Introduction

The protection of personal information is important to Al-Terra, and we have a policy and procedures dealing with the protection of privacy. Any questions about this policy can be directed to our Privacy Officer (Hoda Hubaishy).

Our employees play an important role in protecting personal information. They are required to adhere to this policy and take all reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is protected from unauthorized access.

Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Information

Our organization does not usually collect personal information from individuals as clients (other than business contact information), since we generally deal primarily with other companies. If we do collect personal information from an individual client, that information will only be used by us to administer the contract for engineering and technical services. When we do deal with individuals as clients, we collect the following types of personal information:

Client name
Client address and telephone number
Client fax number and e-mail address
Name and location of their business bank
Credit references

This information is collected for:

Consultation and billing purposes
Contract Administration
Terms of agreement.

We collect personal information directly from the client except when we have the client’s consent to collect information from elsewhere or are permitted by law to collect it without the client’s consent.

We only use a client’s personal information for the purposes outlined above. It we need to use the personal information for any other purpose, we will contact the client and obtain consent prior to that use.

We disclose client’s personal information to the following third parties:

Subconsultants
Contractors
Appropriate government and approving authorities

We disclose this information for the parties listed above to consult with, bill, and administer their portion of the contract with the client. We do not disclose personal information to third parties for any other reason.

Our clients have the right to withdraw consent for our collection, use or disclosure of their personal information at any time. However, if a client does so it may affect the ability of third parties listed above to properly carry out their required functions on the client’s project. If a client wishes to withdraw consent, or has any questions about withdrawing consent, they can contact our Privacy Officer.

Corporate contact information is not protected by this policy. This type of information is not considered to be personal information and may be collected, used, and disclosed without consent.

Consent

In most cases clients consent to us collecting, using, and disclosing personal information for the purposes outlined above by simply agreeing to provide us with the personal information.

Storing Your Personal Information

We only keep personal information for as long as is necessary for the purposes outlined above. This may include keeping the information after a project is completed to resolve any problems or concerns that may arise. We are also required by law to maintain certain records for set amounts of time. We have appropriate safeguards in place to protect personal information and when we no longer need the information it is destroyed. We try to keep personal information as accurate as possible and clients can assist us by providing us with updated information when necessary. Information can be updated by contacting our Privacy Officer.

Access

Our clients have the right to access the personal information we hold about them. A client can access their personal information by making a request to our Privacy Officer, Hoda Hubaishy. The Officer will provide the necessary forms and assistance to make the request and obtain the information. If the client believes that some of the personal information is incorrect, they can request that the information be corrected.

We may charge our clients for out-of-pocket expenses in responding to an access request. If we decide that a charge is appropriate, we will provide the client with a written estimate prior to providing access. Any concerns with the estimated charge should be directed to our Privacy Officer.

Accountability

We apply our best efforts to protect our client’s privacy. If our clients have any concerns, they are free to contact our Privacy Officer. If concerns are not resolved, the Officer can provide information on making a formal complaint.

Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Personal Employee Information

“Personal employee information” is information collected, used or disclosed for the purposes of establishing, managing or terminating an employee relationship. We can collect, use, and disclose this information without consent but only when necessary for the purpose of administering the employment relationship. Personal employee information may include the following:

Name
Home address and phone number
Education achieved
Employment history and capabilities
Disciplinary record
Medical information or disability
Social Insurance Number
Age
Bank name, address and account number
Wage or salary paid
Sex/gender
Family status
Marital status

In administering the employment relationship, we may use this information to perform tasks such as providing benefits, paying wages and generally managing the workplace.

Some personal employee information will be disclosed to the following third parties:

Manulife Insurance
Allstate Insurance
Ajera
Dayforce
Revenue Canada
Potential clients (only education, employment history and capabilities, professional affiliations).

We will not disclose personal employee information to any other third party unless we provide our employees with prior notification.

Our personal employee information is safeguarded to prevent unauthorized access, use, and disclosure. Particularly sensitive information such as medical information is stored separately and is only accessed by those with a need to do so.

It is important that we keep our personal employee information as up to date as possible. Please notify us as soon as possible of any changes to employee contact information or beneficiary and dependent information.

Employees may access their personal employee information by making a request to the Privacy Officer. Any concerns about the collection, use or disclosure of personal employee information can also be addressed by this individual. Please feel free to contact the Privacy Officer with any questions.