PRIVACY POLICY

THE BC CLEAN ENERGY VEHICLE (CEVforBC) POINT OF SALE INCENTIVE PROGRAM

PRIVACY POLICY

The CEVforBC Clean Energy Vehicle Incentive Program will be administered and implemented through a partnership between the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines, and the New Car Dealers Association of British Columbia (NCDABC).  The purpose of this incentive program is to encourage and accelerate the adoption of clean energy vehicles in British Columbia for both their environment and economic benefits.  The program provides point of sale incentives of up to $5,000 (additional up to $1,000 for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles for fuelling) to qualified BC residents, businesses, public agencies and entities (including municipal and regional governments and first nations, but excluding provincial, crown, and federal government agencies), and non-profit organizations for the purchase or lease of eligible vehicles.

This policy describes the privacy practices of New Car Dealers Association of BC with regard to information collected from visitors to our web site, how we collect and use that information, and how we protect your privacy. This policy may be updated periodically, so please check back.

In order to process applications by automotive dealers for the incentives offered by the program for the purchase or lease of a qualifying vehicle, NCDABC must collect, use, retain, share, and disclose certain personal information that is provided to us in the application and received as a result of your participation in the program.

We recognize that you may be concerned about our use and disclosure of your personal information. Your privacy is very important to us, and the following will inform you of the information that we may collect from you, and how it is used. By using our Web site, you are accepting the practices described in this policy. 

British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act requires all BC businesses, societies, and
not-for-profit organizations, including NCDABC, to take steps to protect personal information they collect, use and disclose in the course of their operations.  As a result, NCDABC is committed to respecting and protecting your privacy rights.

Also please note that:

  • The information will be collected by the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines under sections 26 (c) and (e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act for the purposes of administering the Clean Energy Vehicle Point of Sale Incentive program and potentially contacting them for a follow-up survey.
  • Section 26 indicates that a public body may collect personal information only if
    • (c) the information relates directly to and is necessary for a program or activity of the public body, and
    • (e) the information is necessary for the purposes of planning or evaluating a program or activity of a public body.

We collect the personal information provided to us by your dealership in the incentive application.  When an application is completed and information is provided to us in respect of the program, we will collect the personal information agreed to be provided to us in order to assess and approve the application to process an incentive from us.

The personal information we collect includes all of the information in our application forms such as:

  • Vehicle owner’s name;
  • Address;
  • Driver’s License;
  • Email address;
  • Telephone number;
  • Vehicle related information such as make, model, and year;
  • Vehicle Identification Number (VIN);

NCDABC collects the personal information because it is required in the documentation to be submitted as part of the dealer’s application for reimbursement for incentives issued.  This documentation will include:

  • Proof that each sale / lease of an eligible CEV vehicle was made to a BC resident (or BC business operating in BC with a valid business license or to a public agency in BC).
  • A copy of the sales or lease contract signed by all parties with an itemization of credits, discounts, and incentives received, if applicable.

If the required information is not provided or you do not consent to us collecting, using, retaining, sharing, and disclosing such information for the purposes described, then NCDABC will be unable to process or approve the application or provide an incentive.

Consent to collect, use, and disclose Personal Information
NCDABC only collects and retains personal information which you consent to provide to us in order to complete an application and participate in the incentive program.  By consenting to us receiving information about you and those persons you represent, you are giving us permission to collect, retain, and utilize the information to assess and process the application, for your dealership to receive and claim an incentive through the CEV program.  We do not share or disclose personal information except as set out in this Privacy Policy, which has been consented to by you, or as permitted or required by applicable privacy laws. We will not sell or otherwise provide the information we collect to outside third parties for the purpose of direct or indirect mass email marketing.

We will disclose personal information and/or an IP address, when required by law or in the good-faith belief that such action is necessary to:

  • Cooperate with the investigations of purported unlawful activities and conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on our company
  • Protect and defend the rights or property of our Web site and related properties
  • Identify persons who may be violating the law, the rights of third parties, or otherwise misusing the our Web site or its related properties
Consent to disclose or receive Personal Information to or from Program Partners
You are also consenting to us obtaining, sharing, and disclosing such personal information from you or about you and the vehicle or about the persons you represent with our Program Partner The BC Ministry of Energy and Mines to collect, use, retain, and share as is necessary to operate and continue the CEV incentive program.

 

We expect and require the BC Ministry of Energy and Mines to handle the personal information for proper purposes as authorized by you through your participation with the CEV incentive program, and to protect your privacy and those persons you represent in accordance with this Policy and other privacy laws or standards applicable to them.

NCDABC may also disclose your personal information without your knowledge or consent where we are permitted or required by law to do so.

When an application form is completed on your behalf and you sign the purchase or lease contract showing the vehicle price has been marked down by the incentive amount, you have provided your consent to the collection, use, retention, sharing, and disclosure of personal information provided or arising from the application and your participation in the incentive program.

