Privacy Notice
Introduction
The Impact Assessment Agency of Canada (IAAC) and other organizations publish information online about assessments they conduct. For instance, comments and documents that inform project assessments by IAAC or an independent review panel are made publicly available via the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry (the Registry). Some exceptions related to privacy, security or confidentiality may apply.
Comments and additional information used for assessments by other federal organizations may be made public upon request or posted online, at their discretion.
IAAC also collects personal information to operate the notification service so that individuals can receive email notifications about assessments posted on the Registry.
Personal information
Individuals need to provide their full name and email address to sign up to the notification service. Individuals can choose to provide their postal code and organization for demographic purposes. Information is always kept confidential and is only shared with the organizations responsible to conduct assessments. If you unsubscribe, your personal information stays on the Registry database for two years.
With regard to submitting comments, we ask that participants do not provide personal information. Examples of personal information include:
- home address
- telephone number
- signature
- other credentials
However, if this information is provided, it may be used and disclosed, with the individual’s consent. For details, see the Privacy Act.
In such cases, the submitter’s name, personal information, views or opinions would be made public. However, the email address provided when submitting an online comment would not be disclosed.
Providing personal information about other individuals without their consent is prohibited. This includes the use of inappropriate or offensive language regarding those individuals.
If participants want to provide confidential or sensitive information, they should not submit it through the Registry. Instead, they need to contact the appropriate organization that is responsible for the relevant assessment by telephone or email.
Comments or information submitted may be shared with other federal or provincial government organizations involved in the assessment of proposed projects, subject to information sharing agreements.
Your rights
You have the right to:
- request access to your personal information held in our databases;
- request the correction of your personal information if it is incorrect;
- file a complaint* to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner if you think your personal information was handled improperly;
- request that your comments be removed in specific circumstances. The request can be sent by email to the contact listed on the relevant web page, and must include relevant information to inform IAAC’s evaluation of the request; and,
- modify or unsubscribe from the notification service at any time.
For details on how to request access to your personal information or correct errors, visit our About access to information and privacy webpage.
*If filing a complaint to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner, identify the assessment or policy proposal for which you submitted comments or information.
Voluntary use
When signing up to the notification service, you will be asked if you agree to be contacted to participate in surveys about your experience with athe Registry. Surveys are conducted by IAAC and are confidential, voluntary, and sent by email.
You can also request to have your name and email address added to an IAAC email distribution list for a specific assessment led by IAAC or by an independent review panel. Our emails inform recipients of participation opportunities, key documents and/or key steps in the process for a specific assessment. These email lists are only shared with IAAC employees and independent review panels, should one be appointed for a project. At any time, you may request that your contact information be removed from IAAC’s email lists.
More information
To learn more about how we use personal information, visit the Canadian Impact Assessment Registry's Personal Information Bank.