Privacy Policy and Freedom of Information

The Corporation of the County of Essex (“County”) is committed to protecting the privacy of any personal information you may provide when visiting our website. Our privacy policy complies with the provisions set out in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“MFIPPA”).

The purpose of the statement is to inform users of this site with regard to the collection and use of “personal information”, which is information about an identifiable individual. By using this website, you are consenting to the County collecting, storing and using your data and personal information as set out in in this Privacy Statement.

We collect data each time a visitor enters the County's website. This information is used to collect statistical information about visitors as a whole, and does not single out or identify specific individuals. Information collected may include:

• Your IP address and domain name.
• The name of your Internet Service Provider.
• Web browser information.
• Date and time of your visit.
• Pages accessed at the County's website.

The amount of data we receive depends on your browser and settings. Please refer to the instructions provided by your browser if you want to learn more about what information your browser sends to websites you visit or how you may change your browser settings.

When visiting our website you are not expected to tell us who you are. When/if we do ask for personal information, please be advised that the County collects, stores and discloses personal information in compliance with MFIPPA.

If we collect your personal information, it will only be used for the purposes for which it was collected (including responding to your inquiry or providing you with requested information or services) or for other purposes to which you consent. When we collect your personal information, we are committed to giving you notice outlining:

• Our legal authority for collecting the personal information.
• The purpose for collecting the personal information.
• How the information will be used and who will have access to it.
• How the information will be recorded and stored.
• Who to contact if you have any questions.

All information voluntarily sent to the County website by email, feedback form or other means, becomes the property of the County. We do not sell our visitors’ information to any outside company or organization. We do not reveal our visitors’ personal information to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use, except if required to do so by law.

Please note that, if you disclose personal information to the County, you may request that your personal information be deleted, amended and/or corrected, and you may request that your personal information not be used to contact you.

To the extent possible, the County will comply with your requests.  However, please note that the County will be unable to comply with your request if it is in contravention of a County policy or any applicable law.

The security of your personal information is important to the County. As such, the County has taken steps to protect your personal information through physical, organizational, and technological safeguards including:

• Limiting access to personal information to persons within the County who require such access to carry out the purpose for which the personal information was collected.
• Storing personal information on servers located at the County’s administrative building or through secure cloud servers.
• Destroying personal information when it is no longer required for the purpose for which it was collected or to meet legal requirements.
  
  

However, please understand that no security measures are absolute. The County cannot guarantee that the personal information you provide will remain secure, and it may be required to disclose your personal information pursuant to MFIPPA or any other applicable laws.

To improve our website, we are using Google Analytics to collect data for statistical reporting purposes. Google Analytics analyzes the use of our website through using cookies to collect and generate information about your visits to our website (including your IP address, web browser, and the pages you visit), which is transmitted to their servers in an anonymous form for processing. For more information, please visit the Google Analytics Privacy Policy.

This Privacy Statement is limited to the County website. The County assumes no responsibility for the websites that are linked to, hosted by or otherwise electronically connected to the County's website or web server.

The County may change this Privacy Statement and related policies at any time at its sole discretion. The County suggests that you periodically review this Privacy Statement, as your continued use of the website after any such changes are made constitutes your acceptance of same, as revised.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Statement or any related policies, please contact the County’s Privacy Officer at privacyofficer@countyofessex.ca.

If you have received your own personal information, including health information, and believe that your information is not correct, you can complete the online Access/Correction Complaint form and mail the application fee to the Privacy Officer. We will let you know if we are going to make the requested change to your personal information. If we do not agree that there is an error in your personal information, you can provide a signed letter advising that you disagree with personal information that we have for you in our records and we will attach that statement of disagreement to your personal information record. The County will require that you verify your identity before allowing you to access your personal information.

The County's website is provided for information purposes only. The authors publishing on the County's website do not make any representations or warranty, express or implied, including without limitations, as to the quality, merchantability and fitness for the County's website.

The County does not accept any responsibility for the accuracy of this information or reliance thereon, nor is it responsible for any expenses or damages incurred directly or indirectly resulting from the use of this information. The County shall not be liable for any indirect, special, incidental, exemplary, consequential or other damages including lost profits and any visitor to the County’s website saves the County harmless.

Please check with County staff for the most up to date information. In the case that information available at County facilities and that of the County's website is in discrepancy, it shall be deemed that the material located at the County facilities is current and correct overriding the material contained within the website. It is always in the best interest of visitors to contact the County when in doubt to ensure timely and accurate information.

The County reserves the right to discontinue, change or modify this website at any time without notice. Links to other websites or references to other organizations, products, services or publications do not constitute endorsement or approval by the County, and the County makes no representations whatsoever about any other website that you may access through this one.

The County assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of translations that you perform using the GoogleTM Translate tool. GoogleTM Translate is a third-party automated translator and, as such, may make mistakes that a skilled human translator would not otherwise make.

The County can only keep your personal information confidential to the extent permitted by law, and the County cannot guarantee confidentiality of your personal information.  The County will not be liable for damages arising from, but in no way limited to, the transmission of confidential information over the Internet.

The material provided on this website cannot be duplicated in whole or in part without the express written permission of the County or its legal representatives.

Fill in the online Freedom of Information Request form and pay the $5.00 Freedom of Information Request Fee.

If your request is for you own personal information, include a photocopy of a piece of identification with your signature. If you are requesting information on behalf of another person, include a letter with their signature authorizing you to make the request along with a photocopy of a piece of identification with their signature.

We will respond to your request within 30 days.

• We will contact you with an estimated cost before processing your request if we believe it will cost more than $25.

• You will need to pay 50 per cent of that cost before we proceed if it is more than $100.

• All fees must be paid by cash, cheque or money order, payable to “Treasurer, County of Essex.” Do not mail cash.

You can appeal to Ontario's Information and Privacy Commissioner within 30 days of receiving our decision if you are not satisfied.

Your appeal must include a copy of your original request for information and a copy of the County's decision letter. Forward your appeal request with the appropriate fee to the Privacy Commissioner's office:

2 Bloor Street East

Suite 1400

Toronto, Ontario

M4W 1A8

519-326-3333

The appeal fee for personal information requests is $10

The appeal fee for a general records request is $25