There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1
Introduction
St. Mark’s recognizes the importance of privacy as well as the sensitivity of personal information and we are committed to protecting the privacy of our parishioners, volunteers and employees. To demonstrate our commitment and to recognize the requirements of the British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), we have developed this Privacy Policy which was approved by Parish Council on November 27, 2012.
St. Mark’s has created the role of Privacy Offer and has appointed Ken Anderson to hold that position until further notice. The Privacy Officer is responsible for overseeing the Privacy Policy and responding to any inquiries, requests, concerns or complaints relating to privacy matters. Ken may be contacted through the church office at 12953 20th Avenue, Surrey, B.C. V4A 1Z1, telephone number (604) 535-8841.
Collecting Personal Information
We will collect personal information for the Administration of the Church of the type and for the purposes identified as follows:
In order to operate and administer the church and its ministries efficiently and effectively, as well as to maintain the records of accustomed worshippers as required by the Canons of the Synod of the Diocese of New Westminster, we maintain a master list of parishioners’ postal and email addresses, and phone numbers. This will be used to contact parishioners and write to them about the Church from time to time.
In order to fulfill our reporting requirements for BC Vital Statistics for marriages and funerals conducted, we are required to collect details of dates and places of birth, marriage, death and burial, plus parentage, maiden name, spouses name and their respective addresses and telephone numbers.
In order to facilitate the rental of Church premises and to contact tenants as may be required, we will obtain names, postal and email addresses and telephone numbers for the tenant’s designated contacts.
In order to evaluate the acceptability of volunteers and to fulfill the requirements of our Screening in Faith Policy, we will obtain past church and ministry involvement as well as answers to personal interview questions.
In order to hire and retain suitable employees for the Church, we will obtain details of past employment, references, social insurance numbers, bank accounts and names of beneficiaries for employees and maintain records of their respective performance appraisals. Some of that information will be conveyed to the Diocese of New Westminster for salary processing and benefits purposes and will be protected under the Privacy Policy of the Diocese.
In order to facilitate emergency medical treatment, if required, we will request details of allergies for children and any other information that parents wish to share that will enable ongoing care of their children.
In order to facilitate prayer, we will obtain verbal consent to pass along to the Prayer Team, either verbally or by email, details of an individual’s personal circumstances for which they are seeking prayer.
In order to facilitate the processing of financial donations by Pre-authorized Bank debit, we will request the details of an individual’s bank account and account number or credit card number and expiry date. Such information will be provided to the Diocese of New Westminster who arrange for the actual processing of the payments and it will be protected under the Privacy Policy of the Diocese. A copy of that Policy is available upon request.
In order to maintain records as required by the Canada Revenue Agency, we will maintain details of the donors and amounts of donations made to the Church for a period of seven years.
From time to time, photographs of parishioners may be taken and used in parish or diocesan publication materials. In the event, that photographs of a minor child are taken, they will not be used without express consent of a parent of the child.
Using and Disclosing Personal Information
We will only use or disclose the previously described information for the purposes identified, unless such use or disclosure is permitted or required by law. We will not use or disclose such information for any other purpose unless we obtain consent to do so, either orally, electronically or in writing. Consent can be implied where the purpose for collecting, using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the parishioner or employee voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.
Retaining Personal Information
We will take reasonable steps to maintain information which is as accurate, complete and up to date as possible. We will retain personal information only as long as necessary for the identified purposes and when we destroy information, we will use safeguards to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to that information during the process. We have arrangements in place to protect the confidential information by keeping it in locked cabinets and locked offices with limited access. Electronic data is password protected.
Access to Personal Information
Individuals have the right of access to their own personal information as well as the right to submit written requests to correct errors or omissions in their personal information that is in our custody and control. We will respond to such requests in a timely manner.
Complaints
An individual who has questions or a complaint with respect to our policy concerning the handling of his or her personal information should contact the Privacy Officer in writing. The Privacy Officer will investigate the complaint and respond to an inquiry as soon as practical, but in no event longer than 15 days. If an individual is not satisfied with the response, he or she may contact:
The Office of the Information and Privacy Officer
P.O. Box 9038, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, B.C. V8W 9A4
Telephone (250) 387-5629