UFA Privacy Policy Welcome Become a Member | Contact UFA Loading Our News ACCA Co operative Youth Program celebrates it's 50th Anniversary Read More UFA helps members protect their property and everything on it Read More Our Co op News Archive Our Community News Archive BROWSE OUR 2009PRODUCT CATALOGUE UFA is 100 years young and the best is yet to come Richard Peter Chair Centennial Committee UFA Privacy Policy The UFA Personal Information Commitment At United Farmers of Alberta Co operative Limited UFA privacy of your personal information is important to us We collect and use personal information about you to create maintain and enhance a relationship that allows us to deliver top quality value added products and services to both our members and customers At UFA we have always made every effort to protect the personal information that you provide to us this commitment provides formal documentation to you on our policies governing personal information We've based our UFA Personal Information Commitment on the Canadian Standards Association's 'CSA Model Code' This model code has been generally accepted as the standard that companies are to meet and complies with the federal government's privacy legislation the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act and Alberta's Personal Information Protection Act This promise to our members and customers outlines the principles that we operate by with regard to the collection use and disclosure of your personal information We want you to understand how and under what circumstances your personal information is collected and used as well as what we're doing to ensure that your information is used according to good business practices and protected accordingly We are careful to ensure that information is used responsibly and only for the purposes for which you gave it to us What is personal information As a co operative there are a number of types of personal information that exist about you that we may collect directly or obtain from our business partners This information could be collected in person over the telephone through the mail or over the internet The information we may collect or obtain includes but is not limited to: Your identity or contact information such as your name address phone number fax number and e mail address;Your date of birth and social insurance number if you are a member of UFA; Your transaction history with us for any or all products or services you may have obtained from us This could include billings products and services purchased and payment information; Your credit or financial history with us; Your communications with us such as customer service inquiries information requested or provided to you or responses to surveys or contests Why do we collect and use your personal information Being a retail co operative we require basic information about you in order 1 for you to become a member and realize the benefits of membership and 2 to conduct business and provide value added services to you We recognize that some of this information is sensitive or private which is why we collect personal information only for the following purposes: To administer our member equity and member loan programs We require certain information from our members in order to administer and fulfill our obligation to our members under UFA's member equity program including the member loan program For example to administer our equity program in accordance with UFA by laws we request information such as your date of birth We require your date of birth to ensure that your equity is converted into dividend earning Investment Shares at age sixty five As another example to ensure we comply with tax legislation we are required to ask for your social insurance number To calculate and pay patronage dividends on purchases To be able to calculate and pay out member's annual patronage dividend we record purchases by individual member To participate in the democratic processWe track member purchases to identify members who are eligible under our by laws to participate in UFA's election process To create maintain and enhance a responsible business relationship with you and provide ongoing service When you apply for a line of credit from UFA we collect information that allows us to verify your identity and credit history so that we can accurately bill and collect for the products and services that you receive from us For example we will collect and use personal information in order to activate or de activate your account maintain account information bill you and process your payment We also use this information to protect you and us from error or fraud respond to inquiries or communicate with you about account activity or adjustments To maintain our business and operations on your behalf In order to develop and offer products and services that our members and customers are interested in we analyze our purchase records including buying patterns payment options used and so on We may from time to time ask you to participate in surveys which you have no obligation to participate in that allow us to determine products or services that are of interest to you To meet legal and regulatory requirements Collecting and using personal information is required for us to meet our contractual obligations to you or our legal and regulatory obligations to others How do we protect your personal information UFA values your right to privacy and works hard to protect your personal information UFA: will not collect use or disclose your personal information for any purpose other than those identified above except with your consent or otherwise as permitted or required by law; will make all reasonable efforts to protect the confidentiality of your personal information; will protect your personal information with appropriate and effective internal controls and safeguards; will strive to keep your personal information as accurate and up to date as is necessary for the purposes