This Web site is owned by the Ontario Government and the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care. Ontario is committed to respecting your privacy and protecting your personal information.

When you visit our Web site, we will not collect personal information unless you choose to use services that ask for personal information. Your personal information will not be used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with your consent or as required by law. Personal information will be retained only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of those purposes or as required by law. The government will not send you unsolicited electronic messages, and we will not permit third parties, such as service providers under government contract, to do so, unless you choose.

The handling of all personal information by Government of Ontario organizations is governed by the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). This Privacy Statement explains how the government collects, uses, and secures your information when you visit our Web sites.

• What kind of information is collected when you visit our Web sites?
• What happens when you send us personal information online?
• Does this site use "cookies"?
• Links to other sites
• Who is accountable for the protection of privacy?
• Who can I contact for further information about my privacy on this site?

When you browse or download information from Government of Ontario Web sites, our servers automatically collect limited amounts of standard information for traffic monitoring and statistical purposes. The government cannot identify you from this information. The information is analyzed for operational trends, performance and for ways to improve the site. Examples of this type of information include :

• Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computers being used;
• Internet Service Providers from which you arrive;
• dates and times our site is accessed;
• types and versions of the browsers used to access our sites and the operating systems of the computers being used;
• pages visited;
• key words entered into our search engine; and
• names and sizes of the files requested.

You may choose to provide us with personal information such as your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, credit card number, etc., if, for example, you wish to :

• Submit an e-mail, comment, question or a request for information online;
• request a service, product, notification, or fill out a registration or licence form online;
• provide feedback, participate in consultations or surveys online;
• subscribe to e-mail newsletters, or;
• conduct e-commerce transactions with a ministry or agency.

Personal information is collected in compliance with section 38(2) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). At the point of collection, you will be informed of the purpose for which it is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information. The information you provide will be used to respond to your message or comment, and/or to provide you with the requested service or product. All personal information created, collected or held by the government is protected under FIPPA.

If you decide not to provide personal information online to a government ministry or agency, you can terminate the transaction and contact the ministry or agency through other means, such as the telephone, fax and mail or in person.

No. Some Government of Ontario Web sites do use "cookies". They provide a way of distinguishing visitors to our Web sites and customizing users' browsing experiences. A cookie is a small piece of data stored on the users computer by the Web browser being used. A cookie is not a program, code or plug-in. Cookies used by the government do not contain personally identifying information, do not give us access to anything on your hard drive, and cannot do anything to your computer.

Government ministries and agencies may use "session" cookies and "persistent" cookies. Session cookies are used only during your online session and expire when you close the browser. During your visit to our Web sites, your browser exchanges information with our Web server, and session cookies help by reminding our server of which computer is making the request. Without session cookies, moving around our Web sites would be much slower. Government ministries and agencies may use session cookies to support on-line feedback/discussion, forms/registration and "e-commerce/ shopping cart" transactions.

Persistent cookies are different from session cookies. They are stored on your hard drive for a length of time set by the Web site. They help us "remember" information about your preferences and passwords so you do not have to re-introduce yourself every time you come to our Web sites. Government ministries and agencies can use persistent cookies for consumer preferences for Web interaction, and/or to make automatic log-in and password retrieval possible for you. If persistent cookies are used on a government Web site, their use will be clearly marked. Your consent will be requested by the government organization using them. The organization sets the expiry date of the persistent cookie for a length of time consistent with the intended purpose.

You can set your browser to detect and reject cookies, to accept cookies from all sites, or to prompt you whenever a site wants to send you a cookie. If you choose to refuse cookies, you may not be able to access some of the features in our interactive applications. Check your browsers "Help" files to find out how to program your computer to do this.

Some of our Web sites link to other sites created and maintained by other public and/or private sector organizations. These links are provided solely for your information and convenience. When you link to an outside Web site, you are leaving a Government of Ontario Web site and are subject to the privacy and security policies of that site's owners. You are encouraged to read their privacy statements to understand how they handle personal information. For more information on external links, see the Disclaimers page.

The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) governs the protection of your personal information held by provincia organizations. The Act requires government organizations to protect the privacy of your personal information in their possession. There are specific laws governing how they may collect, use, retain, disclose and dispose of your personal information.

Under FIPPA, ministers are responsible for the proper administration of the Act within their ministries. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (IPC) ensures that government organizations comply with the access and privacy provisions of the Acts, investigates privacy complaints, and resolves disputes over access to information.

Questions or comments regarding this policy may be directed to our Webmaster by sending an e-mail to : mohwebmaster@gov.on.ca. If you would prefer to write, please send your letter to :