Privacy Policy

Our Commitment to Privacy

Pacific Employee Benefits is committed to delivering excellent service for our clients. When doing business with a group benefits advisor, you may be required to provide information about yourself. As your trusted advisor, one of our main priorities is to help you protect your personal information.

Our company and the insurance industry both have a solid track record of respecting your right to privacy and safeguarding your personal information. As a result of new privacy legislation. Our policy details why and how we collect, use, disclose and protect your personal information in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate under the circumstances.

Why do we collect personal information?

When you first become a client, or whenever you acquire or renew a product from us, we collect personal information from you. Your information is collected for the following common purposes:

• To acquire or renew a group benefits policy for you.
• To assist you and assess your ongoing needs for group benefits.
• To ensure your information is accurate and up to date.
• To protect you against error and/or fraud.
• To help you with a medical, dental or disability claim.

What personal information do we collect?

Personal information is information that identifies you as an individual. Depending on the purpose(s)for which we need to collect it, we may ask for the following personal information from you:

• Basic information (your name, date of birth, address, contact numbers, marital status)
• Loss Experience.
• Medical information.
• Employment information.
• Banking information.

We may obtain this information from:

• You and / or your designated and legally authorized representative.
• Insurance companies.
• Other insurance advisors.
• Medical professionals.
• Lawyers / Accountants.

Who do we disclose personal information to?

For many of the purposes identified above, we need to share your personal information with others to serve your needs. These other parties can include the following:

• Insurance companies.
• Other insurance advisors.
• Professionals working with us (e.g. lawyers, accountants)
• Financial institutions.
• Situations that may be required by law.

How do we protect your personal information?

To protect your personal information and right to privacy, we will:

• Not collect, use, or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than those that we identify to you, unless required by law.
• Keep your personal information only for as long as we need it to fulfill the stated purpose or as required by law.
• Maintain your personal information in an accurate, complete, and up-to-date manner.
• Safeguard your personal information to the best of our ability.
• Respond to any request you may make to access or correct your personal information.
• Obtain appropriate consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information.

How do you provide us with your consent?

We accept any of the following as your consent for Pacific Employee Benefit’s use, collection and disclosure of your personal information for the following identified purposes:

• Your receipt of this personal information policy, unless you advise Pacific Employee Benefits, either orally or in writing, that you do not agree with the terms stated in this policy, and that you wish to opt out of all or portions of it.
• Your unrestricted provision of information to Pacific Employee Benefits, either orally or through written communication.
• Your express written or oral consent as obtained through an application or other process.
• Your consent as provided by your authorized representative, such as a legal guardian or power of attorney.

There are also legal exceptions in which we will not need to obtain your consent or explain the purposes for the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information. For example, this could apply when there is an emergency, or if it is necessary for your protection or ours.

You can control how we handle your personal information.

We want you to know that you do have choices in the matter. You could refuse to allow us to obtain, use, or share your personal information or you could also withdraw your previously given consent at any time. However, by doing that, depending on the situation, you may be limiting or even preventing our ability to provide you with the product or service you desire.

We will be happy to discuss individual situations with you to help you with your decision.

Contact Information and Resources

Please contact us at the address below if you:

• Wish to access your personal information.
• Wish to change your consent to the ways in which we may collect, use, or disclose your personal information.
• Have a complaint about our privacy policies or the manner in which we handled your personal information.
• Have any other questions about our privacy policies, wish to obtain a copy of our Personal Information Policy & Procedure Handbook, or wish to request additional information.

As part of our ongoing commitment to provide you with the highest level of service possible, we will listen and respond to you promptly, and we will do our utmost to resolve your concerns. To find out more about provincial privacy laws, please contact The Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia at info@oipc.bc.ca or 250-387-5629.

Contact information for Pacific Employee Benefits Privacy Officer and designated individual:

Attention: Chief Privacy Officer
Pacific Employee Benefits Ltd.
3756 First Avenue, Po Box 3249, Smithers BC V0J 2N0
Phone: 250-847-2883
Email: service@pebplans.com