Privacy

Purpose

Chartered Professional Accountants of New Brunswick (CPA New Brunswick/CPA NB) is a self-regulatory professional body established by the Chartered Professional Accountants Act (the Act) in New Brunswick to serve the public interest. It accomplishes this through a demanding education program, a professional practice advisory service, a mandatory practice inspection program, a comprehensive and robust disciplinary process, and its other regulatory processes.

Consistent with its objectives and mandate, CPA NB is dedicated to maintaining high standards of confidentiality with respect to the personal information that has been provided to the organization. This Privacy Policy has been prepared to affirm CPA NB’s commitment to maintaining the privacy of its registrants and to provide information about its practices concerning the collection, use and disclosure of personal information by CPA NB.

Definitions

Personal Information: means information about an identifiable individual and includes all records of personal information, whether written, photographed, recorded, or stored in any manner, on any storage medium or by any means, including by graphic, electronic or mechanical means.

Examples of personal information include, but are not limited to:

a) home address or electronic mail address, or personal telephone number
b) date of birth, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family status
c) ancestry, race, colour, nationality or national or ethnic origin
d) religion or creed or religious belief, association, or activity
e) past or current education, employment, or occupation
f) source of income or financial circumstances, activities, or history
g) credit card information.

Registrants: registrants include Chartered Professional Accountants of New Brunswick members, candidates and students seeking admission to CPA NB membership, as well as former members, candidates and students of CPA NB and its predecessor professional accounting bodies.

Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to all personal information collected, used, disclosed, stored or destroyed by CPA NB, where CPA NB has collected, used, disclosed, stored or destroyed such information in the course of its regulatory and operational activities. For clarity, this Privacy Policy does not apply to publicly available information.

Process and Procedures

Collecting personal information

CPA NB only collects such personal information reasonably required to fulfill the purposes for which the information is collected and perform our duties under the Act, CPA NB By-Laws, CPA NB Code of Professional Conduct and any other applicable laws or regulations.

When collecting personal information, CPA NB will:

• Notify an individual, at or before the time that personal information is collected, the purpose for which it is collected, unless otherwise authorized by applicable laws or regulations;
• Limit the collection to what is reasonable to achieve the purposes for which the information was collected or for a use that is consistent with that purpose;
• Endeavour to collect personal information directly from the subject of the information unless the subject has otherwise consented or as authorized by applicable laws or regulations;
• Ensure that all individuals have the right to request access to their personal information, which CPA NB collects about them;
• Comply with its Act, CPA NB By-Laws, CPA NB Code of Professional Conduct, and this Policy.

Disclosure of personal information

CPA NB respects the confidentiality and right to privacy of its registrants and has strict processes regarding the disclosure of personal and other information to other registrants and third parties. Personal information is not disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individual or as required or permitted by legal documents such as the CPA NB Act and/or By-Laws.

In addition, the Act and By-Laws require that CPA NB shall maintain a register of registrants available for public inspection, which includes but is not limited to the full legal name, location, category of registration, registrant’s standing and other information as described in the Act, By-Laws, Code of Professional Conduct and policies of CPA NB.

CPA NB may also provide registrants’ personal information to:

• other Provincial CPA bodies, either through general inter-provincial advisories on changes in membership status or response to specific inquiries and in particular when a registrant is seeking membership in that organization; and
• other regulatory, professional or other bodies upon specific inquiry about a registrant, including the Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB).

Also, in order to meet its regulatory and other mandates, CPA NB does exchange both personal or private information and other membership information, either in response to specific inquiries or, more generally, with the following affiliated organizations:

• Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada)
• The CPA Atlantic School of Business (CPAASB)
• Other Provincial CPA bodies, including CPA Bermuda
• CPA Professional Insurance Plan Inc. (CPA plan Inc.)
• Canadian Public Accountability Board (CPAB)

Correction of Personal Information

CPA NB makes all reasonable efforts to ensure that personal information is as accurate, complete, and current as required for the purposes for which it was collected. CPA NB relies on registrants to ensure that certain information about them, such as mailing addresses (both regular and electronic) and telephone numbers, is current, complete and accurate. If a registrant finds any inaccuracies in such information, it can be updated via the member portal, or registrants may email [email protected] to correct it.

Safeguarding Personal Information

CPA NB takes reasonable steps to protect the personal information collected and has made appropriate arrangements to safeguard against unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal or destruction of personal information. All CPA NB staff and volunteers are required to comply with policies and procedures in relation to the security, management, and protection of personal information within the custody or under the control of CPA NB.

CPA NB uses the following methods of protection:

• physical measures, including the storage of personal information in locked filing cabinets and restricting access to offices;
• organizational measures, including controlling access to databases and limiting access to personal information to a "need-to-know" basis;
• technological measures, including the use of firewalls and passwords for personal information stored electronically;
• investigative measures, such as where CPA NB has reasonable grounds to believe that personal information is being inappropriately collected, used or disclosed; and
• reasonable security measures to back up data in the case of a disaster and/or catastrophe.

Retention of Personal Information

CPA NB will only retain personal information for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which the personal information was collected or to meet the requirements of its records management internal policy and By-Laws.

Complaints

If registrants have concerns with how CPA NB has collected, accessed, used, disclosed or stored their personal information, they are entitled to submit a complaint to CPA NB. CPA NB will review the complaint concerning compliance with applicable law, regulation and this Policy. CPA NB will make every reasonable effort to resolve complaints, including, if necessary, recommending changes to policies and practices of handling personal information and provide the registrant with a response to their complaint.