Lakeside Gas Services Privacy Policy

Our Commitment

This Privacy Policy is based on the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act ("PIPEDA"). It governs the commercial relationship between Lakeside Performance Gas Services Ltd. ("Lakeside Gas Services", "we", "us" etc.) and individuals who are our customers or potential customers ("you").

At Lakeside Gas Services, we are committed to providing excellent service and to ensuring that our relationship with you is conducted with integrity and in a responsible, fair, honest and ethical manner. Consistent with these objectives we maintain high standards of confidentiality with respect to the personal information in our possession.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or wish to access the personal information in our possession about you, please contact our Privacy Officer.

1.0 Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

1.1 What personal information do we collect?

Personal information is information about you as an individual customer or potential customer and relates specifically to you (such as your name and address). When you first become a customer or whenever you require or renew a service or product from us, we need to collect some of your personal information. However, the personal information that we collect from you is always limited to the purposes that we have identified to you.

1.2 Purposes: Why do we collect personal information?

We ask you to provide us with your personal information to provide natural gas and related energy services or to meet legal and regulatory requirements relating to the services or products.

If we identify a new purpose for the personal information that we have collected from you, we will provide notice of these new purposes in this Privacy Policy. In cases where the new purpose is not consistent with the original purpose, we will ask you for your consent before using your personal information for the new purpose.

1.3 Consent: Why do we require your permission?

We collect, use or disclose your personal information only with your consent. Your consent may be express or implied, and you may give it to us in writing, verbally, electronically, or through your authorized representative. If you use our products and services, we consider that you have implied your consent for us to collect, use and disclose your personal information for the purposes identified above. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal and regulatory restrictions and reasonable notice.

In order to determine whether a person has implied consent to access information, Lakeside Gas Services may ask and confirm answers to a number of questions about account details. A customer that wishes to restrict account access can make that request through the Lakeside Gas Services call center.

We do not provide or sell customer lists to any outside company for marketing, solicitation or any other such purpose. We will not use or disclose your personal information without your consent except when required by law or law enforcement purposes or for an emergency that threatens life, health or security.

2.0 Protecting Your Personal Information

2.1 Security safeguards and employee awareness

Keeping your personal information confidential and secure is a priority for us. In order to ensure protection of your personal information and right to privacy, we have developed security procedures to safeguard and protect your personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized disclosure, copying, and unauthorized use or modification.

Our employees are trained to maintain the security and confidentiality of your personal information.

2.2 Agents and third party service providers

Lakeside Gas Services contracts with agents, contractors and other third parties for services related to gas distribution, such as maintenance and energy safety. From time to time, we may need to share some of your personal information with these third parties further to the purposes identified above and in order to serve your needs and in some instance such third parties may communicate directly with you. To a limited extent, Lakeside Gas Services contracts with foreign service providers for services such as data processing. These third parties may be required to disclose personal information in response to valid demands or requests from governments, regulators, courts and law enforcement authorities.

"Any third party that we share your personal information with is contractually bound to keep the information confidential and secure and to refrain from using it" in any way other than is necessary to perform the services.

3.0 Your Rights

3.1 Accessing your personal information

You have the right to ask whether we hold any personal information about you and to see that information. We will respond to your request for access within 30 days of the request being made.

You could refuse to allow us to obtain, use or share your personal information or you could also withdraw a previously given consent at any time. However, by doing so, depending on the situation, you may be limiting or even preventing our ability to provide you with the service or product you desire.

3.2 Requesting an update or correction

If you believe that any of your personal information is inaccurate, you may ask us to correct it. We will respond to your request to update or correct your personal information within 30 days of the request being made.

3.3 Registering complaints

In the event of any conflict or other concern regarding access to, or the accuracy or our use of, your personal information, you may register a question or complaint with our Privacy Officer.

4.0 Contact Information and Resources

If you wish to access your personal information, change your consent to the ways in which we may use your personal information, have a complaint about our Privacy Policy or the manner in which we may have handled your personal information, or if you have any other question about our Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer as follows:

To find out more about federal privacy laws, including the PIPEDA (the law applicable to Lakeside Gas Services), contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at 1–800–282–1376 or visit its website at www.privcom.gc.ca.

5.0 Changes to This Privacy Policy

In order to ensure that our Privacy Policy is kept up to date, we reserve the right to change it from time to time. Any changes will be effective when posted on the website. Please periodically review the Privacy Policy to ensure you are informed of current practices.

6.0 Visiting the Lakeside Gas Services Website

A visitor to the Lakeside Gas Services website, www.lakesidegas.ca, is not required to reveal any personal information, such as name, address, or telephone number. Nor is such information collected passively by electronic means, except as outlined below.

Your personal information is collected when you voluntarily complete an online application, request form, or survey and used in the same manner as any other personal information we collect in the course of providing services to you.

Our website collects visitor information in the form of the visitor's domain or Internet Protocol ("IP") address, and information regarding which pages are accessed. This information is used to better serve you by helping us manage and improve the content of our website and to diagnose technical problems.

Lakeside Gas Services may store a 'cookie' on your computer when you visit the website if needed to help display the web pages. It will not be used to collect any form of personal information.

7.0 The Lakeside Gas Services Commitment to the Ten Privacy Principles

  1. Accountability
  2. Lakeside Gas Services is responsible for personal information under its control and has designated a Privacy Officer who is accountable for the Lakeside Gas Services compliance with the ten privacy principles.

  3. Identifying Purposes
  4. Lakeside Gas Services shall identify the purposes for which personal information is collected at or before the time of collection.

  5. Obtaining Consent
  6. The knowledge and consent of a customer are required for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information, except where inappropriate.

  7. Limiting Collection
  8. The collection of personal information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purposes identified by Lakeside Gas Services. Personal information shall be collected by fair and lawful means.

  9. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention
  10. Lakeside Gas Services shall not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required by law. Lakeside Gas Services shall retain personal information only for as long as necessary to achieve fulfillment of the identified purposes.

  11. Keeping Personal Information Accurate
  12. Lakeside Gas Services shall keep personal information as accurate, complete, and up–to–date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.

  13. Safeguarding Personal Information
  14. Lakeside Gas Services shall protect personal information by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.

  15. Openness Concerning our Privacy Practices
  16. Lakeside Gas Services shall ensure that specific information about its policies and practices relating to the management of personal information is made readily available to customers and potential customers.

  17. Customer Access
  18. Lakeside Gas Services shall, upon request, inform a customer of the existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information and shall give such customer access to that information.

  19. Challenging Compliance
  20. A customer shall be able to address a challenge concerning the Lakeside Gas Services compliance with PIPEDA to the Lakeside Gas Services Privacy Officer.

8.0 Changes to Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify this policy at any time, so please review it frequently. If we make material changes to the policy, we will notify you on our home page.