In the course of delivering its mandate, Laurentian University of Sudbury (the ‘‘University’’) processes personal information, including collection, use, retention and disclosure of personal information in accordance with the Ontario Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA), R.S.O. 1990, C. F.3. This notice addresses:
- The type of personal information collected, used, and disclosed by the University;
- Legally Permitted or Mandated Disclosures;
- Disclosure to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities;
- Disclosure to Statistics Canada;
- Retention of personal information; and
- Privacy rights to personal information and how to exercise them at the University.
“Personal information” has the meaning ascribed to it under FIPPA, and means recorded information about an identifiable individual, including:
(i) information relating to the race, national or ethnic origin, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation or marital or family status of the individual;
(ii) information relating to the education or the medical, psychiatric, psychological, criminal or employment history of the individual or information relating to financial transactions in which the individual has been involved;
(iii) any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual; (iv) the personal address, telephone number, fingerprints or blood type of the individual;
(iv) the personal address, telephone number, fingerprints or blood type of the individual;
(v) the personal opinions or views of the individual except if they relate to another individual;
(vi) correspondence sent to the University by the individual that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature, and replies to that correspondence that would reveal the contents of the original correspondence;
(vii) the views or opinions of another individual about the individual; and
(viii) the individual’s name if it appears with other private information relating to the individual or where disclosure of the name would reveal other private information about the individual.
If you have any questions about the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information please contact the University’s Information and Privacy Coordinator at:
generalcounseloffice@laurentian.ca
Office of the General Counsel
935 Ramsey Lake Road
Sudbury, Ontario
P3E 2C6
Personal information collected, used, and disclosed
The University collects and uses personal information of students, employees, alumni, donors and other individuals under the authority of The Laurentian University of Sudbury Act, as amended from time to time.
Personal information is collected, used, and disclosed for the purpose of, and those consistent with, the administration of University programs, services, and activities, and in order to carry out other University functions, including and relating, but not limited to the following:
- recruitment, administration, admission, registration, graduation and convocation;
- development, accreditation, administration and evaluation of academic programs and services;
- academic advising;
- evaluation and administration of non-academic programs and services, including athletics and recreation;
- student associations and organizations, including the University's Alumni Association;
- financial assistance, awards, bursaries, scholarships, and benefit plans;
- university advancement, institutional development, fundraising, and alumni relations and development activities;
- residence operations;
- disciplinary or security procedures;
- institutional planning and statistics;
- reporting to government agencies and professional licensing bodies;
- employment and employee-related services;
- statistics and research;
- safety and security; namely in circumstances where a student or employee has sustained a serious injury or illness and/or their personal safety is believed to be at risk.
- promotion in its print electronic and internet publications.
Personal information may be collected and used by employees of the University who need the information in the performance of their duties.
The University assumes that by registering in a course or a program or accepting employment with the University, a person has agreed to the conditions of the collection, use and disclosure of personal information contained in this Notice.
Select information may be shared with third parties, including but not limited to, award donors; government funding agencies to process financial assistance applications; financial institutions to confirm student enrolment; independent student loan administration companies to process student loan documents; collection agencies for outstanding accounts; municipalities for debts owed by students; and contracted service providers acting on behalf of the University, including individuals that may be involved in the processing of insurance claims. Credit card information may be transmitted to an independent processing company in order to process payments. Personal information may be disclosed to third parties in the course of an investigation of misconduct. Information relating to misconduct and/or falsified documents may be shared with other educational institutions.
The University may engage third party service providers to assist in its operations, and may transfer personal information to these service providers for processing. In some cases, these service providers may be located outside of Canada.
Legally Permitted or Mandated Disclosures
Specified records or portions thereof may be provided:
- to persons or agencies pursuant to a court order, summons, or subpoena directing the University to release information;
- to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities in connection with enrolment audits and as described below;
- to Statistics Canada for national surveys, as described below;
- in accordance with the requirements of duly constituted professional licensing and certification bodies; and
- in accordance with Section 42(1) of FIPPA.
Disclosure to the Ministry of Colleges and Universities
The University is required to disclose personal information such as Ontario Education Numbers, student characteristics, and educational outcomes to the Minister of Colleges and Universities under s. 15 of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Act. Specifically, the information that the University is required to provide includes:
- name,
- date of birth,
- gender,
- program(s) in which the student is enrolled, and
- year of study.
The Ministry collects this data for purposes such as planning, allocating and administering public funding to colleges, universities, and other post-secondary educational and training institutions and to conduct research and analysis, including longitudinal studies, and statistical activities conducted by or on behalf of the Ministry for purposes that relate to post-secondary education and training.
Further information on how the Minister of Colleges and Universities uses this personal information is available on the Ministry’s website, or by writing to the:
Director, Postsecondary Finance and Information Management Branch
Postsecondary Education Division
7th Floor, Mowat Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto, ON
M7A 1L2
Disclosure to Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the national statistical agency. As such, Statistics Canada carries out hundreds of surveys each year on a wide range of matters, including education.
It is essential to be able to follow students across time and institutions to understand, for example, the factors affecting enrollment demand at post-secondary institutions. The increased emphasis on accountability for public investment means that it is also important to understand 'outcomes'. In order to conduct such studies, Statistics Canada asks all colleges and universities to provide data on students and graduates. Institutions collect and provide to Statistics Canada student identification information (student's name, student ID number, Social Insurance Number), student contact information (address and telephone number), student demographic characteristics, enrollment information, previous education, and labour force activity.
The Federal Statistics Act provides the legal authority for Statistics Canada to obtain access to personal information held by educational institutions. The information may be used only for statistical purposes, and the confidentiality provisions of the Statistics Act prevent the information from being released in any way that would identify a student.
Students who do not wish to have their information used can ask Statistics Canada to remove their identifying information from the national database. On request by a student, Statistics Canada will delete an individual's contact information (name, address, or other personal identifiers) from the Postsecondary Student Information System database. To make such a request, please contact:
Via telephone:
Monday to Friday
8:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.M. EST/EDST
1-800-307-3382 or 1-613-951-7608
Via mail:
Institutional Surveys Section
Centre for Education Statistics
Statistics Canada, Main Building, SC 2100-K
Tunney's Pasture, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0T6
Via e-mail:
PSIS-SIEP_contact@statcan.gc.ca
Further details on the use of this information can be obtained from the Statistics Canada Website.