Our Privacy Commitment to You

Optimum General Inc. as well as its subsidiaries value your business and are committed to providing excellent customer service. One essential component of our customer service is ensuring the privacy of the personal information of its customers including applicants, insureds, former insureds, claimants and other individuals involved in claims. We follow, as applicable, the Quebec Act respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector, British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act, Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and the Federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).  These Acts balance an individual's right to the privacy of personal information with the need of organizations to collect, use or disclose personal information for legitimate business purposes.  Personal information generally means information about an identifiable individual.  Our pledge is to safeguard the privacy rights defined in PIPEDA and all other relevant laws.

How do we address privacy in the above mentioned legislatures?

1. Accountability: We have designated an individual as the person who is accountable for ensuring we use personal information in an appropriate manner. We have developed and implemented personal information policies and procedures.

2. Identifying Purposes: We will identify the reasons for collecting personal information before or at the time of collection.
3. Consent: We will collect, use or disclose personal information only with the individual's knowledge and consent, before or at the time of collection, as well as when a new use is identified.
4. Limiting Collection: We will limit the amount and type of information we gather to what is necessary for the identified purposes.
5. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention: We will not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with consent or as required by law. Personal information will be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes.
6. Accuracy of Information: We will ensure that personal information will be as accurate, complete and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used.
7. Safeguards: Personal information will be protected from unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use or modification, by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
8. Openness: We will make readily available to individuals specific information about our policies and practices relating to the management of personal information.
9. Individual Access: Upon request, an individual will be informed of the existence, use and disclosure of his or her personal information and will be given access to that information. An individual can challenge the accuracy and completeness of the information and have it amended as appropriate.
10. Challenging Compliance: An individual can address a challenge concerning compliance with the above principles to our Privacy Officer, who is accountable for our compliance with these principles.

What personal information do we collect?

We only collect personal information that we require to provide you with the insurance protection that you have requested and to administer any claims that you may have. Information collected may include but it is not limited to:

  • Name
  • Address
  • Birthdate
  • Marital status
  • Employment information
  • Phone Number
  • E-mail address
  • Policy type and number
  • Social insurance number
  • Driver's License Number
  • Accident/Violation history
  • Medical information
  • Lien/leaseholders
  • Vehicle information
  • Mortgagee
  • Banking information
  • Credit rating information

How do we obtain your consent?

We will obtain your consent (which may be written, oral or implied) before or at the time your personal information is being collected from you, but only as permitted or required by law.

How do we collect personal information?

Most of the personal information collected by Optimum General and its subsidiaries is provided by insurance brokers. We believe that we deal with the most professional and respected brokers in the insurance industry. By providing your broker or us with personal information, we consider that you do so with the knowledge and understanding that it is collected, used and disclosed for the identified purposes.

We collect personal information from third parties as permitted by law or regulation.

How do we use your information?

Personal information that is collected is used for:

  • Considering your application for insurance and offering you insurance
  • Establishing and maintaining communication with you
  • Underwriting purposes
  • Servicing your policy
  • Investigating and paying claims
  • Detecting and preventing fraud
  • Compiling statistics
  • Complying with the requests from regulatory and law enforcement authorities
  • Activity which we undertake under federal, provincial or territorial legislation
  • Accounting - credit card/bank account numbers to pay premiums and issue refunds

Protecting Your Privacy

Your personal information is kept in strict confidence. We maintain physical, electronic and procedural safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access. We restrict access to your personal information to those employees who we have determined need to know in order to provide products or services to you. Personal information is retained only as long as it is needed, or to meet any legal, regulatory or tax requirements.

Accuracy

Optimum General Inc. as well as its subsidiaries are committed to keeping personal information as accurate, complete and up-to-date as necessary taking into account its use and the interests of the individual.

Access to Personal Information

You have a right to submit a written request to access your personal information that is in our possession and make corrections to it. Such a request is to be made to our Privacy Officer at the address listed below. We will respond to your request within 30 days or advise you if additional time is required to respond to your request. We will amend personal information that is demonstrated to be inaccurate or incomplete.

Withdrawing Consent

You may withdraw your consent to collection, use and disclosure of personal information subject to legal or contractual restrictions and subject to reasonable notice. To withdraw your consent you must make a written request to the Privacy Officer.

Further Information

Requests for further information, access to personal information or complaints about Optimum General Inc. or its subsidiaries' handling of personal information should be referred to our Privacy Officer as follows:

Optimum General Inc.
147 McIntyre Street West, P.O. Box 1288
North Bay, ON P1B 8K5
Attention: Privacy Officer