Hastings Prince Edward Public Health (HPEPH) is dedicated to the security of all information in our possession and the privacy of our clients. We have strict policies and procedures in place to govern how we collect and use your information, and we safeguard all information you provide us whether in person, by telephone, or online.
Your protection under the law
All information placed in the care of HPEPH is regulated by:
- the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), which governs information related to your health and medical treatment, and
- the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (MFIPPA) that governs the use of “personal information” held by municipal organizations like HPEPH.
Ensuring your consent
We only collect the minimum amount of information needed to do our jobs in providing service to you. Whenever we require your information, whether in person, on a form, or on our website, we can inform you of why it is needed and its intended uses. You or anyone legally acting on your behalf may then give us informed consent to collect and use your information.
Before disclosing your information to any outside party, we will obtain your consent to release it. We will also obtain your consent before using your information for any other reason than what it was originally provided for.
You may withdraw your consent at any time or choose not to release your personal information to us or contact us through other means to limit the amount of information we need to serve you.
In certain instances we may collect or transfer information with other parties without direct consent where such actions are clearly defined by PHIPA, MFIPPA or other laws.
Use of our website
In instances where you may be providing us with your personal information via our website such as when using a form, the page will provide the necessary notice of how the information will be used and that submitting the form electronically gives us the necessary consent.
If you do not wish to send information via the website, all of our services have instructions on how we may serve you in person or over the telephone.
Use of cookies
The HPEPH website uses cookies to ensure proper functionality and navigation of website content and features, and for the purpose of better understanding how visitors engage with and use the content and services on the website. HPEPH uses Google Analytics to collect information and report site usage statistics without personally identifying individual visitors. For more information about how Google uses information gathered from sites or apps that use their services, please visit Google’s privacy policy.
Safeguarding your information
HPEPH takes our responsibility to protect your privacy very seriously. We have in place reasonable methods to protect all information from accidental or unauthorized access, disclosure, duplication, destruction or modification.
To the extent reasonably possible, information in the possession of HPEPH shall be as accurate, complete, and up to date as possible for the purposes for which it was collected.
Requesting or correcting records
You may request to review your personal record and submit corrections by contacting us at communications@hpeph.ca or 613-966-5500 to request our Freedom of Information request form.
Requests for and disclosure of any record in HPEPH’s possession will be guided by PHIPA and MFIPPA. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) provides additional information about:
- Access and correction of personal information
- Requesting general information
- Requesting personal information
Please note that a $5 application fee is required for all access requests, and additional fees may apply for staff time such as photocopying, searching, and preparing applicable records and cost of shipping.
Openness and privacy concerns
You may address any questions regarding HPEPH’s privacy policy to:
Privacy Officer
Hastings Prince Edward Public Health
179 North Park Street, Belleville K8P 4P1
613-966-5500 or 1-800-267-2803
communications@hpeph.ca
or you may contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner at:
Information and Privacy Commissioner
2 Bloor Street East, Suite 1400, Toronto, ON, M4W 1A8
416-326-3333www.ipc.on.ca
