The Beef Farmers of Ontario (BFO) is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to our website. The purpose of this statement is to establish rules that govern the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information by BFO in a manner that recognizes the need to balance the right of privacy of individuals with respect to their personal information with BFO’s need to collect, use, and/or disclose that personal information in order to fulfill its mandate.
Personal Information
Personal information is any information about an identifiable person. BFO commits to ensuring that all personal information gathered is kept confidential and is treated in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.
BFO does not systematically collect any personal information about the identity of individuals searching BFO’s website. BFO will only collect personal information (such as your name, address, telephone number or e-mail address) that is required to provide its services. The personal information could be collected, for example, if you submit a question or comment through the ‘Contact Us’ feature, or through the e-newsletter sign-up function.
When personal information is collected, BFO will explain how it will be used and will obtain your consent to collect, use, and disclose it. Personal information will only be collected if you provide it to us voluntarily.
BFO will only use your personal information for the purposes for which we have obtained your consent. For example, if you supply us with your name and contact information through the website as part of a request for information, you will only be contacted by us to provide the information that you requested. Your personal information will be kept until the stated purpose is completed.
We may provide your information to other parties when we have your consent to do so or when we are required or permitted to do so by law.
The personal information collected by BFO is kept and/or maintained at the head office of BFO and each employee, contractor, agent, and volunteer of BFO is required to agree to not share, copy, or disclose any personal information to any third party for any reason, other than as required under law or for the purposes for which you provided your personal information to us.
We take precautions to protect your personal information. We will protect your personal information to ensure that your personal information is protected against loss, misuse, unauthorized access or alteration with appropriate procedures and security measures, and dispose of it by means of shredding, or other methods, to protect the security of the information no longer required.
You will be responsible for ensuring that we have your up-to-date personal information in our records. Upon written request, and proof of identification, we will provide you with the personal information that we have on file about you.
BFO will respond to inquiries about its policies and practices relating to its handling of your personal information. Inquiries should be directed to our Privacy Officer using the contact information set out at the end of this Statement. BFO will investigate all complaints and will respond within 30-days of receipt of a written inquiry. If the complaint is found to be justified, BFO will take appropriate measures to resolve it, including, if necessary, amending BFO’s Privacy Policy and its procedures.
Non-personally Identifiable Information
When you visit BFO’s website, the following non-personal information is automatically collected:
- information about your computer, including your IP address, the type of operating system and browser you use, and your computer’s location;
- what pages you visit on the site and the links you click on; and
- other sites you’ve visited recently.
In addition, when you view our website, we may store some information on your computer in the form of a “cookie” or similar file. Cookies allow us to tailor a website or promotion to better match our visitors’ interests or preferences. Most Internet browsers enable you to erase cookies from your computer hard drive, block all cookies, or receive a warning before a cookie is stored. Please refer to your browser instructions or help screen to learn more about these functions. BFO collects the statistical information listed above from your visit to BFO’s website in order to help BFO develop content that responds to the interests of site visitors and to evaluate BFO’s services.
E-Newsletter
Subscriptions to our electronic newsletter are received on a voluntary basis. Names and email addresses are kept strictly confidential. The service is used to provide subscribers with relevant information about Ontario beef, including recipes, cooking tips and how beef is raised in Ontario. Subscribers can stop receiving our e-newsletter at any time by following the unsubscribe instructions on all emails received.
Email
While we welcome email inquiries, email sent over the Internet is not secure and may be lost, intercepted, or altered. If you send personally identifiable information to us via email, we will not be liable if it is lost or intercepted, altered or misused by someone else.
Surveys & Contests
From time-to-time our website may request information via surveys or contests. Participation in these surveys or contests is completely voluntary and you may choose whether or not to participate and therefore disclose this information. Information requested may include contact information (such as name and email), and demographic information (such as postal code or age). Contact information will be used to notify the winners and award prizes. Survey information will be used for purposes of monitoring or improving the use and satisfaction of this website.
Children
If you are under the age of majority in your province or territory of residence, please be sure to ask your parents or other responsible adult for permission before providing any personally-identifiable information to us.
Links to this Website
BFO acknowledges and appreciates links to this website. Links should go directly to the homepage. Linking directly to other pages within the site or framing content on the site is prohibited without prior written consent.
Links to other Websites
This website has been designed to be a resource for information on matters related to Ontario beef. As a result, there are links throughout the website to third-party sites. These links are provided for convenience only, and do not mean that BFO endorses or recommends the information contained in linked websites, or guarantees its accuracy, timeliness or fitness for a particular purpose. BFO takes no responsibility for the content or practices of third-party sites.
Disclaimers
The written materials provided on this site are for information purposes only. Although BFO has made reasonable efforts to ensure that the materials contained on this site are accurate, it does not warrant or guarantee: (a) the accuracy, currency, usefulness, or completeness of the materials; (b) that the site will be available without interruption, error or omission; (c) that defects will be corrected; or (d) that the website and the server(s) that make it available are free from viruses or harmful components. The website and the materials provided on the website are provided “as is” and “as available” without representations, warranties or conditions of any kind, either expressed or implied.
Consent
By using our website, you agree to comply with our privacy statement.
Changes to our Privacy Statement
If any changes are made to our privacy statement, these changes will be posted on this page.
Privacy Contacts
If you have any questions or complaints about this privacy statement, the privacy policy, or the handling of your personal information, if you wish to withdraw your consent to our use of your personal information, or to request access to or update any information we have on file, please contact our privacy officer:
Email: info@ontariobeef.com
Phone: 1.866.370.2333
Mail: Beef Farmers of Ontario, 130 Malcolm Road, Guelph, ON N1K 1B1
