Privacy policy

In keeping with its values of respect, inclusion, self-determination, professionalism, integrity and active living, Special Olympics Québec is committed to building a culture of respect and dignity and to protecting the privacy of its members.

This policy describes how Special Olympics Québec collects, uses, protects, discloses and destroys personal information and sets out Special Olympics Québec ‘s commitment to collecting, using and disclosing personal information responsibly.

If you have any questions or concerns about how we handle your personal information, or if you wish to review or update your personal information or correct any inaccuracies, or if you wish to withdraw your consent, you may contact our Privacy Officer:

Ode Caron
Strategic and Financial Development Director

1274 Jean-Talon Est, bureau 200
Montréal (Québec) H2R 1W3
438 521-8617
ocaron@olympiquesspeciaux.qc.ca

Purpose of the policy

Special Olympics Québec must collect certain personal and confidential information in order to carry out its mission efficiently and securely in the interest of athletes.

The Civil Code of Québec, the Québec Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms, the Québec Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector and the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act set out the principle of respect for privacy and the safeguards governing the collection and use of personal information.

As a chapter of a national organization, Special Olympics Québec must transfer certain information outside Québec , where it is collected and stored in a Canada-wide database on a server located in Toronto.

In this context, Special Olympics Québec wishes to comply with all federal and provincial privacy legislation.

Scope of the policy

All employees, contractors, administrators, volunteers and all stakeholders and agents (e.g. clubs, Société des Jeux, Healthy Athletes partners, etc.) who administer a program or activity directed or sanctioned by Special Olympics Québec must comply with this policy.

Policy implementation

General management is responsible for implementing the policy. It is responsible for training and communicating the privacy protection process and its implementation to employees, contractors, administrators, volunteers and all stakeholders and agents who administer a program or activity directed or sanctioned by Special Olympics Québec.

They may be supported in this task by team members duly trained for this intervention. They manage the mechanisms for complaint and redress, where applicable.

Nature of personal information collected and retained

The personal information held by Special Olympics Québec is essentially provided voluntarily by the member. Without being restrictive, personal information may include the following:

Personal characteristics (e.g. gender, date of birth, age, height, weight, etc.);
Contact information (e.g. address, telephone number, cell phone number, etc.);
Medical information (e.g. medical history, health conditions, health care received, etc.);
National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) number, education, resume, experience, etc;
Credit card numbers and banking information;
Biography, performance results and feedback from coaches;
Social insurance number;
Results of a criminal record check;
Guardian information;
Marketing information, including demographic and attitudinal data;
Passport number and Aeroplan or frequent flyer membership numbers;
Etc.

Personal information does not include business contact information (e.g. business address or telephone number) or public information, which is not protected under privacy legislation.

Special Olympics Québec also holds information on the curriculum for training coaches and officials. As employers, the organization holds information on employees and contractors (e.g., salaries and benefits, diplomas, etc.).

Use of personal information collected and stored

Personal information collected by Special Olympics Québec is used to maintain the quality and conformity of services offered to athletes. Special Olympics Québec collects personal information about employees, volunteers, members, coaches and volunteer partners for the following purposes, among others:

Sending communications such as e-news, e-mails, newsletters, philanthropic solicitation, invoices, notices, program information, invitations to events and activities;
Internal database entry to manage donations and fundraising registrations.
Entry into Special Olympics Canada’s national membership database for reporting purposes;
Composition of teams representing Québec at national and international events, and calculation of quotas;
Activity registration, travel management and equipment purchasing;
Divisioning;
Human resources and benefits management for Special Olympics Québec;
Implementation of Special Olympics Québec ‘s criminal record check program;
In the event of a medical emergency;
Purchase of uniforms;
Competition registration;
Technical follow-up, analysis of coaches and clubs, official training sessions;
Communication activities, media relations, publications on the Special Olympics Québec website and on its various social media platforms;
For statistical purposes, to draw up a portrait of our athlete and volunteer communities.

Special Olympics Québec will seek consent from individuals if their personal information is to be used for purposes not identified above and to which they have not yet consented. How and when consent is obtained must be documented.

Consent

Any collection of personal information must be done with the informed consent of the member. Consent shall be obtained by lawful means at the time of collection, and prior to use or disclosure.

