Copyright and privacy
Electronic channels
The term "electronic channels" is used in this policy to refer to technology managed by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario ("Assembly") including but not limited to websites, mobile applications, and video streaming services.
Terms of use
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario gives you permission to display, print, reproduce, and otherwise use excerpts of the materials/images found on our electronic channels without charge, subject to the following:
- The use must be reasonable, fair and non-commercial, and must credit the Assembly;
- The use is subject to Canadian intellectual property laws and/or the Assembly's parliamentary privileges;
- The permission is not acknowledgement that the use is being made under the authority of the Assembly;
- You are responsible for determining whether a person other than the Assembly has intellectual property rights in the materials/images; and
- You must not use the Assembly's coat of arms and other Assembly trademarks without the permission of the Speaker.
Privacy statement
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information. This privacy statement explains our information management practices as they relate to our various electronic channels.
You can also view our privacy statement for job applicants.
We are committed to protecting your privacy whether you are browsing for information or conducting business with us.
When you visit any of our electronic channels, we will not collect your personal information unless you choose to use and receive online services that require it. For transactions with us involving credit cards (our gift shop), our systems use up-to-date security protocols to ensure the integrity and confidentiality of information and systems. When we collect information about you, we will inform you of that collection and the purpose for the collection.
If you choose not to use electronic channels to provide personal information to us, you can contact us by telephone, fax, mail, or in person. (Not all options may be available in every situation.)
Our privacy statement covers the following topics:
What kind of information is collected when you visit our electronic channels?
When you browse or download information from our electronic channels, our servers automatically collect limited amounts of standard information for traffic monitoring and statistical purposes. The information is analyzed for operational trends, performance, and for ways to improve our electronic channels. We cannot identify you from this information.
The types of information we collect include but are not limited to:
- Internet Protocol (IP) addresses of the computers or devices being used to access our electronic channels;
- Operating systems and the types and versions of browsers and devices used to access our electronic channels;
- Internet Service Providers used by visitors to access our electronic channels;
- Dates and times that users access our electronic channels;
- Pages visited;
- Keywords that users enter into our search engines; and
- Names and sizes of files being requested.
The collection of the above noted information is necessary to provide individuals with access to the information and services available on our electronic channels. The Assembly’s computer systems use hardware and software to anonymously monitor unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, disrupt service, or otherwise cause damage to our electronic channels. As a general practice, we make no attempt to link this information with the identity of individuals. However, if an attempt to damage or disrupt any of our electronic channels is detected, we may take further actions.
Web analytics
In order to serve you better, we use web analytics services to analyze the use of our electronic channels. These tools use cookies (see additional information below) to collect and generate information about your visits to our electronic channels (including your IP address) that is transmitted to their servers in an anonymous form for processing. We study patterns of activity so we can improve the experience of visitors to our electronic channels. The use of these tools does not allow us or our analytics service providers to identify individuals.
You can opt out of analytics activity by setting your browser or device to notify you when a cookie is sent and/or to block analytics cookies if desired. Please consult your browser or device settings for instructions. Visiting our electronic channels with analytics cookies disabled will have no significant impact on your browsing experience.
What happens when you send us personal information online?
You may choose to provide us with personal information such as your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, and credit card number, if you wish to:
- Submit an e-mail, comment, question or request or subscribe for information online;
- Request a service, product, or fill out a registration or form online;
- Provide feedback, participate in consultations or surveys online; or
- Conduct e-commerce transactions (such as with our gift shop).
Any personal information that you provide will be used to respond to your message and/or provide you with the requested service or product. At the time the information is collected, you will be informed of the specific purpose for which it is being collected, and how long we will retain the information.
How do we use cookies?
Some of our websites use cookies. A cookie is a small text file sent from a Web server and placed on your computer's hard drive. A cookie is generally used to enhance your browsing experience. You can choose to set your browser to detect and reject cookies, to accept cookies from all sites, or to prompt you whenever a site wants to send you a cookie. Check your browser's “Help” files to learn how to do this. If you choose to refuse cookies, you may not be able to access some of the interactive features on our websites.
Cookies used by the Legislative Assembly do not give us access to any additional information on your hard drive. Cookies are encrypted for security purposes to make any information in the cookie unreadable to anyone except the Assembly. We use two types of cookies: session cookies (temporary) or persistent cookies (longer-term continuing use).
- Session cookies may be used to support on-line feedback/discussion, forms and registration and 'e-commerce/shopping cart' transactions - they are used only during your online session and expire when you close your browser. Without session cookies, moving around our Web sites could be much slower.
- Persistent cookies are different from session cookies because they are stored on your computer's hard drive for some length of time. They are usually used if you want us to remember information about your Web preferences (e.g. large font) and passwords for automatic log-in purposes.
Further information on 'cookies' can be found on the website of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (external link).
Security
Our security practices are continually evolving to ensure that the integrity and confidentiality of information and systems are maintained. The Assembly uses up-to-date security safeguards to protect our networks, websites and other electronic channels from misuse, alteration, copying, disclosure, destruction, monitoring or unauthorized sharing of information and damage. Our safeguards include the use of security software and encryption protocols and involve physical, technical and procedural controls to protect information behind our firewall.
Who can I contact for further information?
Questions or comments regarding these practices or the administration of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) by contacting or writing to:
Information Services
Whitney Block
Room 3330
99 Wellesley St. W
Toronto, ON M7A 1A2