Excel Insurance Privacy Policy: For all Personal and Commercial Insurance

We Respect for Your Privacy

We are committed to providing our clients with excellent service. Doing business with an insurance broker involves providing information about yourself, so prediction of your personal information is our highest priority. That’s one of the reasons we’ve put together this privacy policy for you.

Our brokerage and the insurance industry have a solid track record of respecting your right to privacy and safeguarding your personal information. In conjunction with federal legislation, we’ve further strengthened our privacy commitment by informing you why and how we collect, use and disclose your personal information. You can be assured that we’ll only handle your personal information in a manner that a reasonable professional would consider appropriate under the given circumstances. This page is a brief summary of our privacy practices.

Why do we collect personal information?

When you first become a client or whenever you acquire or renew a product from us, we need to collect some of your personal information. Common purposes for which we collect your personal information are to:

• Enable us to acquire or renew an insurance policy for you;
• Assist you and asses your ongoing needs for insurance;
• Asses your need for other products, such as financial products, ass well as to offer them to you;
• Ensure you information is accurate and up-to-date – to get you best pricing and best cover, even if difficult situations;
• Protect as many parties as possible from error or fraud

What personal information do we collect?

Personal information is information that identifies you as an individual client and relates specifically to you. Depending on the purpose(s) for which we need to collect it, we may ask for the following personal information about you – all the while doing our upmost in safeguarding and security, including:

• Basic information such as your name, address, telephone and fax numbers, email address, birthdate and marital status
• Claims history
• Credit and past payment records
• Driver’s record
• Details about your property such as the value of your home and its contents
• Medical information such as any condition that may affect the operation a vehicle
• Employment information

We may obtain, in the course of our work with and for you, this information from:

• You
• Insurance companies
• other insurance brokers or agents
• Credit organizations
• Motor vehicles and driver licensing authorities
• Financial institutions
• Medical professionals

Who do we disclose your personal information to?

For many of the purposes identified above, we may need to share some or all of your personal information that we know with others – only in so far as we work to serve your needs. These other parties commonly include:

• Insurance companies
• Other insurance brokers or agents used to insure you
• Credit organization
• Professionals working with us such as adjusters or lawyers
• Financial institutions; for example, the organization that carries your mortgage
• Cross border search providers

How do we protect your personal information?

By the promise of this privacy policy, and in order to protect your personal information and right to privacy, we will:

• Not collect, use or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than those that we identify to you
• Keep your personal information only for as long as wee need to fulfill the stated purpose or as required by law
• Maintain your personal information in as accurate, complete and up-to-date a form as possible
• Safeguard your personal information to the best of our ability
• Respond to any request you may make to access or correct the personal information we hold about you
• Obtain the appropriate consent from you for the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information

Consent

We may obtain your express consent or we may determine that consent has been implied by the circumstances

• We might ask you for your express consent in writing; for example, in a signed consent or application form
• We may ask for your express consent in a person or over the telephone
• We may determine that by seeking insurance through our organization your consent has been implied for us to deal with your personal information in a reasonable manner

There are also legal exception in which we will not need to obtain your consent or explain purposes for the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information. For example, this could apply where there is an emergency situation or if it necessary for our protection or, most importantly, yours.

Your can control how we handle your personal information.

We want you to know that you do have choices in this matter. You could refuse to allow us to obtain, use or share your personal information or you could also withdraw a previously given consent at any time.

However, by doing that, depending on the situation, you may be limiting or even preventing our ability to provide you with the product or services you desire.

For example, if you do not allow us to obtain information about your driving record, it is unlikely that we will be able to  provide you with auto insurance.

We’ll be happy to discuss particular situations with you to help you with your decision.

Google Analytics

We and third-party vendors use first-party cookies (such as the Google Analytics cookie) or other first-party identifiers, and third-party cookies (such as Google advertising cookies) or other third-party identifiers together. We use them in order to provide site administrators with metrics and statistics on site usage, as well as to deliver you more tailored experiences as they relate to using our site.

You may opt out of Google Analytics Advertising Features we use by adjusting your own browser setts or feel free to visit Google Analytics’ available opt-outs for the web.