If consent for the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is not obtained at the time of collection, it must be obtained prior to use or disclosure.

Special Olympics Québec may collect personal information without consent where reasonable and permitted by law.

By providing Special Olympics Québec with personal information, individuals consent to its use for the purposes identified in this Policy.

Individuals may withdraw their consent to the collection, use, retention or disclosure of their personal information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions, provided they give Special Olympics Québec 5 business days prior written notice.

Special Olympics Québec agrees to respect and stop any further collection or use of the applicant’s personal information. Depending on the nature of the information in question, such withdrawal may result in the applicant no longer receiving all or part of Special Olympics Québec’s services. The specific consequences of withdrawing consent will be communicated to the applicant in writing following submission of the application.

Management of personal information

Depending on the type of information collected, information is managed and stored differently. Athlete and volunteer profile information is stored in Special Olympics Canada’s pan-Canadian database on a secure server in Toronto.

Only those responsible for data management at Special Olympics Québec have access to nominative data. Special Olympics Canada managers have access to non-nominative data for statistical purposes only.

Information relating to the criminal record check is kept in a secure computer file on the Special Olympics Québec server in Montreal. Once the check is complete, only the results are retained and stored in a protected file.

Personnel data, with the exception of data collected in connection with their participation in national or international competitions, is kept securely in electronic and paper format by General Management for the duration of employment and for a period of seven years after termination of employment.

Information relating to complaints is kept securely by General Management, in electronic or paper format depending on the original format.

Clubs and local sections that collect registration forms are subject to the same rigorous protection of the information they hold on members, and are required to implement security, storage and destruction standards.

Transitory documents not intended for retention (copies, printouts from a computerized bank, registration forms) are destroyed by the person responsible for entering the document.

Personal information used to make a decision about a member will be retained for at least one year to allow the individual access to the information after the decision has been made.

Special Olympics Québec may disclose personal information to a government institution if the government institution has asserted its lawful authority to obtain the information and if Special Olympics Québec has reasonable grounds to believe the information would be useful in the investigation of unlawful activity, in complying with a subpoena or warrant or a court order, or for any other purpose permitted by applicable law.

Right of access and correction

Subject to the limits provided by law, any person has the right to consult information concerning him or herself or a minor for whom he or she is the legal guardian and which is held by a third party.

All requests for access to information must be made in writing and addressed to Special Olympics Québec Privacy Officer. Any request deemed frivolous or vexatious that would paralyze the organization’s operations will be submitted to the Board of Directors. The Privacy Officer will then inform the applicant of the decision to grant or refuse the request.

The requested information will be disclosed to the applicant within 30 days of receipt of the written request, unless there are reasonable grounds for extending the deadline, either free of charge or at a nominal cost corresponding to the expenses incurred (postage, photocopies, etc.).

Should the applicant discover that the information held is inaccurate, incomplete or outdated, he or she must submit a written request for correction to the Privacy Officer. The latter will make the changes and inform the applicant when the changes have been made.

Special Olympics Québec may not be able to respond to requests for access to personal information for various reasons of an economic, legal, security or third-party protection nature, such as:

Transmission of information is excessively costly;
The information contains references to other persons;
The information cannot be disclosed for legal, security or commercial reasons;
The information is subject to solicitor-client or litigation privilege.

In the event of refusal, Special Olympics Québec will inform the applicant of the reasons for the refusal.

Right to complain

Any complaint concerning non-compliance with this policy must be addressed in writing to the Privacy Officer. The Privacy Officer will investigate all complaints and take the necessary corrective measures.

Any applicant whose complaint is not resolved to his or her satisfaction may appeal to the Special Olympics Québec Board of Directors. The Board of Directors will review the complaint and the actions and/or decisions taken by the Privacy Officer. The Board of Directors will confirm or reverse the decision of the Privacy Officer. The decision of the Board of Directors is final and binding.

Changes to this policy

Our privacy and confidentiality policies, including this Privacy Policy, may be updated to reflect changes in our information handling practices, to comply with applicable laws and regulations, or to improve the clarity and transparency of our policies.

If we make material changes to our Privacy Policy, we will notify you by posting an updated copy on our website. Please check our website regularly for updates.