Introduction
OMERS is committed to taking all reasonable steps to protect the privacy of members of the OMERS Pension Plans, whose personal information is in OMERS control. OMERS has adopted the 10 basic principles articulated in the Canadian Standards Association Privacy Standards and addresses the requirements of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).
What is personal information?
Personal information is information about an individual which is private in nature and not readily available publicly. It includes a person’s date of birth, marital status, salary, home address and home telephone number. Business information such as a person’s name, job title and business contact numbers are not personal information.
What personal information does OMERS collect?
Some examples of personal information OMERS may collect include:
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Social Insurance Number (SIN)
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Service information
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Banking information for the purpose of making payments
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Date of birth
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Contributory earnings
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Home address and telephone number
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Marital status and dependants for survivor benefit purposes
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Health information for disability pensions
Principle 1 - Accountability
The Chair of the OMERS Administration Corporation Board is the “head” of the institution for FIPPA purposes and has delegated to the VP, Legal and Associate General Counsel (the Privacy Officer), the Chair’s powers and authority to administer the requirements of FIPPA. The Privacy Officer monitors and promotes compliance with privacy obligations.
Principle 2 – Identifying Purposes of Collection
OMERS collects personal information about members to:
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Administer the Plans;
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Pay pensions to members, their spouses and beneficiaries;
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Meet statutory reporting requirements, including those in the Pension Benefits Act and Income Tax Act; and
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Communicate Plan information to members.
Principle 3 – Obtaining Consent
Members’ consent to collect personal information is implied upon enrollment in the OMERS Pension Plans as part of a member’s employment with his or her employer. It can not be revoked since participation in the Plans is mandatory for all permanent, full-time employees of participating employers pursuant to the OMERS Act 2006 and for other than continuous full time employees who have enrolled in the Plans.
Principle 4 – Limiting Collection
OMERS limits the collection of personal information to only that which is necessary for the purposes set out above and not for any other purpose.
Principle 5 – Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention
OMERS limits the use of member personal information to:
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Creating and maintaining a members’ database;
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Calculating service purchase costs and past service pension adjustments;
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Preparing and distributing personalized member confirmation and communication documents including the annual Pension Reports, Benefit Application Forms and Beneficiary Election Forms;
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Preparing pension and benefit estimates;
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Verifying eligibility of claims for benefit entitlement;
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Calculating and paying pension benefits and issuing tax receipts;
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Verifying identity when responding to inquiries or requests for information from members by mail, phone or email;
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Meeting statutory reporting requirements;
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Preparing Plan Valuation and Experience Studies; and
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Facilitating general administration of the Plans.
Personal information may only be shared with a member’s employer(s) and/or third parties when it is necessary for the uses set out above. Third parties may include a financial institution to whom payments are required to be made, government agencies in accordance with their statutory authority, another pension plan (on transfer of a pension), or service providers (OMERS actuary, auditor, legal advisor, third party payroll processor, etc). Whenever personal information is transferred, it is done in accordance with statutory requirements or contractual arrangements that impose confidentiality obligations on the recipients.
OMERS has procedures regarding the retention and destruction of personal information. Personal information is maintained only as long as it is needed to fulfill the uses set out above.
Principle 6 – Accuracy
OMERS makes every effort to ensure that personal information is accurate, up-to-date and complete. OMERS works with members and their employers to maintain accurate records.
Principle 7 – Safeguards
OMERS security infrastructure is designed to protect personal information under its control from theft, loss, accidental release or other unauthorized use, disclosure or destruction. Only those individuals who need personal information for the performance of their duties may have access to it and all reasonable steps are taken to protect OMERS records containing personal information.
OMERS has a secure e-correspondence protocol for communication with participating employers about members which ensures secure communication of personal information and meets Financial Services Commission of Ontario's policy on Electronic Communication Between Plan Administrators and Plan Beneficiaries. E-mail communication with participating employers containing personal information is not permitted outside of these secure protocols.
Principle 8 – Openness
Information about OMERS policies and procedures relating to privacy is available at www.omers.com and upon request from the Privacy Officer. The Privacy Officer makes OMERS privacy policy and OMERS annual report to the Privacy Commissioner available at OMERS head office to members and the public.
Principle 9 – Individual Access
If requested orally or in writing and on appropriate verification of identity, OMERS will provide a member with details of the collection, use and disclosure of his or her personal information and provide access to that information. Members are to be encouraged to review the information and report any inaccuracies or incomplete information.
Principle 10 – Questions or Concerns
Any questions or concerns regarding OMERS Privacy Policy can be addressed to:
OMERS Privacy Officer
One University Avenue, Suite 800
Toronto, Ontario M5J 2P1
Phone: (416) 814-6569
Email: privacy@omers.com
View Privacy Policy 