identified above; and will honour any request you may make for access to your personal information subject to exceptions permitted by law and correct any information which is inaccurate or incomplete When do we share your personal information It is UFA's policy NOT to sell its customer or member database to any third party There are however some circumstances where we may share personal information about our customers internally or with a business partner For example: Subject to applicable regulations your personal information may be shared among UFA business units or business partners Under certain limited circumstances UFA requires assistance from different parts of our organization or our business partners to ensure our customers and members are provided with a product service offering which meets their needs Your personal information may be disclosed to: a A company or individual employed by UFA to perform functions on our behalf such as market research target marketing or data processing or b A company used by UFA to evaluate on our behalf the customer's credit worthiness or to collect the customer's past due account Subject to applicable regulations we may disclose your personal information to a credit reporting agency government agency court or law enforcement personnel We may share personal information about you to a person who in our reasonable judgement is seeking the information legitimately on your behalf For example we may provide information about a customer's account to the customer's legal representative if we are satisfied that individual is requesting the information on behalf of the customer We may disclose a customer's personal information to a public authority or agent of a public authority if in our reasonable judgement it appears that there is imminent danger to life or property which could be avoided or minimized by disclosure of the information Any such disclosure of your personal information is made on a strictly confidential basis and the information is to be used only for the purpose for which it was shared UFA ensures that the company or individual adheres to our Privacy Policy What choices do you have At UFA we believe strongly in the power of choice We are working hard to ensure we have and maintain your confidence and consent to collect use and disclose your personal information for the purposes identified above However you do have a choice and can refuse or withdraw your consent at any time as follows: You may have your contact information removed from our marketing lists which we use to inform you of new or relevant products services and special offers that we believe will add value to you or your business You may refuse to provide personal information to us You may also withdraw your consent at any time subject to applicable legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice However in either case this may severely limit our ability to provide goods and services to you e g inability to provide to you a line of credit if you withdraw your consent to our on going collection use or disclosure of credit information Unless you contact us to inform us otherwise by receiving this Privacy Commitment you are deemed to have given your consent to collect use and disclose your personal information for the purposes identified above If you 1 have any questions about our privacy practices 2 wish to access your personal information or 3 wish to have your name removed from our marketing lists or withdraw your consent to the use and disclosure of your personal information please call us at our Customer Support Line at 1 866 333 3832 or e mail us at privacy officer@ufa com You can also find a copy of the UFA Personal Information Commitment online at www ufa net NOTES: The UFA Privacy Commitment and the privacy legislation refer only to an individuals personal information and do not apply to information regarding business customers However such information is protected by other UFA policies and practices and through contractual arrangements The UFA Privacy Commitment and the practices and principles described in this document are subject to the provisions of all applicable legislation and regulations In the document the words we or UFA refer to UFA and its subsidiary companies as they may exist from time to time The UFA Privacy Policy does not limit the collection use or disclosure by UFA of an employee's name title business address including e mail address or business telephone or fax number or other information about the employee that is publicly available and is specified by regulation pursuant to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act This document is subject to the provisions of the UFA privacy policy and is not intended to replace the policy or create new rights or obligations not contained in the policy The UFA privacy policy and the privacy practices described in this document are subject to the provisions of all applicable legislation and regulations Copyright © 2000 United Farmers of Alberta All rights reserved If you have any questions or comments about this site please e mail us at webcomments@ufa com This site is best viewed with Netscape 4 5 or higher or Internet Explorer 4 or higher HELP CENTRE Contact Us Frequently Asked Questions Site Map Store & Agency Locator ABOUT UFA Become a Member Careers at UFA Our Centennial Our Heritage Our Network Environment Health & Safety Governance PRODUCTS Animal Care Feed and Companion Animals Clothing Buildings and Building Supplies Tools and Shop Supplies Automotive Grain & Forage Production Trailers SERVICES Farm Supply Petroleum Crop Production Solutions Construction and Building Shipping and Delivery PRIVACY Privacy Policy Terms of Use Site Map | MSDS | Contact UFA | Privacy Policy | Terms of Use©2009 UFA Limited All rights are reserved Any use of materials including reproduction modification distribution or republication without the prior written permission of UFA is strictly prohibited