This is the Ontario Society of Professional Engineers (“OSPE”) privacy policy. This document explains OSPE’s policies for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information. OSPE is the member service and advocacy body for Ontario’s 65,000+ licensed engineers.

The information we collect 

OSPE collects information primarily by obtaining it directly from its members. OSPE may also collect information about members from other sources, such as affiliated organizations like Professional Engineers Ontario.

When you visit our website, your browser automatically sends us an IP (Internet Protocol) address and certain other information, including the type of browser you use. We may use this IP address and other information to give you access to the site and otherwise administer the site. In certain parts of the site, we may ask you to provide us with your name, title, street address, company, telephone and fax numbers and certain other personal information so that we can respond to your requests. You are under no obligation to provide us with this information, but without it we cannot provide you the information you request.

The site also may include certain features that allow you to communicate with us by electronic mail or otherwise. If an electronic mail feature is provided and you choose to use it, you will provide us with your e-mail address and some or all of the information described above. You are responsible to provide additional personal information to us if you chose these features. When you provide any personally identifying information to us, you communicate that you are knowingly and voluntarily providing us the information.

The types of personal information we collect include name, age, gender, address, payment information, telephone number, email address, political riding information, volunteer and community interests, employer information, work affiliation, education information and professional interests. OSPE also collects information about the qualifications and standing of professional engineers, contact and practice information about engineers, information about the qualifications and needs of volunteers, information needed to maintain the safety of visitors and other information.

How we use this information and for what purpose 

This information is used:

  • to better understand member and visitor interests and improve service delivery
  • to communicate with you
  • for statistical and research purposes regarding the engineering profession, so that OSPE may monitor and respond to various trends
  • for marketing purposes so we may send you information about products and services that may interest you, including from OSPE affinity partners
  • commercial messages from OSPE affinity partners
  • to monitor website traffic
  • to contact the you for instructions
  • to issue invoices, administer accounts, collect and process payments
  • to send OSPE conference/meeting enrollment confirmation
  • to develop, enhance, market, sell or otherwise provide OSPE’s products and services
  • to include you on our mailing list for OSPE publications, newsletters and event notices
  • to comply with any legal or regulatory requirements or provisions
  • to provide educational information
  • to recruit, and communicate with volunteers and board members
  • to secure confidential information
  • to produce and distribute OSPE publications
  • for human resources purposes
  • for advocacy communications on matters of interest to OSPE members
  • for any other purpose to which you consent.

If we wish to use your personal information for new purposes for which privacy laws would require consent, we will give you the opportunity to opt out. OSPE may use aggregate or anonymous information, which will not be linked to identifiable individuals, for various research and marketing purposes.

We try to make sure that the personally identifying information you provide us remains private. Occasionally, we partner with or subcontract with other companies and individuals. Such companies or individuals may have access to personally identifiable information about you, but only as needed to perform their contractual obligations with OSPE.

OSPE partners with third party organizations that provide member-discounts to engineers and members through marketing agreements. OSPE reserves the right to disclose your personal information to these third party organizations so that they can verify your eligibility for any such discounts, and offer these discounts to you.

We will not sell, rent, trade or otherwise disclose the personally identifying information you provide us to anyone outside of OSPE except as set out in this policy

Who we share this information with

OSPE may provide personal information to third party service providers including those outside of Canada, OSPE’s consultants, subcontractors, professional advisers and marketers to assist with any uses disclosed in this policy.

We may use subcontractors, affinity partners and service providers located in the United States or elsewhere outside Canada to store, secure and process personal information to provide directory and other services. More information can be obtained from our Privacy Officer. Please note that information provided to service providers outside of Canada will be subject to the applicable laws in that country.

In some cases member profile information, event registration information and similar information is shared with other event attendees, or other members.

Cookies

Cookies are used on our site. They identify your browser software when you move from site to site or page to page during a Web session. This information can then be used to identify you and facilitate your access to a site and your ability to navigate within our site. Cookies can only be read by the website that sends them to your computer.

