Financial Outsource Inc.
Privacy Policy
Financial Outsource Inc. (Financial Outsource) has developed this Privacy Policy to inform you about the types of Personal Information that Financial Outsource collects, uses and discloses when required in the course of fulfilling our professional responsibilities and operating our business. Financial Outsource takes the privacy of our clients and team members very seriously. We are committed to your privacy by complying with the laws and regulations under the applicable privacy laws in Canada including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act. This Privacy policy may be amended from time to time.
What is personal information?
Personal information is information about an identifiable individual. Personal information includes your name, mailing address, phone number, email address, income, date of birth, gender and financial information.
Privacy Principles
Financial Outsource is accountable for all personal information in our possession or control. This would include any personal information we receive directly from you, your employer, the government or any other third party. This will only happen with your prior consent and for the purpose of providing professional services, or to comply with applicable laws and regulations. Client personal information may also be collected, used or disclosed internally to facilitate our policies and processes. For these purposes, we may make this information available to our employees or contractors who are required to maintain the confidentiality of this information.
Financial Outsource may also collect, use or disclose personal information about clients and prospective clients for the purpose of sending information and news updates or invitations to events hosted or sponsored by Financial Outsource.
How we ask for consent
The terms and conditions of every Financial Outsource professional services engagement are documented in an engagement letter. These terms and conditions include a discussion about how Financial Outsource may collect, use and disclose client personal information. By signing the engagement letter, the client is providing its consent to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information described in the terms and conditions. If a client provides us with personal information relating to a third party, by signing the engagement letter the client represents and warrants that they have obtained consent from the third party to allow us to collect, use and disclose their personal information as described in the engagement letter.
If you do not give consent or withdraw your consent at a later date
Financial Outsource clients will always have the option not to provide their consent to the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information, or to withdraw their consent at a later stage, subject to contractual and legal restrictions and reasonable notice. Where a client chooses not to provide us with permission to collect, use or disclose their personal information, we may not be able to provide, or continue to provide, the client with our services.
Limits to the amount and type of information that we collect
Financial Outsource will limit the collection of personal information to that which is reasonably required to provide our professional services and to operate our business.
How long we utilize, disclose or retain your personal information
Financial Outsource may keep a record of your personal information, correspondence or comments in a file specific to you. We will utilize, disclose or retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which that personal information was collected and as permitted or required by law.
Using your personal information
Financial Outsource may use your personal information for the following purposes:
- To verify your identity;
- To offer and maintain services you may request;
- To better understand your situation;
- To help us better understand the current and future needs of our clients;
- To communicate to you any benefit, feature or other information about services you have with us;
- To help us better manage our business and your relationship with us;
- As required or permitted by law.
If Financial Outsource intends to disclose personal information for any purpose not previously identified to an individual, we will obtain their prior consent unless we are permitted or required by law to use or disclose their personal information without consent.
For example, but without limitation, Financial Outsource may use and disclose personal information without consent:
- For the purposes of acting in respect of an emergency that threatens the life, health or security of an individual;
- To prevent, detect or suppress fraud or financial abuse;
- In connection with an investigation;
- To comply with a subpoena, a warrant or an order made by a court or other body with appropriate jurisdiction or to comply with rules of conduct required by regulatory bodies;
- To a government institution that has requested the information, identified its lawful authority, and has indicated that disclosure is for the purpose of enforcing, administering, carrying out an investigation, or gathering intelligence relating to any federal, provincial or foreign law or to national security or the conduct of international affairs; and
- To an investigative body or government institution on our initiative when we believe the information concerns a breach of an agreement, or a contravention of a federal, provincial or foreign law, or we suspect the information relates to national security or the conduct of international affairs.
Financial Outsource will endeavor to keep accurate the personal information in our possession or control
In order to provide clients with a professional level of service, the personal information that we collect must be accurate, current and complete. Clients are encouraged to contact their engagement partner to update their personal information.
Financial Outsource protects your personal information with safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information
Financial Outsource will protect personal information by using physically secure facilities and clearly defined internal policies and practices. Personal information is stored in secure environments that are not available to the public.
We are responsible for all personal information transferred to third party service providers. We require third party service providers to respect the confidentiality of personal information and all legal requirements under applicable Canadian federal and provincial legislation, and to agree to contractual requirements that are consistent with this privacy policy. These third party service providers are prohibited from using personal information except for the specific purposes for which we supply it to them.
In certain circumstances, personal information may be collected, used and disclosed or stored outside of Canada, including, but not limited to in the US, EU and Asia, by Financial Outsource or a third party to provide professional services and administrative, analytical and clerical support, and to comply with applicable law, regulation and professional standards, and such personal information may be subject to disclosure in accordance with the laws applicable in the jurisdiction in which the information is collected, used, disclosed or stored. These laws may not provide the same level of protection as Canadian privacy laws.
At their request, Financial Outsource will advise individuals of what personal information we have in our possession or control about them, what it is being used for and to whom and why it has been disclosed.
Personal information files are maintained in our offices or on servers owned by service providers and are accessible by authorized personnel and agents who require access in connection with their job responsibilities. Clients have the right to review and obtain a copy of their personal information on record in our office by contacting their engagement partner. The right to access personal information is subject to certain legal restrictions and we will take reasonable steps to verify an individual’s identity before providing access.
We will respond within 30 days to most individual access requests.