Privacy Policy

Our commitment to you

The College of Dietitians of BC is committed to protecting the privacy of its registrants (current, former, prospective). We seek to use best practices in holding any personal information we collect. We collect, use and disclose personal information in accordance with our province’s Health Professions Act (HPA), Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and other applicable legislation.

The information on the Public Register Dietitians is openly available under Section 22(1) of the HPA and section 38 of the CDBC Bylaws, which can be viewed through the Public Register of Dietitians. This Privacy Statement does not cover that information.

Accountability

The CDBC works collaboratively and seeks expertise with different partners for ensuring that the College complies with privacy legislation. The CDBC Registrar is ultimately accountable for the CDBC’s compliance with FIPPA.

If you have questions about the personal information that we collect, please contact the CDBC at 604.742.6395 or 1.888.742.6395 toll-free in BC.

Identifying purposes

We collect (and, where applicable, use or disclose) personal information from CDBC registrants (dietitians) and people who apply for registration as a dietitian (applicants) to:

• Meet our duty to serve and protect the public under section 16 of the HPA.
• Perform criminal record checks on dietitians as required by section 13 of the BC Criminal Records Review Act.
• Consider and assess applications for registration under section 20 of the HPA and Part 4 of the CDBC Bylaws.
• Maintain our Register as required by section 21(2) of the HPA.
• Manage and protect the CDBC’s systems, as well as provide to system support for registrants and applicants.
• Act as authorized or required by applicable law, including the Health Professions Act (e.g. sections 16(2), 39(3) (which requires public notification of some matters) and 53), FIPPA (e.g. sections 26(b) and (c) and 30) and Part 3 of the CDBC Bylaws.
• Administer and implement the CDBC’s quality assurance program under sections 26.1 and 26.2 of the HPA and Part 5 of the College Bylaws.
• Investigate and dispose of complaints against registrants under Part 3 of the HPA and Part 6 of the CDBC Bylaws.
• Comply with the procedures and requirements of the Health Professions Review Board, and participate in proceedings before the Review Board, under Part 4.2 of the HPA.
• Contact registrants about our programs or activities, and to obtain registrants’ feedback on them.
• Obtain opinions and feedback from registrants on dietitian regulatory issues
• Obtain information on the effectiveness of our communications to registrants and other stakeholders (e.g. the date and time our electronic communications or links within messages are opened) in order to tailor and adapt our communication messages and approaches.
As part of a dietitian’s registration, the CDBC shares registrants’ personal information with these organizations for the following purposes:
1. A registrant’s employer, where required by Part 4 of the BC Criminal Records Review Act.
2. The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), who use registrants’ aggregated information:
3. for health system uses, including statistical analysis and reporting; and
4. to support the management, evaluation or monitoring of the allocation of resources to, or planning for, the health care system in Canada, including support for the improvement of the overall health of Canadians.
5. Other Canadian Dietetic Regulatory Colleges for labour mobility under the Agreement on Internal Trade and the BC/Alberta Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement.
6. Service providers and contractors contracted to provide services to the CDBC that require them to handle personal information. These service providers and contractors agree in writing to protect personal information and comply with FIPPA. The College’s contract language is based on language provided by B.C.’s Office of the Chief Information Officer.

The CDBC also collects information from non-registrants/applicants. The CDBC explains the reasons when the information is collected.

Consent

The CDBC only collects personal information from registrants and others when allowed to by law, or with the person’s consent.
When collection of personal information is needed, the CDBC will usually get the information directly from that person. The CDBC will collect personal information from another source when:
• assessing the competency of a person applying for registration in British Columbia, and confirming that applicant’s past employment or registrations in other jurisdictions; or
• receiving exam results and other information from the Testing Agency contracted by the Alliance of Canadian Dietetic Regulatory Bodies for the Canadian Dietetic Registration Examination; or
• receiving information on internationally educated applicants from Credential Evaluation Agencies, Educational Institutions, and/or Certified Translators; or
• performing criminal record checks of registrants or applicants under Part 4 of the BC Criminal Records Review Act; or
• investigating concerns or complaints about current or former registrants; or
• otherwise authorized by law or court order.

Limiting collection, use, disclosure and retention

The CDBC only collects and uses personal information that is needed to meet the purposes described above. The CDBC only shares personal information with the organizations listed above, unless authorized or required by law or court order, or with the individuals’ consent.
The CDBC keeps personal information used to make decisions about individuals for a minimum of 12 months. Most information of active registrants is kept during the entirety of the time that they hold a license with CDBC, and information is usually deleted 3 years after registrants ceased to be licensed. Other personal information may be kept for longer, for example inquiry decisions or if it is required by law or for financial records. This is in line with section 31 of FIPPA.

The personal information collected and used is generally stored only in Canada. However, the CDBC may occasionally use American-based systems and service providers as permitted under section 33.1 of FIPPA. Personal Information stored outside Canada may be accessible to authorities in those jurisdictions according to the law of those jurisdictions.

Accuracy and individual access

The CDBC makes every reasonable effort to ensure that personal information is accurate and complete. The CDBC may contact you for an update if it becomes aware that your information is inaccurate. In accordance with section 54 of the CDBC bylaws, it is the registrant’s responsibility to notify the CDBC of any change in registration information. Registrants are required by section 17 of the BC Criminal Records Review Act to report any new charges and convictions to the CDBC that are relevant to their registrations.

Safeguards

The CDBC uses reasonable security measures to protect the personal information collected. These measures are intended to prevent:
• unauthorized individuals from accessing the information, or
• individuals from collecting, using, sharing or disposing of personal information when they are not supposed to.

Freedom of Information Request

Registrants or members of public wanting to make a freedom of information request need to reach to the CDBC to complete a form. The CDBC will then assess your request and acknowledge its receipt with information about the next steps. Per section 75 of FIPPA, a non-refundable fee of $10 can be charged for FOI requests and requests will not be processed until payment is received. This fee does not apply to an applicant or registrant requesting information about their own personal data.