Privacy Policy

Kashruth Council of Canada protects your privacy at our website.

Our Policy

Our policy is simple: Your personal information belongs to you and you have control over how it is used. You can visit ALL areas of our website without telling us about yourself or providing any personal information to us. Currently, in our Alerts section, we do ask you for your email address in order for Kashruth Council to send you up-to-the-minute alerts via email. However, this is an “opt-in” feature, and you can still view Alerts by visiting the website directly and without providing us with your email address.

1. Introduction

This privacy policy explains the privacy practices of the Kashruth Council of Canada (referred to as “us,” “we” or “our”). Our privacy policy may be amended from time to time, so we encourage you to periodically check with our office for the current version or to visit this website. Printed copies of our current privacy policy are also available by contacting our Chief Privacy Officer.

2. Our Commitment to Your Privacy

The relationship between a consumer and a specialized regulatory agency such as ours is based on trust. We value the trust you have placed in us and are taking all appropriate measures to safeguard your personal information and maintain your confidence. We have established this privacy policy to ensure that your personal information is protected and that all our practices and procedures comply with relevant personal information protection and privacy legislation. Accordingly, we adhere to the privacy principles set out below, which are based on the principles set out in Schedule 1 of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada). As used in our privacy policy, the term “personal information” means all information about any individual person who visits our website or uses our services who can be identified from the information that we collect from them in the course of our business activities set out below. However, personal information does not include information which we may collect about corporate entities or the name, title or business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.

3. Accountability

We are responsible for all personal information under our control.

Accountability for our compliance with this privacy policy rests with our Chief Privacy Officer; however, other individuals within our organization may have responsibility for the day-to-day collection and processing of personal information.

Contact information for our Chief Privacy Officer is set out below:

Sheryn Weber – Tel: 416-635-9550 ext 670 Fax: 416-635-8760
Address: 215 Ranee Ave, Toronto, ON M6A 0C7

email: privacy@cor.ca

We are responsible for personal information in our possession or custody, including information that has been transferred to third parties for processing. We use contractual and other means to ensure that third parties to whom we disclose personal information for processing provide a comparable level of protection with respect to personal information in their possession or control.

4. Identifying Purposes

We will clearly identify and document the purposes for which we may collect, use or disclose personal information at or before the time of collection. As part of our business operations, we may collect and use certain personal information strictly for the following purposes:

· in order to respond to requests for information that we receive via telephone, in person, by email, or otherwise

· to obtain consumer feedback about our services

· to provide you with further information about our services and operations

· to post anonymous, frequently-asked-questions that we have received and feel are valuable to share with other customers

· to provide charity receipts for donations

· to provide up-to-date Kashruth alerts, which include notification of the changing kosher status of products, closings of kosher restaurants and general Kashruth reminders (although these alerts can also be viewed through our general website and notification is purely for the convenience of those customers who “opt-in” for such service)

· to provide you with the opportunity to participate in targeted or specific promotional campaigns or contests which we or a third party on our behalf may operate

· to consult with other Kashruth agencies and religious organizations regarding questions of certification or potential certification

Due to the nature of our certification process, some of our operations require specific information about the entities seeking our Kashruth supervision. We may collect and use information from such entities strictly for the following purposes:

· to ensure the businesses we do certify carry on their operations in a manner that accords with Kashruth regulations, including, but not limited to, their relations with other food facilities, the religious conduct of a business’s ownership or controlling partners and their degree of observance in Jewish ritual

· to properly certify products and business operations, our representatives are provided with full access to a business’s purchase, sale and inventory records

· to ensure that a certified business continues to meet the certification standards and conditions of the Kashruth Council of Canada, and, in the event of their failure to do so, to publish notice of the expiration or termination of the certification of that business in the English, Yiddish and Anglo Jewish press or as otherwise required to alert the public to relevant changes.

· to properly divest businesses of Chometz prior to Passover and to return such Chometz to such businesses after Passover.

The specific uses of personal information in connection with the foregoing purposes will be limited to what a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.

If we plan to use personal information we have collected for a purpose not previously identified, we will identify and document the purpose before such additional use. We will state the identified purposes in such a manner that you can reasonably understand how your personal information will be used or disclosed.

5. Obtaining Consent and Opting Out/Withdrawing Consent

We will use reasonable efforts to seek your express consent for the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information at the time of collection. In some circumstances, such as where we want to use personal information for a purpose that was not previously identified, we may have to seek your consent after your personal information has been collected, but before our use for that purpose.

By using our products and services you consent to the collection, use, retention and disclosure of your personal information as set out in this Privacy Policy. You may withdraw your consent with respect to any or all uses or disclosures of your personal information at any time (subject to legal or contractual restrictions) by sending written instructions to the Privacy Officer (an “Opt Out Notice”) at the appropriate address set out above.

In the event you provide us with an Opt Out Notice, your information will be segregated and not disclosed or used in any manner about which you have objected. However, the personal information we have collected will be retained by us in accordance with our usual retention practices and procedures. You may at any time review such information as further set out below.