How do we protect and store the Personal Information

The security of your personal information is important to us. When you enter sensitive information on our registration or order forms, we encrypt that information using secure socket layer technology (SSL). We follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the Personal Information submitted to us, both during transmission and once we receive it. However, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100% secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

We are obligated to protect your personal information by making reasonable security arrangements against such risks as unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification, disposal, or similar risks. Security measures have been integrated into the design, implementation and day-to-day operating practices as part of our commitment to protect the personal information it holds.

The steps we take to protect your personal information include:

  • operating our program within a secure building with restricted access;
  • locking paper information in cabinets within secure areas;
  • requiring individual password access for employees working for the program; and,
  • requiring reasonable monitoring, back-up, and security measures and operating policies for all electronic information acquired through our program.
How long do we retain Personal Information?
We retain the information for as long as is required to fulfill the purposes of the program and as required by the Canada Revenue Agency.
 

Our website www.cevforbc.ca may include links to other websites operated by other organizations. When you link to another site, you will be subject to the privacy policy of that site and any applicable privacy laws that apply to that organization or entity. We cannot control how third parties may use personal information you disclose to them, so you should carefully review the privacy policy of any third-party Web site you visit before using it or disclosing your personal information to its provider. Please keep in mind that whenever you voluntarily disclose personal information online - for example through e-mail, discussion boards, or elsewhere - that information can be collected and used by others. In short, if you post personal information online that is accessible to the public, you may receive unsolicited messages from other parties in return.

Ultimately, you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of your personal information. Please be careful and responsible whenever you are online.

When you visit our website www.cevforbc.ca, our web server may automatically collect information to help us manage the website. The information would be aggregated and not used to track individuals. As you visit our website www.cevforbc.ca, we may also gather and store certain information about the visit. A “cookie” is a small piece of data file stored on your computer by your web browser when using our website.  These “cookies” are used to help you move around our site and do not store personal information. At no time is any personal information stored within one of our cookies. Accepting cookies through your browser is a personal choice. You can still enjoy our Web site if you choose not to accept cookies.

When you voluntarily send us an email, we may collect your email address, your internet IP address and your message for the purpose of replying to you.

By using our website www.cevforbc.ca, you consent to the collection and use of information as specified above. If we make changes to our Privacy Policy, we will post those changes on this page. Please review this page frequently to remain up-to-date with the information we collect, how we use it, and under what circumstances we disclose it. You must review the new Privacy Policy carefully to make sure you understand our practices and procedures.

Requests for Access to Personal Information

British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act permits individuals to submit written requests to us to provide them with:

  • their personal information under our custody or control;
  • information about how their personal information under our control has been and is being used by us; and,
  • the names of the individuals and organizations to whom their personal information under our control has been disclosed by us.

We will respond to requests in the time allowed by the Act and will make a reasonable effort to assist applicants and to respond as accurately and completely as reasonably possible. All requests may be subject to any fees and disbursements the law permits us to charge.

An individual’s ability to access his or her personal information under our control is not absolute.

The Act provides that we must not disclose personal information when:

  • the disclosure could reasonably be expected to threaten the safety or physical or mental health of an individual other than the individual who made the request;
  • the disclosure can reasonably be expected to cause immediate or grave harm to the safety or to the physical or mental health of the individual who made the request;
  • the disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual; or,
  • the disclosure would reveal the identity of an individual who has provided personal information about another individual and the individual providing the personal information does not consent to disclosure of his or her identity.

The Act further provides that we are not required to disclose personal information when:

  • the disclosure of the personal information would reveal confidential commercial information that, if disclosed, could, in the opinion of a reasonable person, harm the competitive position of an organization;
  • the personal information was collected without consent for the purposes of an investigation, and the investigation and associated proceedings and appeals have not been completed; or,
  • the personal information was collected or created by a mediator or arbitrator in the conduct of a mediation or arbitration for which he or she was appointed to act: under a collective agreement; under an enactment; or, by a court.
Requests for Correction of Personal Information

The law permits individuals to submit written requests to us to correct errors or omissions in their personal information that is in our custody or control.

We will:

  • correct the personal information and, if reasonable to do so, send correction notifications to any other organizations to whom we disclosed the incorrect information; or
  • decide not to correct the personal information, but annotate the personal information that a correction was requested but not made.

Revisions to this Privacy Policy may be modified from time to time to reflect changes to the law, to the programs, to the operations, and to the Program Partners we share information with in order to fulfill our goals and objectives.

Contacting or Communicating with Us

If you have any questions with respect to our policies concerning the handling of your personal information, or if you wish to request access to, or correction of, your personal information under our care and control, please contact our Privacy Officer at:

Email:cev@newcardealers.ca

If you are dissatisfied with our handling of your personal information, we invite you to contact our Privacy Officer and set out the reasons for your concern.

If, after our Privacy Officer has reviewed and responded to your concern, you remain dissatisfied, you may wish to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner at:

Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia
PO Box 9038 Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria B.C. V8W 9A4
Telephone: (250) 387-5629
Fax: (250) 387-1696
E-mail: info@oipc.bc.ca