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Privacy Policy

Privacy protection is important to us, which is why we make every effort to ensure your personal information is adequately protected.

Our policy specifies the personal information we collect, the purposes for which it may be used, and the measures we have in place to maintain its confidentiality.

This policy applies to you if:

  • You receive health services at one of our facilities.
  • You receive social services at one of our facilities.
  • You are an employee, a member of the Council of Physicians, Dentists and Pharmacists, a volunteer, or a partner of the institution.
  • You browse our website.

Personal information

Personal information is any information that can be used to identify a physical person, either directly or indirectly.

Personal information is kept confidential. Its confidentiality stems from the right to privacy, which allows every person to exercise control over the use and disclosure of their personal information.

Our practices regarding your personal information

We collect personal information in the following situations:

When you receive health services

We collect the information needed to provide you with health services, including:

  • Personal information: first name, last name, address, date of birth.
  • Clinical information: health condition, lab results, medical imaging reports, and clinical notes in your record.
When you receive social services

We collect the information needed to provide you with social services, including:

  • Personal information: first name, last name, address, date of birth.
  • Clinical information: psychosocial condition, assessment results, evaluations, clinical notes in your record, and other information.
When you apply for a job with us
  • We collect the personal information needed to evaluate your application, including your first name, last name, and address.
When you are a goods or services provider
  • We collect personal information only if you are an individual who is providing us with goods or services; this includes your first name, last name, certain personal and professional insurance information, and your Agence du revenu du Québec certificate.
When you browse our website

« Cookies » :

  • We collect cookies when you visit our website. Cookies are small text files stored on your computer or mobile device that help us offer you a better browsing experience. We may use functionality cookies, which help our website to function properly; these cookies do not require your prior consent. With your consent, we may also use cookies designed to tailor our content to your preferences and enhance your browsing experience by storing certain information so you do not have to re-enter it each time you visit our website.
  • As soon as you access the website, your computer and the site server automatically exchange information. We cannot personally identify you unless you voluntarily provide personal information by filling out a contact form or subscribing to our newsletter.

The information exchanged includes:

  • The domain name of your internet service provider (e.g., companyX.com if you use a private internet account, university.edu if you access the internet through a university, etc.);
  • Your IP address (e.g., 123.45.67.890), which could enable an internet service provider to identify the person associated with it, but which is anonymized to protect your personal information;
  • Your browser type (e.g., Chrome, Edge, etc.) and operating system (e.g., Windows, Mac OS);
  • The pages you visit;
  • The date and time you access those pages.

This information is also retained and used for statistical purposes. It is used to determine the number of visits, identify the most frequently visited pages, assess the technology used by visitors, and identify visitors’ referring URL and country of origin. Under no circumstances is this information used to create lists of users. Cookies remain stored on users’ mobile devices or computers until they are voluntarily deleted by the user or until they expire.

All information collected through cookies is used in accordance with the privacy policies of each institution in the Montérégie region. You may always reject the use of cookies by changing your browser settings. Note that rejecting certain cookies may impact the functionality of the website.

The Santé Montérégie website may use marketing cookies to track statistics on advertising campaigns conducted on other websites or social media platforms (Facebook, Google Ads, YouTube, etc.). Marketing cookies are not used to display advertisements on the portal. The institutions in the Montérégie region do not have access to these cookies or to the data collected, nor do they have control over the companies responsible for processing this information. 

In all cases, we collect only the personal information that is strictly necessary for providing services.

Use

Your personal information may only be used for the purposes for which it was collected. We will not use your personal information for any other purpose without your authorization or unless authorized by law.

We will never use your personal information for targeted advertising.

However, we may use personal information for another purpose without the person’s consent when its use is:

  • Compatible with the purposes for which it was collected;
  • Clearly in the interest of the person concerned;
  • Necessary for the application of a law in Québec;
  • Necessary for study, research, or statistical purposes, provided the information has been de-identified.

Access and disclosure:

Your personal information may only be accessed by persons for whom such access is necessary and appropriate. It may be used by: 

Staff members and authorized health professionals

Only staff members and authorized health professionals who require your personal information to perform their duties may access it.

Their access is limited to what is necessary and appropriate for carrying out their duties.

Certain service providers, when necessary

We may provide certain service providers with access to your personal information when necessary.

Our service providers have access only to the information they need to provide their services. They are not permitted to use your personal information for any other purpose nor to disclose it to anyone else.

Moreover, our service providers are required to apply security measures and confidentiality safeguards that are as rigorous as our own.

Other persons, when permitted or required by law

In certain circumstances, the law permits or requires us to disclose your personal information to other parties. These situations are outlined in our governance documents.

Retention

We store your information in Québec

In general, your personal information is hosted on servers located in Québec. It is protected by Québec legislation, which we are required to comply with.

We retain your information:

Solely to achieve the objectives set out in our governance documents.

Once the intended use has ended, your personal information is destroyed or anonymized in accordance with our records retention schedule and the applicable legal framework, unless the law requires us to retain it permanently or for a longer period.

Anonymized information can no longer be used to identify you.

We may retain certain information in a non-identifiable format

When your personal information is no longer required, it is securely destroyed or anonymized (so it can no longer be used to identify you) in accordance with applicable laws.

We may retain anonymized information and use it for purposes other than those set out in this policy.

Consent

Consent to the use and disclosure of personal information must be clear, voluntary, and informed. It must be given for specific purposes and expressed in plain language. Consent must be obtained before or at the time personal information is collected, unless otherwise provided by law. Consent is valid only for the period necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was requested and may be withdrawn at any time.

When consent relates to sensitive information, it must always be given explicitly.

Security 

How is your personal information protected?

We are committed to safeguarding the security of your personal information. We have implemented physical, technological, and administrative procedures to protect the personal information we collect. These procedures restrict both physical and electronic access to personal information while ensuring that all staff members are aware of the importance of protecting the security and confidentiality of the personal information to which they have access.

External links

Our website may contain links to external websites. If our website includes links to external websites, we are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those websites.  

What are your rights? 

You may disable cookies

You may delete cookies from your computer by clearing your browsing data.

You may also reject cookies by adjusting your browser settings. However, if you reject cookies, you may not be able to access certain sections of the website.

You may access and correct your personal information

If you notice errors in your personal information, you may request that they be corrected in accordance with the procedures established by law.

You may access the personal information that we have about you and request a copy of it

You may request access to your personal information through our access to information procedures:

You may withdraw your consent

At any time, in accordance with the law, you may withdraw your consent to the use or disclosure of the personal information that we have about you.

To submit a request:

Additional information 

Changes to our governance documents

We may amend our governance documents for a variety of reasons, including:

  • To comply with legislation and regulations;
  • To reflect new technologies;
  • To address users’ concerns.
Privacy incidents
  • We have established procedures to prevent and manage privacy incidents. Please refer to the internal governance documents listed below for information about how each institution in the Montérégie region manages privacy incidents.
Internal governance documents

Our internal governance documents set out information governance guidelines, ensure consistency with organizational structures, and clarify the roles and responsibilities of members within the institution concerned.

How to contact the persons responsible for the protection of personal information (PPI)?

Any questions about this policy or the collection, use, or disclosure of personal information must be submitted in writing to the person responsible for the protection of personal information at each institution.

 

Last update :  October 2024

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