Contact information and resources

We are committed to treating  you with respect and courtesy, and to providing you the highest level of service. If you take issue with this privacy, have any concerns or more, we are hear for you.

Place contact our Privacy Offer at the address below or by email here, if you:

• Wish to access your personal information
• Wish to change your consent to the ways in which we may collect, use or disclose your personal information
• Have a complaint about your privacy policies or the manner in which we’ve handled your personal information
• Have any other questions about your privacy policies, wish to obtain a copy of our Personal Information Policy & Procedure Handbook, or request additional information.

We will respond to you promptly and do our utmost to resolve your concerns. To find out more about federal privacy laws, please contact the Office of the Privacy Commission at 1 (800) 282-1376 or visit their website. Alternatively, please write to us at our head office:

Excel Insurance Group
#405 – 14727 87 Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta
T5R 4E5
1 (587) 409-4990

Thank you for the confidence you give to us. We share and value this confidence tremendously.

More Detail to Help Explain the Plain Language Privacy Policy Above

Excel Insurance Group
Personal Information Protection Policy

Excel Insurance Group is committed to safeguarding the personal information entrusted to us by our clients, customers, volunteers and employees. We manage your personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act and other applicable laws. This policy outlines the principles and practices we follow in protecting your personal information.
This policy applies to Excel Insurance Group and to any person providing services on our behalf. A copy of this policy is provided to any client on request.

What is personal information?

Personal information means information about an identifiable individual. This includes an individual’s name, home address and phone number, age, sex, marital or family status, an identifying number, financial information, educational history, etc.

What personal information do we collect?

We collect only the personal information that we need for the purposes of providing services to our clients, including personal information needed to:
• deliver requested products and services
• enrol a client in a program
• send out association membership information

We normally collect client personal information directly from our clients. We may collect your information from other persons with your consent or as authorized by law.

We inform our clients, before or at the time of collecting personal information, of the purposes for which we are collecting the information. The only time we don’t provide this notification is when a client volunteers information for an obvious purpose (for example, producing a credit card to pay a membership fee when the information will be used only to process the payment).

Consent

We ask for consent to collect, use or disclose client personal information, except in specific circumstances where collection, use or disclosure without consent is authorized or required by law. We may assume your consent in cases where you volunteer information for an obvious purpose.

We assume your consent to continue to use and, where applicable, disclose personal information that we have already collected, for the purpose for which the information was collected.

We ask for your express consent for some purposes and may not be able to provide certain services if you are unwilling to provide consent to the collection, use or disclosure of certain personal information. Where express consent is needed, we will normally ask clients to provide their consent orally (in person, by telephone), or, ins one cases, in writing (by signing a consent form).

A client may withdraw consent to the use and disclosure of personal information at any time, unless the personal information is necessary for us to fulfil our legal obligations. We will respect your decision, but we may not be able to provide you with certain products and services if we do not have the necessary personal information.

We may collect, use or disclose client personal information without consent only as authorized by law. For example, we may not request consent when the collection, use or disclosure is to determine appropriate insurance coverage for your case.
We use and disclose client personal information only for the purpose for which the information was collected, except as authorized by law. For example, we may use client contact information to deliver goods.

If we wish to use or disclose your personal information for any new business purpose, we will ask for your consent. We may not seek consent if the law allows this (e.g. the law allows organizations to use personal information without consent for the purpose of collecting a debt).

What is personal employee information?

Personal employee information is personal information about an employee or volunteer which is collected, used or disclosed solely for the purposes of establishing, managing or terminating an employment relationship or a volunteer work relationship. Personal employee information may, in some circumstances, include a Social Insurance Number, a performance review, etc.

We can collect, use and disclose your personal employee information without your consent only for the purposes of establishing, managing or ending the employment or volunteer relationship. We will provide current employees and volunteers with prior notice about what information we collect, use or disclose and our purpose for doing so.

What personal employee information do we collect, use and disclose?

