Privacy Statement

Starling Community Services takes privacy very seriously and is committed to protecting the trust and privacy of everyone by being transparent and accountable in how we treat your information. We follow privacy principles as outlined in the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). If you have any questions about our privacy safeguards, please ask your worker or ask to speak with our Privacy Officer.

Purpose of Information Being Collected and Used

We only collect and use information necessary for the purpose of providing you with service. Details about that purpose will be provided to you at your appointment and are in the client handbook.

Starling's various funders require us to report data to show accountability and quality of service. More information about the data reporting requirements can be found in the client handbook. Starling may also use non-identifying data and/or quotes in proposals, research projects and social media for the purpose of seeking funding, promoting and making service improvements within our agency, region and beyond. Internally, we use non-identifying aggregate data to plan services, manage risks, and improve service quality.

Direct and Indirect Collection of Information

We collect information from you directly. There may be circumstances where we collect information from others about you when it reduces risk or when it is not possible to collect it from you directly in an accurate, complete and/or timely manner.

Your Right to Access Your Records

You have the right to access to your file. You may request to see and/or receive a copy of information from your file. Certain exceptions apply as outlined in our access to records policy and will be explained to you at the time of request.

Your Right and Responsibility to an Accurate File

You are responsible to provide accurate and up-to-date information and have the right to correct and update information in your files. You may request that staff make corrections to your records where the record is shown to be incomplete or inaccurate. Staff may require that you put the request in writing to ensure accuracy of changes.

Storage of Records

Your records may be in paper and/or electronic format. Paper files are kept in a locked file cabinet within a locked room. Electronic files are part of a web-based system that has many security features in place. Your file cannot be accessed by anyone without an assigned and secure password.

Your files are kept for as long as required by standards and legislation. You may ask your worker how long records are kept specific to your program area.

Donor Privacy Policy

The contact information we receive from you as a donor and the amount of your donation is the minimum required by Canada Revenue Agency for the issuance of an official tax receipt. We will not provide or share your personal information with third parties unless:

  1. You authorize us to share the information.
  2. Sharing the information is necessary to process a donation.
  3. We are required to by law.

Who can I contact for more information about this privacy statement?

If you would like to know more about Starling's privacy policies or if you have any questions, concerns or complaints relating to Starling's handling of personal health information, we invite you to contact our Privacy Officer, Sherrie Hyde, by email.

You have the right to complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario if you think your rights have been violated at https://www.ipc.on.ca/or call 1-800-387-0073. For more information about your rights go to https://www.ipc.on.ca/

Please note:

  • We use standard programs which will count and analyze a range of user activities in order to help us improve the website.
  • We reserve the right to modify our Privacy Policy from time to time without notice.