Introduction
The College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario (the College) is committed to protecting your privacy when visiting our website. Part of that commitment is to explain what information may be collected and why, how it will be used and who may have access to it.
The College is subject to the Regulated Health Professions Act, 1991, (RHPA) the Psychotherapy Act, 2007 (the Act), and some aspects of the Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004. The College is obligated to maintain the confidentiality of information it receives or creates in the course of fulfilling its mandate to regulate psychotherapists in the public interest.
Scope
This Privacy Statement applies to the College website and governs data collection and usage. By using the College website, you consent to the data practices described in this statement.
Collection of Information
When you visit our website, we automatically collect some limited information. This is not personal information and cannot directly identify a specific person. This is necessary for the operation and security of our website, and is also used to maintain quality of service, and to provide general statistics regarding use of the College website. These statistics are reported in aggregate forms to our staff and Council. For example, we use Google Analytics to optimize the website for better user experience. Google captures browser type, domain names, access times and referring websites on a global level, not on an individual level. We will never know specifically who is accessing the website as Google does not allow users to see IP addresses.
We do not link server log information to any other data in a way that would enable us to identify individual visitors. Other personal information, such as your name, telephone number or email address, is only obtained if you supply it by sending us an email, submitting an email opt-in form to subscribe to our mailing list, or registering in a secure portion of the site. If you simply browse or download from our website, we do not collect any personal information. If you subscribe to our mailing list, you will receive periodic communications from us on College activities or upcoming events. If you do not wish to receive such mailings, you may unsubscribe at any time.
We may also use this website to conduct electronic consultations in which individuals or organizations are invited to provide comments. If you send comments to us via the website, we will collect your comments and contact details for the purposes of the consultation concerned.
Our website is hosted on servers owned and managed by a third party. Applicable law protects any personal information collected on our behalf.
How We Use the Information
We only use your personal information for the purposes for which you give it to us. We keep the information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it is collected.
We do not share your personal information with other organizations or individuals unless:
- it is necessary to fulfill your request;
- it is required or authorized by law; or
- it will prevent or reduce a serious and imminent threat to somebody’s health or safety.
The College does not sell, rent or lease mailing or other lists to third parties. We may, from time to time, contact you on behalf of external partners about a particular matter that may be of interest to you. In those cases, we do not transfer your unique personally identifiable information (email, name, address, telephone number) to the third party. In addition, the College may share data with trusted partners to help us perform statistical analysis or send you an email or postal mail. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide such services to the College, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.
Security of Your Personal Information
The College secures your personal information from unauthorized access, use or disclosure. We secure the personally identifiable information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use or disclosure.
Use of Cookies
A cookie is a small amount of data that may be written onto your hard drive when you visit a website. It identifies you as a previous visitor of the site and is most often used to personalize settings and user preferences. Cookies are used by websites to determine which sections are visited most often. Sites that require a username and password (such as Hotmail or Yahoo!) also use cookies to “remember” visitors. Each website deploys a unique cookie for every visitor, so one cookie cannot be “read” by another website.
The College’s website does not require nor use cookies. If a specific part of the website should require the use of cookies, the user will be notified and permission sought.
Copyright / Permission to Reproduce
The College owns or licenses the copyright in all the material that appears on the website. Except as otherwise specifically noted, the materials on this website may be reproduced for personal or educational use, in part or in whole and by any means, without charge or further permission from the College. You may download, store and use the material on the website for your own personal use and research. If you republish, retransmit, redistribute or otherwise make this material available to any other party or make the same available on any website, online service or bulletin board of your own or of any other party or make the same available in hard copy or on any other media, we ask that you acknowledge the source. Commercial redistribution of any website material is prohibited except with the consent of the College. You may not reproduce any website material in such a way as to suggest that the reproduction is made with affiliation or endorsement of the College.
Disclaimer
We reserve the right to improve, amend, or remove the content provided on the website at any time without notice to you. Although we make every effort to ensure that all information posted on our website is accurate and complete, we do not represent that it is so, or guarantee it, and accept no liability or obligation for accuracy or completeness. You should check the website from time to time for changes. As this website is for information purposes only, you should seek appropriate, qualified advice before acting or omitting to act based upon any such information.
The College does not assume and is not responsible for any liability whatsoever associated with any linked website, the operation or content (including the right to display such information) of any linked website, nor for any of the information, interpretation, comments or opinions expressed in any linked website. Any comments or enquiries regarding linked websites are to be directed to the particular organization for which the particular website is being operated.
The College will occasionally update this Privacy Statement to reflect legal, organizational and public feedback.
How to Contact Us
We invite you to contact us about any of your privacy concerns or to suggest further improvements to this website. Alternatively, you can write to us at:
Privacy Officer
College of Registered Psychotherapists of Ontario
375 University Avenue, Suite 803
Toronto, ON M5G 2J5