The nature of our business requires a relationship of trust with our issuer clients and their shareholders. We are required to obtain information about the companies we serve and the shareholders who invest in those companies.
The information with which we are entrusted is sometimes of a personal nature. Our clients and their shareholders have a right to expect that any personal information that they provide to us or that we obtain from other sources will be kept in strictest confidence and that access to personal information will be restricted to those who have legitimate need to review or use the information.
If a client or their shareholder has any concerns regarding the manner in which Equity Transfer & Trust Company has dealt with his or her personal information, he or she may contact our Privacy Officer by writing to:
Privacy Officer
Equity Transfer & Trust Company
200 University Avenue, Suite 400
Toronto ON M5H 4H1
Fax: 416 361 0470
Email: PrivacyOfficer@equitytransfer.com
Personal Information
Personal Information is information that identifies an individual personally. Personal information includes name, address, home telephone number, martial status, assets, liabilities, income and other information of a personal nature relating to race, religious beliefs, political opinions and affiliations.
The type of personal information Equity Transfer & Trust Company collects about an individual is related to their shareholding in a client company, how they hold their security position, i.e. registered in person, company or nominee, and if there are any conditions on their holdings.
How Do We Collect Personal Information
We may obtain personal information directly from the shareholder, from a broker representing the shareholder, from the company or from some other legitimate means.
How Do We use Personal Information
We use personal information solely for maintaining the shareholder registers of our issuer clients so that they can fulfill their corporate and regulatory duties and obligations, for purposes that enable us to fulfill our contractual obligations that we may be engaged from time to time to perform and to meet regulatory and legal requests that may be imposed upon us.
We will explain to an individual to what use his or her personal information will be put before we collect such information unless we are legally bound not to disclose the personal information that is being requested by competent legal authority. We will restrict our use of personal information to the purposes identified by the individual.
Consent
Canada's privacy laws stipulate that an individual’s consent is required prior to or at the time the personal information is collected. Except for certain limited circumstances defined by the privacy laws, consent is also required prior to the disclosing any personal information to a third party.
By becoming a shareholder of a company served by Equity Transfer & Trust Company, we believe that the individual has provided us his or her consent of use the information solely for the purposes of maintaining the shareholder registers of the company and that the company has access to the information so that it can meet its corporate, legal and regulatory duties and obligations. Further, third party access of this personal information will only be permitted within the legal and regulatory framework provided.
Protection of Personal Information
Disclosure of Personal Information
Given the type of service we provide to our issuers, Equity Transfer & Trust Company will be required to provide in the normal course of business personal information to the company, their counsel and to third parties in accordance with securities and corporate law and regulations.
We will only disclose an individual’s personal information with the individual’s consent, except where to do so would cause undue delay in the provision of necessary services or where Equity Transfer & Trust Company is legally required by law.
Retention of Personal Information
Equity Transfer & Trust Company will only retain an individual’s personal information for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it is collected or is required by law.
Accessing Your Personal Information
An individual has the right to access his or her personal information subject to legal restrictions.
Any concerns about personal information maintained by Equity Transfer & Trust Company or if you wish to access your personal information, please direct your query to:
Privacy Officer
Equity Transfer & Trust Company
200 University Avenue, Suite 400
Toronto ON M5H 4H1
Fax: 416 361 0470
Email: PrivacyOfficer@equitytransfer.com