PRIVACY POLICY

Privacy of Information

At Golden Horseshoe Credit Union (GHCU), your privacy is important to us and we take the utmost care to preserve and ensure the confidentiality and privacy of your relationship with GHCU in our role as your trusted financial services provider.

GHCU may collect information from you for the following purposes:

• To understand your needs and to develop, offer and manage products and services that meet those needs;
• To determine the suitability and your eligibility for products and services;
• To evaluate your credit standing and to share or exchange reports and information with reporting agencies;
• To detect and prevent fraud and to help safeguard the financial interests of GHCU and its members;
• To meet legal and regulatory requirements.

The following ten interrelated principles are specified in the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, and have been adopted in the policies and day to day practices of GHCU and its employees:

1.  Accountability – The credit union is responsible for personal information under its control and shall designate a Privacy Officer who is accountable for the credit union’s compliance with the principles of the Code.
2.  Identifying Purposes – The purposes for which personal information is collected shall be identified by the credit union at or before the time the information is collected.
3. Consent – The knowledge and consent of the member are required for the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, except in specific circumstances as described within the Act.
4. Limiting Collection – The collection of personal information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by the credit union. Information shall be collected by fair and lawful means.
5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention – Personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual, or as required by law. Personal information shall only be retained for as long as necessary for the fulfilment of those purposes.
6. Accuracy – Personal information shall be as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.
7. Safeguards – Personal information shall be protected by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. The credit union will apply the same standard of care as it applies to safeguard its own confidential information of a similar nature.
8. Openness – The credit union shall make readily available to members specific, understandable information about its policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.
9. Individual Access – Upon request, a member shall be informed of the existence, use, and disclosure of their personal information, and shall be given access to that information. A member is entitled to question the accuracy and completeness of the information and have it amended as appropriate on proof of inaccuracy.
10. Challenging Compliance – A member shall be able to question compliance with the above principles to the Privacy Officer accountable for the credit union’s compliance. The credit union shall have policies and procedures to respond to the member’s question and concerns.

As we have in the past, we will continue to use your personal information solely for the purposes of providing you with financial services available through GHCU. We are required to obtain your consent for the continued use of your personal information for the purposes described above. We reserve the right to imply your consent for those specific purposes for the duration of your relationship with GHCU until such time that you provide further written consent, or limit or withdraw your consent.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding any privacy issues, please contact the Privacy Officer at 1194 Barton Street E., Hamilton, Ontario L8H 2V7.