Website Privacy Policy
Last updated: October 21, 2020
Introduction
At the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists, we are committed to respecting the privacy of our website users, and to protecting your personal information.
In this Policy, we outline:
- What types of information we may collect from you or that you may provide when you visit our websites (www.RxNS.com, www.nspharmacists.ca, and www.gettoknownscp.ca);
- How we collect, use, disclose and protect the personal information of our website users; and
- Who to contact with any questions about this policy and the privacy of your personal information.
We take steps to ensure that the personal information that we collect about you is fair, adequate, relevant, not excessive, and used for the limited purposes identified.
This policy applies to information we collect, use, or disclose about you on our websites, or in information communicated between you and our websites. We will only collect, use, or disclose your information in accordance with this policy, unless otherwise required by applicable law.
Please read this policy carefully. By accessing or using our websites, you are indicating that youunderstand, accept, and consent to the practices described in this policy and are choosing to use a website in accordance with the terms of this policy. If you do not agree with the terms of this policy, then you may choose not to continue to use the website.
This policy may change from time to time. Your continued use of our websites after we make changes indicates that you accept and consent to those changes, so please check this policy periodically for updates.
Our websites may include links to third-party websites, plug-ins, services, social networks, or applications. Clicking on those links or enabling those connections may allow the third party to collect or share data about you. If you follow a link to a third-party website or engage a third-party plugin, please note that these websites are controlled by third parties with their own privacy policies and we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of every website you visit.
What Personal Information is Collected?
Privacy laws in Canada generally define “personal information” as any information about an identifiable individual, which includes information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person. Personal information does not include business contact information, such as your name (when used in a professional context), title, or business contact information.
Under the Pharmacy Act, the purpose of the College is to maintain standards of practice and professional accountability in the practice of pharmacy leading to optimal patient care. The College’s key responsibilities include registration and licensing of pharmacy practitioners and pharmacies, quality assurance of pharmacy practice, creation of legislation and practice standards, and professional accountability.
In order to carry out these responsibilities, we may collect, use and disclose personal information from registrants and members of the public through this website for the following purposes:
- to assess whether a registrant continues to meet the standards of qualification for a certificate of registration;
- to investigate complaints regarding the conduct or actions of a registrant of the College;
- to investigate whether a registrant has committed an act of professional misconduct or is incompetent;
- to inquire whether a registrant is incapacitated;
- to hold a hearing of allegations of a registrant’s professional misconduct or incompetence or of allegations that a registrant is incapacitated;
- to carry out the quality assurance program of the College, including an assessment of the records and practice of its registrants;
- to assess whether a former registrant’s certificate of registration should be reinstated;
- to assess whether pharmacy ownership and directorship is in compliance with the legislation;
- to provide statistical information for human resource planning and research and demographic studies;
- to administer elections to the council of the Nova Scotia College of Pharmacists;
- to administer or enforce the Legislation;
- to disseminate information relating to the regulation of the profession including but not limited to the standards of practice, standards of operation and the code of ethics.
If we wish to use your personal information for any other purpose, we will obtain your prior consent, unless otherwise required or permitted by law. It is in the best interest of the public that the College collect, use and disclose only accurate personal information in regulating the profession. The College therefore uses its best efforts to ensure that the information it collects, uses and discloses is accurate.
Registrants and pharmacy managers are required to provide the College with current name, contact and practice information and to advise the College of changes. This information is updated annually when members renew their registration and certification, and pharmacies renew their accreditation with the College.
How Do We Collect Personal Information?
We may collect personal information from the following sources:
- Direct interactions with you when you provide it to us, for example, by filling in forms or corresponding with us by phone, fax, email, or mail.
- Automated technologies or interactions, as you navigate through our website. Information collected automatically may include usage details about your computer and internet connection, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other automatic data collection technologies.
- Third parties or publicly available sources, for example, our College members or members of the public.
We do not sell or trade your personal information to third parties. We will only use or disclose your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected, or as permitted or required by law, unless you consent to another use. In some circumstances, we are permitted or required by law to collect or use your personal information without your consent, such as during the course of a complaint investigation.
We will only retain your personal information for as long as needed to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, and as required by law. Once it is no longer needed or required, we will destroy your personal information in a confidential and secure manner.
You may withdraw your consent at any time for the use and retention of your personal information, subject to the ability of the College to carry out its statutory obligations. You may contact our Privacy Officer to discuss the limits to and implications of this type of request in your particular situation.
How do we protect your personal information?
The College ensures that personal information it holds is secure:
- The College ensures that personal information is stored in electronic and physical files that are secure. Security measures are in place to safeguard this information which include restricting access to personal information to authorized personnel, ensuring that physical files are under lock and key and ensuring that electronic files are password protected. The College reviews its security measures periodically to ensure that all personal information is secure. All electronic personal information is stored on servers located in Canada.
- Employees of the College receive an orientation and ongoing training regarding the information safeguards required for personal information and their importance. Employees and contractors of the College are required to sign a Confidentiality Agreement annually. The College ensures that personal information that is no longer required to be retained is disposed of in a confidential and secure fashion (i.e. shredding).
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the Internet is not completely secure. Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your personal information transmitted to or through our websites. If you choose to transmit personal information through our websites, it is done at your own risk.
Please contact the College’s Privacy Officer, Kate Wall, with any questions, comments or complaints about this Policy or our website privacy. You may reach her as follows.
By mail:
800 – 1801 Hollis Street
Halifax, NS B3J 3N4
By email:
privacy@nspharmacists.ca
By telephone:
+1 902-422-8528 ext. 244
This Policy was last updated on October 21, 2020 and is effective from that date. The College may change this Policy from time to time in order to ensure compliance with its legal and regulatory obligations, and will post these changes on its websites.