Privacy Policy
At Westgroup Financial Management, we understand that your privacy is very important. Keeping personal information about our clients, families and associates safe is something we strive for at Westgroup Financial Management Inc.
This Privacy Policy is intended to provide you with information about how we collect, use and disclose personal information in the course of our business, and through digital platforms we use to deliver services. We may update it from time to time if we change our services, or the way we collect, use or disclose your personal information. We may also update it as regulations continue to evolve.
We have last updated this policy on October 6, 2020.
Collection and Use of Personal Information
What is “personal information”?
The law defines “personal information” as any information related to an identifiable individual, such as yourself, your spouse, or your children, except for business contact information. An “identifiable individual” is someone who can be identified, either directly or indirectly, through information such as name, home address, personal telephone number, social insurance number, financial transactions, online behaviours, as well as factors specific to the individual such as gender or date of birth.
How do you collect personal information?
For us to deliver services to you, we need to collect personal information about you – it’s necessary because of the kinds of services that we offer. Most of the time, we will collect it directly from you. For example, we might make notes about a meeting or telephone call, save e-mail or electronic correspondence you choose to send us or keep copies of the documents you give us. Sometimes, we will also collect personal information about you through our digital platforms. For example, if you choose to fill out the “Contact Us” form on our website, subscribe to our newsletter or respond to a social media post, we may end up collecting personal information about you as a result. Finally, because our digital platforms also generate and record information about users in the normal course of operation, we also collect personal information through those digital platforms.
In some cases, and only with your express consent, we might also collect your personal information from third party sources, such as your accountant or your lawyer.
What personal information do you collect?
We collect personal information to provide you with the services we offer, and to comply with our legal obligations. As such, while the particular items of personal information we collect from you can be broad, you can expect that we will collect your name, address, date of birth, identification, social insurance number, citizenship, country of residence, banking information, occupation, PEP (Politically Exposed Person) status, marital status, dependents, income and net worth, applications, and your health status.
If you use our digital platforms, we will also collect information about the system through which you’ve used them, such as your Internet protocol addresses, the contents of local cookies, your operating system, and other similar technical information.
How do you use my personal information?
We use your personal information to open your account, deliver relevant and personalized financial advice, help you plan for the future, and provide the other services you request from us. We also use it to determine whether you might benefit from, or be interested in discussing new services, and to evaluate and improve our digital platforms. Finally, we use your personal information to comply with legal obligations, including “know your client” requirements and taxation matters.
Web Site Cookies
A “cookie” is a small data file stored on your system that allows it to be identified as you move from page to page on the Internet.
Our digital platforms use cookies as a consequence of certain features, and to analyze user behaviour and improve our offerings.
Some cookies are necessary to enable you to move around our website and use its features. These cookies enhance the convenience and use of the website. These types of cookies do not track your activity on any other website. If you disable the required cookies, some features of the website will be affected or may not work at all.
Other cookies are helpful to allow us to understand how people use our digital platforms. Westgroup uses Google Analytics to better understand the nature of the traffic on our website, including how long your site visit was, the pages you visited, and whether you have visited our site previously. We use the information from Google Analytics for user experience improvements and for tailoring content to improve the overall utility of our website to its visitors.
Disclosure of Personal Information
How do you disclose my personal information?
We do not disclose your personal information except in the situations described in this policy. We do not sell your personal information to third parties.
Westgroup may disclose your personal information:
To our personnel, for them to use it in the situations described under the heading “How Do We Use Your Personal Information?“;
To a third party, if it is necessary to provide a service you have requested;
As required by government authorities, applicable laws, regulatory requirements, or legal processes such as subpoenas or court orders;
During emergencies or to protect our rights or property from harm; or if you otherwise consent to the disclosure.
Examples of third parties to which we disclose your personal information include securities regulators and commissions; FINTRAC; provincial insurance councils; taxing authorities; governmental bodies or courts that have jurisdiction over us; Westgroup’s account custodians; and other third-party representatives or companies that support Westgroup with business services like fund accounting, record-keeping, or client-related administrative services.
Retention, Integrity and Security of Personal Information
How long will you keep my personal information?
We will keep your personal information for only as long as is necessary for it to serve the purposes we describe in this policy, or to enable us to comply with our legal obligations. Currently, the record retention policies of our regulators, such as the provincial securities commissions, FINTRAC, and the provincial insurance councils, require us to retain your personal information for as long as you are our client, and for up to eight years after the closure of your account.
Will you keep my personal information accurate?
We will keep your personal information as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for it to serve the purposes we describe in this policy. Generally, this means we will reach out to you on an annual basis to verify that the information we have on file is current. For us to deliver services to you, and to comply with our legal obligations, your personal information on file must remain accurate. Please contact your Westgroup Financial Management Advisor if your personal information changes at any time.
How do you protect my personal information?
Westgroup Financial Management maintains your personal information in electronic and paper media. To keep it safe, we use industry-standard, client-conscious controls, processes, software, systems, training programs and physical safeguards, which we select based on the sensitivity of the particular items of personal information each method secures, and the needs and preferences of our clients. We follow the guidelines as laid out in The Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). We also test our security plans regularly, and use systems that automatically update and improve themselves as new threats arise.
What can I do to help protect my personal information?
The most important thing you can to keep your personal information safe is to protect, and keep secret, your client portal usernames and passwords. The second most important thing you can do is to restrict communication of highly-sensitive personal information to in-person meetings, or through secure, encrypted communication services.
Conclusion of this Privacy Policy
As stated in the introduction to this policy, if you’d like to know more about it, or have questions about how we manage your personal information, please contact our privacy officer, Baljeet Singh Kundan, at bal@westgroupfinancial.com or 604-588-9688. You can also get in touch with our privacy officer at:
Westgroup Financial Management
Suite #210 – 2411 160 Street, South Surrey, V3Z 0C8
Attn: Privacy Officer
Please reach out to us if you have any comments, questions or concerns about this policy or your personal information.