At Stevenson Hood Thornton Beaubier LLP, your privacy has always been of paramount importance. We have always as a matter of course strived to protect and control confidential information. Further, as legal professionals, we have always adhered to the stringent confidentiality requirements of our Code of Professional Conduct.
On January 1 of 2004, we, like other organizations, became subject to new privacy legislation - the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA"). While our pre-existing policies virtually always exceed the duties imposed by the new legislation (and these high standards will continue), PIPEDA nonetheless stipulates that we disclose our privacy policy. It is set forth below.
- We collect personal information (that is, any information by which you can be identified) only for purposes related to the completion of the work you entrust to us, or for keeping you informed about matters impacting on that work.
- We collect personal information only by lawful and fair means and not in an unreasonably intrusive way. Generally speaking, we gather this information at the time you engage us to act as solicitors on your behalf. Sometimes we may obtain information about you from other sources, such as insurance companies, real estate agents, a government agency or registry, an employer or an accountant.
- We will disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:
- Where required or authorized by law or by regulation or by the rules of conduct that govern the legal profession, eg. if the court issues a subpoena;
- Where you have consented;
- Where the legal service we are providing to you requires us to do so, eg. in a real estate mortgage transaction;
- Where necessary to establish or collect fees;
- Where we engage a third party to provide administrative services, eg. computer back-up or archival file storage, and the third party is bound by our privacy policy;
- If we engage expert witnesses on your behalf;
- If we retain other law firms in other jurisdictions on your behalf;
- If the information is already public knowledge.
- We do not disclose personal information to any third party to enable them to market their products and services.
- We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to complete the work you have asked us to do. Once the work is complete, we close the file and destroy it routinely after ten years. On occasion, some files may be kept longer.
- We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information is secure, including:
- Alarmed premises;
- Internal password and security policies;
- Technological safeguards such as security software and firewalls to prevent computer hacking.
- Please be aware when you convey personal or confidential information to us via e-mail or cellphone that these are not always secure modes of communication.
- You are entitled to request access to your personal information, and to correct any errors or omissions. We strive to keep our records accurate and ask that you notify us of changes in addresses and other personal information.
- Your right to access your personal information is not absolute, and may be denied where:
- Denial of access is required or authorized by law;
- There are existing or anticipated legal proceedings against you;
- Granting you access would have an unreasonable impact on other people's privacy;
- The protection of our firm's rights and property is at stake;
- The request is frivolous or vexatious.
- If we deny your request for access to personal information, we will explain why.
- We presume, unless you advise otherwise, that this Privacy Policy is acceptable to you, and that by continuing to deal with us you have consented to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information as explained in this Privacy Policy.
- We may, from time to time, amend our Privacy Policy. Any changes will be posted on our website and in our brochures. This Privacy Policy was last updated on October 18, 2004.
Our Privacy Officer is Robert F. Thornton, Q.C. Please do not hesitate to contact Bob if you have any with any questions or comments about our practice and procedures.
Stevenson Hood Thornton Beaubier LLP
500, 123 - 2nd Avenue South
Saskatoon SK S7K 7E6
Phone (306) 244-0132
Fax (306) 653-1118
E-mail: