed Optician and, if licensed to fit contacts, Licensed Contact Lens Practitioner)
• member’s licence(s) number(s)
• When the member was first licensed
• Current registration status (Active Practice or Non-Practicing)
• Any conditions, restrictions or findings pertaining to the member

Notifications of Conditions on Practice Permits

The discipline committee may inform a member’s employer of the order made against that member where that member has been found guilty of professional misconduct or professional incompetence.

Once a complaint has been resolved through a disciplinary hearing, the results become a matter of public record. The discipline decision and the decision of penalty shall be published on the SCO’s website.

In the case where the professional conduct committee has resolved a complaint through Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) the Consent Resolution Agreement (CRA) will become a matter of public record and the terms of the CRA shall be published on the SCO’s website.

If the member is registered with another regulatory body of opticians in another jurisdiction of Canada, the results of the discipline hearing or ADR will be forwarded to the regulatory body.

How to Access and/or Correct personal Information for Accuracy

The SCO is committed to maintaining accurate and current records; if you wish to verify or update your personal information, you may contact the College office, or the Privacy Officer via the email address listed below.

Members of the public and the profession who want to see their personal information can request access through the SCO Office by directly contacting the Privacy Officer at: registrar@skopticians.com.

Individuals may challenge the accuracy and completeness of their personal information held by the College and may request a correction form to request to have the information amended, if appropriate.

Disciplinary hearings: The primary mandate of the Saskatchewan College of Opticians is to serve and protect the public by regulating the profession and governing its members, and to assure the public of the knowledge, skill, proficiency, and competency of its members, according to the Opticians Act and regulatory and administrative bylaws. To obtain the date of a disciplinary hearing, a member of the public may call during business hours, name the regulated member whose hearing they wish to attend, and if there is a scheduled date the information will be provided.

To review any decision of the discipline committee, a member of the public can access the information on the SCO website under Discipline Decisions.

Transparency

The SCO will share information on the policies and procedures that apply to the management of personal information when requested by any member of the public.

Policy Revisions

Date: October 28, 2022, Privacy Policy updated and name changed to Online Privacy and Security Policy.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or concerns about this Policy or its implementation, please contact the SCO’s Privacy Officer.

Archana Tripathi
Registrar & ED / Privacy Officer
306-652-0769
registrar@skopticians.com