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TOWN OF BRIDGEWATER
PRIVACY POLICY
POLICY NO. 120
Introduction
The Town of Bridgewater, hereafter known as 'the Town', is committed to protecting the
privacy of any individual who interacts with the Town, its employees and services. Part of
that commitment is to explain what Personal Information may be collected and why, how
it will be used, and who may have access to it.
The Town collects Personal Information for the purposes of administering its programs
and services. The Town ensures the protection of Personal Information from
unauthorized collection and use. People have the right to access their own information,
to request the correction of that information and to file a complaint in regard to the
handling of their Personal Information by the Town.
The Town is subject to the Municipal Government Act, the Freedom of Information and
Protection of Privacy Act, and the Personal Information International Disclosure
Protection Act of Nova Scotia.
Defining Personal Information
For the purposes of this Policy, "Personal Information" means any information about an
individual that is, or can reasonably be, associated with that individual.
The Town may collect, create, record, and use Personal Information in physical and
electronic form, and will hold, use, and otherwise process such information as set out in
this policy and in accordance with applicable Personal Information protection legislation.
The Town may manage Personal Information because:
A person provided their information to us.
A third party, such as service providers or representatives, provided it to us.
In the case of service providers, an employer provided it.
It is publicly available.
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It was created or generated by the Town because it was observed or inferred from
an individual's interactions with the Town.
The Town only collects Personal Information that it is legally authorized to collect and
relates to authorized programs or activities. The Personal Information the Town collects
generally consists of information concerning one of the following departments or
programs, but not limited to:
Finance,
Administration,
Engineering,
Community
Development,
Energize
Bridgewater, Public Works, Water Services, Recreational Services, Economic
Development, Bridgewater Police Services, Bridgewater Fire Department, and
DesBrisay Museum.
Specific questions about what data elements are collected by any Town program or
service can be referred to the Town's Privacy Officer.
Collecting Personal Information
Personal Information is generally collected directly from an individual but may also be
collected indirectly from third parties.
Where Personal Information is held by a third party, the Town will take reasonable steps
to ensure that the third party has represented that they have the authority to disclose
the subject individual's Personal Information.
Using Personal Information
Personal Information collected by the Town is used to:
Communicate with, and, where necessary, confirm information provided by private
citizens or their representatives, about the Town activities and initiatives, provide
information about new programs, service updates, technical support issues,
events, and volunteer opportunities.
Communicate generally with individuals seeking information on the Town's
activities.
Respond to service requests and provide other service information requested by
citizens or contractors.
Establish, maintain, and manage relationships with individuals who provide Town
programs and services.
Obtain and process payments for programs or services, which includes providing
necessary information to the Town's third-party service providers.
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Where applicable, seek reimbursement from insurers.
Administer municipal operations.
Maintain information technology security and physical security of facilities.
Provide educational opportunities for citizens, service providers, partners, and
employees.
Meet the Town's responsibilities to regulators, tax officials, or otherwise meet the
Town's legal responsibilities.
Achieve a specific purpose where the Town has obtained appropriate consent to
collect or use personal information for that purpose, including but not limited to,
sharing information with third parties that collaborate in the administration of
Town programs.
Upon request, the Town will explain the purposes for which the information is being
collected. This may be done by contacting the Privacy Officer. The treatment of the
Personal Information of prospective, current, and former employees is addressed in our
Employee Privacy Policy (Section 10.10 of Personnel Policy). Information about the
Personal Information collected in the Energize Bridgewater Home Upgrades (EBHU)
Program can be found at https://www.energizebridgewater.ca/upgrades , and the
Bridgewise Program https://www.energizebridgewater.ca/bridgewise .
Disclosing Personal Information
The Town, while conducting its program activities, may share Personal Information
with:
Other government bodies, including law enforcement agencies.
Service providers, including information technology support service providers.
Payment processing providers.
The Town does not sell Personal Information to anyone. The Town does not share,
transfer, exchange or disclose personal with third parties, except to support the Town's
objectives for the purposes stated in "Using Personal Information". The Town only
discloses such Personal Information as is necessary for the purposes of a program or
service. When applicable and operationally feasible, the Town will seek consent prior to
disclosing Personal Information.
In the event of a legal requirement to disclose Personal Information, the Town will
disclose Personal Information only when and to the extent legally required. Any
disclosure to third party service providers will be done pursuant to agreements setting
out the requirements for use, protection, storage, and deletion of such information, or as
required by law.
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Specifically, the Town may share personal information with its employees, agents, other
government institutions, and certain unaffiliated third parties, such as contractors and
service providers that need access to such information to assist the Town in meeting the
needs of our business and operational activities.
The Town may also disclose Personal Information in an anonymized or de-identified form
(i.e., after information has been removed to ensure the identity of any one individual
cannot reasonably be ascertained). For example, the Town may share anonymized
information publicly to show trends about the general use of our programs and services.
