1. Accountability
FMWC is structured in such a way that information is maintained primarily by certain employees. FMWC has given those employees the responsibility of addressing your privacy concerns. Should you have concerns about how your information is handled, or any questions about our privacy policy, feel free to contact us at fmwcmain@fmwc.ca Member records are maintained by the membership department fmwcmain@fmwc.

2. Identifying Purposes
If we intend to use or disclose your information in ways other than those described to you at the time of collection, we will ensure that you are informed and that consent is given.

The FMWC will also use personal information for other purposes such as reviewing demographic information and/or conducting statistical analyses in order to develop services that based on the needs of our members.
On occasion, the FMWC may release limited data to third party medical organizations such CMA, SOGC. Data released for this purpose may include names, business addresses and specialties, and will seldom include business phone/fax numbers, or email addresses. Our agreements with organizations restrict use to the approved purposes. The FMWC does not sell or rent member information to telemarketers, mailing list brokers, or pharmaceutical companies.

The FMWC does hire on occasion external companies/individuals to provide certain administrative services that require access to member information. These services can include document management services and mailing and distribution services. In addition, the FMWC may shares statistics and non-personal information with the media, other medical organizations, government agencies, and other third parties. For example, we may publish statistics on the geographic distribution of our members. This data, however, does not allow anyone to identify member names or link to other personal information.

3. Consent
The FMWC respects your rights to privacy. For this reason, we obtain your consent whenever we collect your personal information. Depending on the nature of the information, your consent may be collected on a form, within a letter, orally, or in some instances, consent will be implied. You have the right to withhold your consent on any request to use your personal information. To exercise your choices, or ask questions about your personal information, please contact us at fmwcmain@fmwc.ca.

4. Limiting Collection
The FMWC does not collect personal information indiscriminately and limits collection to what is necessary to carry out its mission. By collecting information limited to these purposes, FMWC helps protect you from unnecessary or accidental uses of your information. The FMWC prohibits its staff from collecting information through deception or misrepresentation.

5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention
We do not use your information for purposes other than those to which you have consented. FMWC does not sell or trade personal information for commercial purposes.

FMWC is committed to retaining your personal information only as long as is necessary for the purposes for which it is collected. FMWC is also committed to deleting or destroying the records containing that information when they are no longer required; this will be done in ways that will ensure your continued privacy. In order to maintain complete archives of FMWC activities, member records are retained while they are members and until they are no longer Emeritus members.

Should FMWC require the services of third parties to handle your information, we will require them to adhere to privacy procedures that will keep your information confidential. These third parties will be given only the information necessary for performing their information-handling services.

6. Accuracy
We are committed to ensuring that our records of your personal information are accurate, complete, and up-to-date. It is your responsibility to inform FMWC of any relevant changes in your personal information. We will take steps to ensure that you are able from time to time to verify the information in your file.

When there is conflicting information (such as information on an educational event registration form), you will be contacted to confirm the accuracy of your personal information.

7. Safeguards
FMWC uses appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of your personal information. These safeguards are designed to prevent unauthorized access, disclosure, loss or theft, disclosure, copying, use or modification. Your records are accessible only to staff who have been given the authority to access them and only as is necessary to provide services to you. Physical (such as building alarm systems, perimeter fences, locked filing cabinets) and technological risk (firewalls, passwords for all users in order to gain access to computers, separate passwords for access to the database, firewalls, and software programs that detect intrusion attempts and viruses) management processes are in place to protect your information.

All employees of the FMWC are familiar with the procedures that must be taken to safeguard your information. Protecting its confidentiality is specified in FMWC employment agreements and is confirmed in writing.

The FMWC is committed to ensuring the protection of your personal information. Security measures are in place to protect our building, the computer systems, and your files from unauthorized access and use. The safeguards used vary, and depend on the sensitivity of the information being protected; that is, a higher level of protection is used to safeguard more sensitive information.

8. Openness
So that you can be confident that FMWC is handling your personal information appropriately, FMWC will make information about its policies and practices concerning management of personal information readily available.

9. Individual Access
If at any time you have a question about our records containing your personal information, we will do our best to answer it. You have the right to be told about the kind of personal information FMWC maintains, how it is used, and with whom it is shared. Incorrect information will be promptly corrected upon your request. You can help us maintain your record up to date by keeping us informed of any modifications such as address changes or legal name changes. Most of the information is in electronic format, securely stored in the FMWC database, or in a hard copy file, stored in a restricted area.

If you would like to view this information, simply forward a signed written request to the National Coordinator. You will be required to provide sufficient information to allow us to verify your identity.

10. Addressing Comments and Concerns
An important measure of FMWC’s compliance with the ten (10) privacy principles is your perception of our practices and procedures. We welcome your comments and suggestions concerning this Privacy Policy Statement and will respond to any concerns you may have about its application.

Updating your information is easy. Each year in late fall, the FMWC sends you a “Membership Renewal”. This form provides you with a summary of the information we have in your file. Any errors or omissions to your information can be marked directly on the form and returned to the FMWC.

Alternatively, profile changes can be made at any time of the year on our website or by contacting: