Privacy Policy and Information Consent Form for Applicants and Students
Dated: December 2023
The Society of Notaries Public (SNPBC) is committed to protecting the privacy rights of individuals. This policy concerning the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information is directed to persons who submit an application whether completed or not.
“Applicant” shall mean and include, without limitation, a person who:
- Applies to SNPBC to for entry into the Notary Education Program;
- Is accepted into the Notary Education Program; or
- Makes application to challenge the statutory examinations.
PURPOSES
The SNPBC collects and uses personal information for purposes authorized or required by law and for the following purposes:
- to process an application for enrolment in the Notary Education Program;
- to assess creditworthiness to become a member of The Society;
- to assess moral fitness and character to become of member of The Society;
- to assess educational background, business acumen, and other credentials;
- to discuss academic misconduct matters with Simon Fraser University;
- to verify any personal information provided to us;
- to allow us to communicate with you; and
- to process and administer payments in compliance with relevant regulatory and legal requirements (for example: program fees; examiners’ fees; legal fees);
SNPBC will generate statistics and aggregate reports from personal information. These statistics and aggregate reports will not contain any personally identifiable information.
SNPBC is subject to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and complies with the information and protection provisions of FIPPA.
If we want to use or disclose your personal information for a different purpose, we will identify the new purpose and obtain your consent unless the use or disclosure is authorized or required by law.
When you are commissioned as a Notary Public and admitted as a member, all information provided to the SNPBC becomes part of your permanent membership file.
CONSENT TO OBTAIN AND COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will request consent to collect, use, or disclose personal information except where we are authorized or required by law to obtain that information without your consent.
In addition, we may collect and use, or disclose information where:
- the information is publicly available;
- we are obtaining legal advice; or
- we reasonably expect that obtaining your consent would compromise an investigation or proceeding.
Consent may be expressed, implied, or given through an authorized representative. It can also be given verbally, in writing, electronically.
You may withdraw consent to collect further or additional information at any time. Any withdrawal of consent may be subject to legal, contractual, and/or other limitations. You must give reasonable notice, and after we have received such notice, we will inform you of any likely consequences of withdrawing consent, which may include our inability to provide certain services to you or to continue our relationship with you. Any personal information already in the possession of the SNPBC will be kept and destroyed in accordance with FIPPA.
LIMITS ON COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
SNPBC only collects personal information for purposes outlined in this policy.
LIMITS FOR USING, DISCLOSING, AND RETAINING PERSONAL INFORMATION
We will only disclose personal information for the purposes to which you have consented, unless otherwise authorized or required by law. The SNPBC never sells personal information.
SNPBC will destroy, erase, or make anonymous documents or other records containing personal information as soon as it is required by law or reasonable to assume that: (a) the original purpose is no longer being served by retention of the information, and (b) retention is no longer necessary for legal or regulatory purposes.
ACCURACY
Every reasonable effort is made to ensure that personal information accurate and complete. The SNPBC will amend or correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information as necessary.
When a dispute regarding the accuracy of personal information is not resolved to your satisfaction, we will annotate the personal information under our control with a note that a change was requested but not made.
SAFEGUARDING PERSONAL INFORMATION
SNPBC protects the personal information in our custody and control by making reasonable security arrangements to prevent unauthorized access, collection, use, or disclosure of the information.
DISCLOSURE OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
Your personal information is only disclosed as is described in this policy, as you consent, as may be required by law, for the purpose of an investigation, or as otherwise may be required.
PROVIDING ACCESS
You have a right to access your personal information held by us.
Upon your written request we will provide you with a copy of your personal information under our control. We will make the information available within 30 days or provide written notice where additional time is required to fulfil the request.
In some situations, we may not be able to provide access to certain information (e.g. if disclosure is prevented by law, would reveal personal information about a third party, the personal information is protected by solicitor/client privilege, the information was collected for the purposes of an investigation, or where disclosure of the information would reveal confidential regulatory information).
Where an access request is refused, we will provide written reasons for that refusal and outline further steps that are available to you.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE SNPBC
The collection, use, and disclosure of information are a necessary part of your relationship with the SNPBC and are not optional unless you wish to terminate your relationship with the SNPBC. The privacy officer would be pleased to discuss this with you. If you have any questions about our use and disclosure of your personal information, please contact our privacy officer, Executive Director John Mayr, by email at
If we do not hear from you, we will assume you understand and consent to us collecting, using, and disclosing your personal information as described above.
AMENDMENTS TO THIS POLICY
Policies and rules relating to privacy and the internet are evolving quickly and may be changed. We will make every effort to advise you of any change and if we change our privacy policy, we will post those changes on our website so that you may be aware of what information we collect and how we use it.