Protecting Personal Information
The Town endeavours to maintain appropriate physical, procedural and technical
safeguards with respect to our offices and information storage facilities to prevent any
loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, or modification of Personal Information in
our custody. These safeguards also apply to the disposal or destruction of such
information.
Measures to keep Personal Information secure include:
Education and training to relevant staff to ensure they are aware of the privacy
and security obligations when handling Personal Information.
Administrative and Technical measures to restrict access to Personal Information
to only those personnel who require access for business reasons.
Technical security controls, including firewalls, encryption, and anti-virus and
endpoint detection and response software.
Physical security measures to control access to our premises.
Storing & Retaining Personal Information
Currently, Personal Information under the care of the Town is used, accessed, and stored
on servers in Canada. In the event the residency of Personal Information, in whole or in
part, changes, the privacy statement will be updated.
Whether in Canada or not, Personal Information is subject to the laws of those
jurisdictions where it is located and such laws may require disclosure, including to
governmental bodies and regulatory agencies. Some jurisdictions may have
arrangements or agreements under which information is exchanged with other
jurisdictions for law enforcement and other purposes mandated by law.
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The Town actively retains Personal Information only if it is required for relationship
management or as required by law. When and if this period ends, Personal Information
is scheduled for destruction. Depending on the nature of the information and the purpose
for which it was collected, this length of time may vary as some data is kept permanently.
Rights to Access, Correct and Delete Personal Information
The Town provides a reasonable right of access and correction and will endeavour to
provide personal information in question within a reasonable time. Individuals may be
asked for identification so that the Town may verify someone's identity before providing
Personal Information.
If documents are required in an alternative format, the Town will make reasonable efforts
to provide personal information in that format. If there will be charges associated with
the retrieval and provision of requested information, requesters will be advised the
charges and their authorization obtained before proceeding with the request.
Access to Personal Information may be declined in certain circumstances. These include
where the information requested would reveal confidential information or personal
information about someone else or if the Town is permitted or prohibited by legal
requirements from disclosing such information.
Upon review of personal information, that individual may request to update or correct
the Personal Information that the Town holds. People may also request that Personal
Information held by the Town be changed, deleted or its use restricted. If required to
delete or erase Personal Information, it will be done in accordance with any applicable
operational policy.
Individual Consent
Unless permitted by law, the Town will not collect Personal Information without first
obtaining an individual's consent. In the event the Town wants to use information for a
new or different purpose and believes consent is required, it will seek further consent to
use and disclose that personal information.
However, there may be situations where consent is implied by actions such as actively
filling out a form for service or including personal information in an inquiry. By providing
Personal Information to the Town in any manner, it is agreed that we may collect, use,
disclose or otherwise process your Personal Information in accordance with this Privacy
Statement.
Generally, individuals may withdraw their consent for the Town to use their Personal
Information. This will mean that your data cannot be used or shared by the Town. If this
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happens, this may prevent the Town from providing you with information for our
programs or accessing our services. The Town will inform people of the impacts of
withdrawing their consent. Please note that there may be circumstances where consent
cannot be withdrawn because of legal, regulatory, or contractual requirements. To
withdraw consent, contact the Town as described below in "Answering Your Privacy
Questions".
Canadian law permits or requires the use or disclosure of Personal Information without
consent in specific circumstances. These circumstances include situations when required
by law or necessary to protect the Town, its employees, or others. Should the Town
believe it appropriate to disclose Personal Information without consent, it will limit the
disclosure of information to what is necessary.
Answering Privacy Questions
Questions, concerns or complaints about how the Town manages or uses Personal
Information should be directed to the Privacy and Data Protection Officer:
By email - [email protected]
By mail - Privacy and Data Protection Officer, 60 Pleasant Street, Bridgewater,
Nova Scotia B4V 3X9
By telephone - (902) 930-4834
To escalate concerns if dissatisfied with the Town's response, contact the Office of the
Information & Privacy Commissioner of Nova Scotia; [email protected] or (902) 424-
4684.
Disclaimer & Copyright
The Town is not responsible for any expenses or damages incurred directly or indirectly
resulting from the use of this information. Please check with Town staff for the most up
to date information. Please check with the Privacy Officer, should you have questions on
the accuracy of this statement.
The Town makes every effort to ensure that the material provided herein is current and
The Town reserves the right to change notices or descriptions without advanced warning.
In the case that information physically available at Town Hall or other Town facilities is
in discrepancy with information made available at the website, users of the website are
hereby given notice that the physical material located at Town Hall shall govern as
correct and overrides material contained within the website. It is always in the best
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interest of the viewers of The Town's website, when in doubt, to contact The Town to
ensure timely receipt of accurate information.
All the material provided in this website is the sole property of the Town of Bridgewater
and cannot be duplicated in whole or in part without the express written permission of
The Town or its legal representatives. Duplication in whole or in part constitutes a breach
in copyright.
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Approved: April 27, 2026
Motion#:26-075