We collect, use and disclose personal employee information to meet the following purposes:
• Determining eligibility for employment or volunteer work, including verifying qualifications and references
• Establishing training and development requirements
• Assessing performance and managing performance issues if they arise
• Administering pay and benefits (paid employees only)
• Processing employee work-related claims (e.g. benefits, workers’ compensation, insurance claims) (paid employees only)
• Complying with requirements of funding bodies (e.g. lottery grants)
• Complying with applicable laws (e.g. Canada Income Tax Act, Alberta Employment Standards Code)

We only collect, use and disclose the amount and type of personal employee information that is reasonable to meet the above purposes. The following is a list of personal employee information that we may collect, use and disclose to meet those purposes.
• Contact information such as your name, home address, telephone number
• Criminal background checks
• Employment or volunteer information such as your resume (including educational background, work history and references), reference information and interview notes, letters of offer and acceptance of employment, policy acknowledgement forms, background verification information, workplace performance evaluations, emergency contacts, etc.
• Benefit information such as forms relating to applications or changes to health and insurance benefits including medical and dental care, life insurance, short and long term disability, etc. (paid employees only)
• Financial information, such as pay cheque deposit information and tax-related information, including Social Insurance Numbers (paid employees only)
• Other personal information required for the purposes of our employment or volunteer relationship

We will inform our employees and volunteers of any new purpose for which we will collect, use, or disclose personal employee information, or we will obtain your consent, before or at the time the information is collected.

We will obtain your consent to collect, use and disclose your personal information for purposes unrelated to the employment or volunteer relationship (e.g. such as providing you with information about our workplace charity program or a fundraiser we are organizing).

What information do we provide for employment/volunteer references?

In some cases, after your employment or volunteer relationship with us ends, we will be contacted by other organizations and asked to provide a reference for you. It is our policy not to disclose personal information about our employees and volunteers to other organizations who request references without consent. The personal information we normally provide in a reference includes:
• Confirmation that an individual was an employee or volunteer, including the position, and date range of the employment or volunteering
• General information about an individual’s job duties and information about the employee or volunteer’s ability to perform job duties and success in the employment or volunteer relationship

How do we safeguard personal information?

We make every reasonable effort to ensure that personal information is accurate and complete. We rely on individuals to notify us if there is a change to their personal information that may affect their relationship with our organization. If you are aware of an error in our information about you, please let us know and we will correct it on request wherever possible. In some cases we may ask for a written request for correction.

We protect personal information in a manner appropriate for the sensitivity of the information. We make every reasonable effort to prevent any loss, misuse, disclosure or modification of personal information, as well as any unauthorized access to personal information.

We use appropriate security measures when destroying personal information, including shredding paper records and permanently deleting electronic records.

We retain personal information only as long as is reasonable to fulfil the purposes for which the information was collected or for legal or business purposes.

Access to records containing personal information
Individuals have a right to access their own personal information in a record that is in the custody or under the control of Name of organization, subject to some exceptions. For example, organizations are required under the Personal Information Protection Act to refuse to provide access to information that would reveal personal information about another individual.

If we refuse a request in whole or in part, we will provide the reasons for the refusal. In some cases where exceptions to access apply, we may withhold that information and provide you with the remainder of the record.

You may make a request for access to your personal information by writing to Name or position title of individual in your organization designated to ensure compliance with PIPA. You must provide sufficient information in your request to allow us to identify the information you are seeking.

You may also request information about our use of your personal information and any disclosure of that information to persons outside our organization. In addition, you may request a correction of an error or omission in your personal information.

We will respond to your request within 45 calendar days, unless an extension is granted. We may charge a reasonable fee to provide information, but not to make a correction. We do not charge fees when the request is for personal employee information. We will advise you of any fees that may apply before beginning to process your request.

Questions and complaints

If you have a question or concern about any collection, use or disclosure of personal information by Name of organization, or about a request for access to your own personal information, please contact Name or position title of individual in your organization designated to ensure compliance with PIPA.

If you are not satisfied with the response you receive, you should contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta
Suite 2460, 801 – 6 Avenue, SW
Calgary, Alberta T2P 3W2
Phone: 403-297-2728 Toll Free: 1-888-878-4044
Email: generalinfo@oipc.ab.ca Website: www.oipc.ab.ca

To communicate with us, about anything you see, feel conflict with or would like to make better, we are happy to help and are ready to listen. Please communicate with us by email or send us a letter at:

Excel Insurance Group
#405 – 14727 87 Avenue NW
Edmonton, Alberta
T5R 4E5
1 (587) 409-4990