When you access our site directly or through an advertisement that redirects you our site, a cookie file is automatically created in your computer. Our server and possibly third party ad servers can access this file in order to improve your experience on our site and in some instances to promote our products or the products of our partners. While they enable the site to identify you as a specific user, they don’t recognize you by your name or other personal information. No personal information is collected through our cookies.

We may collect information for statistical purposes, for instance, to determine a page’s popularity, the average number of pages accessed per visitor, and the average time each visitor spends on the site. Cookies may also allow for the display of our advertisements or our partners’ advertisements if you access an external site which displays these advertisements.

We use two types of cookies:

Session cookies: these are not stored on your hard drive and are deleted when you log off our site.

Persistent cookies: these are stored on your hard drive and recalled at your next visit. They are stored as text files in order to preclude any viruses or programs from accessing your data.

To access all parts of our website, your browser must accept cookies. If your browser is set up to refuse cookies, you can change the Internet settings in your web browser to allow cookies. If you do not allow cookies, some pages may not function properly and some features may not be available.

Security

Personal information is stored in a combination of paper and electronic files. They are protected by security measures appropriate to the nature of the information.

Accessing information

Individuals may review their personal information contained in OSPE files by contacting OSPE’s privacy officer. If an individual believes that any of their personal information is inaccurate, we will make appropriate corrections.

General

OSPE may amend this policy from time to time at its sole discretion and without notice. You agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of this policy as amended from time to time, which will be posted on our website. We reserve the right to update and make changes to this Privacy Policy and to materially change our practices in handling information, including personally identifiable information. If we do make such changes, we will post notice of those changes on our website. Subject to applicable law, our use of information that we gather now is subject to the Privacy Policy in effect at the time of use. OSPE may disclose personal information to a successor entity, provided that entity abides by this or a similar privacy policy.

Disclosure of personal information 

From time to time, OSPE may disclose your personal information to:

  • service providers, including an organization or individual retained by OSPE to perform functions on its behalf, such as catering, event management, marketing, data processing, printing, mailing, document management, and office services
  • affinity partners and third party service providers
  • an organization or individual retained by the OSPE to collect debts outstanding on an account
  • a financial institution, on a confidential basis and solely in connection with negotiating payment of an account to which you have consented

and

  • any other third party or parties, where you consent to such disclosure or where disclosure is required or permitted by law.

When we disclose your personal information to third parties, we require such parties to maintain comparable levels of confidentiality and security.

Consent

Whenever you provide Personal Information to us your consent to such collection, use and disclosure is implied by you voluntarily providing such Personal Information. Further, by agreeing to be subject to OSPE’s privacy policy, you provide consent that OSPE may collect, store, use and disclose any Personal Information you provide in accordance with this policy, as amended from time to time.

Wherever possible, OSPE is committed to seeking the consent of individuals prior to the collection of their personal information. The form of consent may vary depending on the circumstances and the type of information being sought. Consent can be express or implied and can be provided directly by the individual or by an authorized representative. Implied consent may be reasonably inferred from an individual’s action or inaction (i.e. providing a name and address in order to receive a publication, providing a name and telephone number in order to obtain a response to a question).

OSPE will allow you to withdraw your consent, subject to any legal or contractual restrictions with third party organizations and providers and subject to reasonable notice by contacting our privacy officer. In some cases OSPE may require personal information in order to continue to provide services to you, in those cases OSPE reserves the right to discontinue services where you withdraw your consent to use required information.

Contact us

For more information on OSPE and privacy please contact our Privacy Officer at:

Ontario Society of Professional Engineers
Attn: Privacy Officer
4950 Yonge Street, Suite 502
Toronto, ON
M2N 6K1

Telephone: 416-223-9961 Fax: 416-223-9963
E-mail: privacyofficer@ospe.on.ca