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Protection of farmers' personal information
The CWB carefully protects farmers' personal and financial information in strict accordance with the Privacy Act and its own internal policies. Farmer information is used only for the purpose of conducting business with them and is not shared with outside parties. Farmers' Social Insurance Numbers (SINs) are not shared with any external organization.
Grain-handling agents, acting on behalf of the CWB, have limited access to farmer information necessary for conducting business such as completing CWB permits, completing delivery contracts, taking deliveries and paying farmers for their grain. These handling agents sign an agreement which clearly defines the information they are provided, how they can use it and how it will be protected.
Until 2006, the CWB also provided information to the Canada Revenue Agency, a practice that had been required by the Agency under long-standing agreements. This information did not include SINs. It consisted of records of grade, tonnes, rate and value of grain delivered by individual producers.
Requests for information about farmers from any other third parties are handled in strict accordance with the Privacy Act and CWB policies. CWB employees are required to read and follow a privacy policy, information security policies and a corporate code of conduct. Training is provided to employees on these matters and their importance is continually reinforced. Other practices include maintaining personal information inventories and initiating privacy impact assessments on new corporate initiatives.