In certain limited circumstances, as permitted or required by law, we may, in a reasonable fashion, collect, use or disclose personal information without the knowledge or consent of the individual. Although the following list is not exhaustive, these circumstances include: (i) personal information which is publicly available as defined by statutory regulations; (ii) circumstances where collection or use is clearly in the interests of the individual and consent cannot be obtained in a timely fashion; (iii) to investigate a breach of an agreement or a contravention of a law; (iv) to act in respect of an emergency that threatens the life, health or security of an individual; (v) for debt collection; or (vi) to comply with a subpoena, warrant or court order.

6. Limiting Collection

We will limit the amount and type of personal information collected to that which is necessary for our identified purposes and we will only collect personal information by fair and lawful means.

We may collect the following types of personal information from individuals:

· name

· home address

· home phone number

· e-mail address

· religious affiliation

· religious practices and observances

· financial status

· business records, including sale, purchase and inventory accounts

· purchasing records and names of preferred suppliers and products

· business affiliations and partnerships

7. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention

We do not and will not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it is collected, except with the express consent of the individual or as required by law.We will retain personal information only for as long as is necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes, subject to legal requirements.

8. Accuracy

We will use our best efforts to ensure that personal information under our control that is used on an ongoing basis, including information that we disclose to third parties in accordance with this privacy policy, is as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used. In order to assist us in that regard, we urge you to provide us with updates regarding such information and to inform us of any errors affecting your personal information that we hold.

9. Safeguards

We will protect personal information with safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. We employ appropriate safeguards to protect personal information against loss or theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification, regardless of the format in which the information is held. We make our employees and business partners aware of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of personal information, and we will exercise appropriate care in the disposal or destruction of personal information to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to the information.

Our methods of protection include physical measures (for example, locked filing cabinets and restricted access to offices), organization measures (for example, limiting access on a “need to know” basis), and technological measures (for example, the use of passwords, “cookies” and encryption at our website).

10. Openness

We will make specific information about our policies readily available, except to the extent that it is confidential commercial information.

The information we will make available will include: (i) how any particular party about whom we have collected personal information can gain access to its personal information; (ii) the type of personal information held by us, including a general account of its use; (iii) general information concerning our privacy policy; (iv) what personal information is made available to third parties; and (v) how to contact our Chief Privacy Officer.

Copies of the current version of our privacy policy are available by contacting our Chief Privacy Officer.

11. Access

Upon written request addressed to our Chief Privacy Officer, we will inform an individual of the existence, use and disclosure of his or her personal information and we will give the individual access to that personal information. An individual can challenge the accuracy and completeness of his or her personal information under our control and have it amended as appropriate

We will respond to an individual’s written request within a reasonable time (generally within 30 days). We may require an individual to provide sufficient information to permit us to provide an account of the existence, use and disclosure of personal information. While our response will typically be provided at no cost to the individual, depending on the nature of the request and the amount of information involved, we reserve the right to impose a reasonable cost. In these circumstances, we will inform the individual of the approximate cost to provide the response and proceed upon payment by the individual of the cost. Requested information will be provided or made available in a form that is understandable. Where possible, we will indicate the source of the information.

If you feel that your personal information we hold is inaccurate or incomplete you are invited to advise our Chief Privacy Officer of such inaccuracies and ask that we amend the personal information. Any such request must be in writing.

In providing an account of third parties to which we may have disclosed personal information about an individual, we will attempt to be as specific as possible. When it is not possible to provide a list of the organizations to which we have actually disclosed personal information, we will provide a list of organizations to which we may have disclosed the personal information.

If an individual successfully demonstrates an inaccuracy or incompleteness of his or her personal information under our control, we will amend the personal information as appropriate. If a challenge is not resolved to the satisfaction of the individual, we will record the substance of the unresolved challenge. Where appropriate, the amended information or the existence of the unresolved challenge, as the case may be, will be transmitted to third parties having access to the information in question.

In certain situations, we may refuse a request or not be able to provide access to all the personal information we hold about an individual. Exceptions to the access requirement will be limited and specific, as permitted or required by law. Where permitted, the reasons for denying access will be provided to the individual upon request. Although the following list is not exhaustive, exceptions may include: (i) information that contains references to other individuals or contains confidential commercial information, where such information cannot be severed from the record; (ii) information collected in the course of investigating a breach of an agreement or in the course of a formal dispute resolution process; and (iii) information that is subject to solicitor-client privilege.

12. Challenging Compliance

If you are not completely satisfied with our privacy policy and wish to submit comments or concerns regarding our privacy practices, we invite you to contact our Chief Privacy Officer. We will investigate all written complaints addressed to our Chief Privacy Officer. If we find a written complaint to be justified, we will take all appropriate measures, including, if necessary, amending our policies and practices.

If for any reason you are not satisfied with the results of our investigation of and responses to your complaint, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Federal Privacy Commissioner, 112 Kent Street, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 1H3, Telephone: 1-800-282-1376.