Our Commitment to Privacy

A tradition of respect for rights

Credit unions in Canada have a long history of respecting the rights of their member/owners. As co-operative financial institutions, credit unions are committed to implementing policies and procedures that maintain these rights.

Your credit union Board of Directors has adopted the Credit Union Code for the Protection of Personal Information, established Policies and Procedures, and appointed a Privacy Officer. You are entitled to review the Code, access your personal information, or contact the Privacy Officer at any time. Through these actions, what has been our accepted practice becomes our documented commitment to you, the member.

 

Your Personal Information

We hold personal information about members to help us meet and maintain the highest standards of financial service. This information can include your name, address, Social Insurance Number, age, use of accounts and credit history, employment records, personal references, as well as the relationship of others linked to you in account services. We obtain this information from you directly, and from the product and service arrangements you have made with or through us. Information is also obtained with your permission from credit bureaus, other financial institutions and from the personal references you provide us.

 

Co-operative Financial Services Partners

Your credit union also provides services in conjunction with financial services partners that include the Co-operative Financial Services Groupä of companies. These companies include: Co-operators Insurance, Co-operative Trust Company of Canada, Credit Union Members Insurance Society (CUMIS), Ethical Funds Inc., League Data, League Savings & Mortgage, MemberCare Financial Services, or other similar organizations that support credit union goals and values and provide useful and valuable products and services to our members.

In accordance with regulatory requirements, your credit union may be required to collect, use or disclose information with other Co-operative Financial Services Partners in providing a service.

Your personal information may also be shared with these partners so that they may promote their services to you.

 

We only collect what we absolutely need

Because of the importance placed on member's confidentiality, the credit union will only collect, use or disclose information that we absolutely need. The credit union will ask for information for the following purposes:

  • To understand your financial servicing needs;
  • To determine the suitability and eligibility for member products and services;
  • To evaluate your credit standing and to share or exchange reports and information with credit reporting agencies;
  • To detect and prevent fraud, and to help safeguard the financial interests of the credit union and its members;
  • To meet legal and regulatory requirements.
  • For the promotion of products and services by your credit union and/or partner companies.

 

We ask you for your SIN to comply with tax reporting requirements. For example, when you open a deposit account, we ask for your SIN as any interest earned must be reported. There are other purposes for which we may ask you for your SIN. For example, if you are applying for a loan or overdraft protection, we may ask for your SIN to ensure an accurate match between your personal information and your credit bureau report.

 

Concentra Financial

Concentra Financial is a national financial organization with a difference; specifically, they are a Credit Union Company.
They are focused on providing specialized products and services to credit unions and their members. Through this relationship, Sydney Credit Union members are able to access an expanded range of products and services.
Personal trust services are offered by Concentra Trust, a wholly owned subsidiary of Concentra Financial. Specialized trust products are designed to assist our members in attaining their unique personal and financial goals.
Sydney Credit Union's partnership with Concentra Trust allows members to access the following personal trust services:

  • Executor EASE
  • Estate Administration
  • Trust
  • Personal Administration Accounts

 

Personal Information Consent

We need your consent. Here's how you can provide it.

You can provide us with your express consent in a variety of ways (depending upon the sensitivity of the information) – in writing, electronically, or verbally in some instances. For current members, implied consent will apply, where we can reasonably conclude that you have given consent by deciding not to withdraw your consent. Preferably, we will obtain your express consent in writing when you become a credit union member or when you apply for a new credit union service offering.

If, for whatever reason, you do not provide us with your written consent, or do not withdraw your consent, we will assume that we have your implied consent for the continuing use of your personal information for purposes described within this brochure, including disclosure to the Co-operative Financial Group of Companies.

You can withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual obligations.

For example, your credit union is required by law to provide a record of your interest earning information to the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency, therefore this information could not be limited. However, you must understand that if you make this choice, we may not be able to provide you with the product or service that you desire.

 

Credit Union Code for the Protection of Personal Information

Here is a summary of the 10 Principles. If you would like additional information, please contact us.

  1. Accountability: We have designated a Privacy Officer who is accountable for our compliance with the principles of the Code.
  2. Identifying Purposes: Before or at the time we ask you for personal information, we will identify the purposes for which it will be used or disclosed.
  3. Consent: We require your knowledge and consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information.
  4. Limiting Collection: The collection of personal information shall be limited to that which is necessary for the purpose identified by the credit union.
  5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention: If you have provided explicit limited consent, your personal information shall not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected or as required by law. We will retain your information only as long as necessary to fulfill identified purposes.
  6. Accuracy: We will keep your information accurate, complete, and up-to-date.
  7. Safeguards: We will protect your personal information with appropriate security safeguards.
  8. Openness: We will make specific, understandable information readily available to you about our personal information policies and practices.
  9. Individual Access: When you request it, we will give you access to the existence, use, and disclosure of your information. You are entitled to question its accuracy and completeness, and its uses.
  10. Challenging Compliance: You are entitled to question the Privacy Officer about our compliance with any of these principles.

 

Web Site Privacy

On our web site, we only collect personal information required to improve the services we offer, to improve our site content and, with your permission, to contact you with information about our services.

For more information on our web site Privacy Statement, please read below.

Information we collect on our site

You can visit all public areas of our site without providing any personal information about yourself. Our Web site collects only non-personal information based on a visitor's Internet Protocol (IP) address (this is not personally identifiable). Information collected includes the date and time of visit, the type of Internet browser used to access the site, the referring address (the link a visitor uses to access the site). This data is used to create statistics on site usage and improve online services.

As you browse sydneycreditunion.com, advertising cookies will be placed on your computer so that we can understand what you are interested in.  Our display advertising partner, AdRoll, then enables us to present you with retargeting advertising on other sites based on your previous interaction with sydneycreditunion.com. The techniques our partners employ do not collect personal information such as your name, email address, postal address or telephone number.  You can visit this page to opt out of AdRoll and their partners’ targeted advertising.

If you send us an e-mail, any information provided by you will only be used for the purposes of responding to your inquiry or acting on your request. We will not use your name or e-mail address for any other purposes without additional consent.

 

Links to other Web sites

Our web site contains links to other web sites that are part of, affiliated with, or have a business relationship with Sydney Credit Union. When you leave our site to visit one of these other sites, the only information transferred to the new site is the fact that you came from the Sydney Credit Union web site (the referring address). Transmission of this referring address allows other sites to monitor their own web traffic, but does not disclose any personal information about you.

 

How do I contact Sydney Credit Union with Questions or Concerns?

We welcome any questions or concerns about our Privacy Statement, or the practices of this site. Please contact us by e-mail or in writing at the following address:

Frances MacDonald
Privacy Officer
Sydney Credit Union
95 Townsend St., Sydney
Nova Scotia, Canada

 

Notice:

Sydney Credit Union reserves the right to amend its Internet Privacy Statement and its Privacy Code at any time with or without notice. Please check this page periodically for changes.