Privacy Notice

The Nuclear Waste Management Organization (NWMO) is committed to maintaining the confidentiality of information about identified individuals, or individuals whose identity may be inferred or determined from the information ("Personal Information") entrusted to it. This Privacy Notice governs NWMO's collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information collected via this Website and forms part of this Website's Terms of Use.

Your use of this Site, or continued use after any amendment of the Terms of Use or this Notice, means that you have reviewed the Terms of Use and this Notice, both now and from time to time, and agree that we may collect, use and disclose your Personal Information on the terms set out with both documents. This Privacy Statement is in effect as of March 2003. If there are material changes to the Privacy Policy, we will prominently post such changes prior to implementing the change. Any information collected under our old Privacy Notice will be subject to the terms of our new Privacy Notice. If you do not agree with these terms, please do not provide any Personal Information through this Website.

Questions about the collection, use or disclosure of Personal Information, or access to such information, should be addressed to contactus@nwmo.ca.

How We May Collect, Use and Disclose Personal Information

In browsing the Internet, you will encounter a technology called "cookies" which can be used to provide you with specific information from a web site. A "cookie" is an element of data that a web site can send to your browser, which may then store it on your system. You can set your browser to notify you when you receive a cookie, giving you the chance to decide whether to accept it. You can also set your browser to block all cookies. Please note, however, that if you block the use of cookies it may affect your ability to use this Website.

This Website uses session cookies to track web site usage. Session cookies track a user's progression through a web site(s) in a single visit. These cookies enable a web server to remember things as you progress from one page to another. Session cookies are deleted as soon as you close your browser. If you leave your browser open for a prolonged period, the cookies on this Website are not set to automatically erase themselves after a short period of time; however, they will be erased when you close out your browser.

Persistent cookies are cookies that do not erase themselves, and remain on your computer until you erase them using your browser settings. This Website uses persistent cookies. Only one persistent cookie is used in connection with the opinion polls found on this website. This is done to prevent a visitor from responding more than once and to enable the display of the poll results. If persistent cookies are used for other purposes in the future, this statement will be amended to inform you of such purposes and reasons for their use. We will never use cookies to retrieve information from your computer that was not originally sent by us to you in a cookie.

Over time, NWMO may add to your ability to use the site and for you to provide or obtain information. This may be done, for example, by permitting you to subscribe to newsletters, join online panels, use online forms to contact, or participate in an online discussion thread. A visitor to this Website is not required to reveal any Personal Information, such as name, e-mail address, or telephone number, unless it is required and explicitly requested in connection with your participation in an activity available through this Website. Such information is not collected passively by electronic means.

The NWMO web server does track general information about visitors such as their domain name and time of visit. This Website also collects and aggregates information regarding which pages are being accessed. This information, only in aggregate form, is used internally to better serve visitors by helping the NWMO to manage this Website, diagnose any technical problems, and improve the Website's content.

The NWMO's use of Personal Information collected via this Website is limited to the purpose of fulfilling the organizationÕs mandate or a purpose consistent with that purpose. Other than as described here, your Personal Information is not disclosed to anyone except NWMO or contractor personnel who need to know the Personal Information in order to communicate with you (e.g. provide you with information); respond to your requests; or to ensure the security of this system. The NWMO does not sell, trade, barter or exchange any Personal Information it has obtained.

In circumstances where the use and/or disclosure of Personal Information collected via this Website by the NWMO may be justified or permitted or where the NWMO is obliged to disclose information without consent, the NWMO will not disclose more information than is required and only as required by law.

The NWMO may disclose Personal Information collected via this Website to any individual or organization retained to assist in the provision of services to users of this Website. This will occur only if that individual or organization agrees to use such Personal Information solely for the purposes of performing tasks pursuant to instructions from the NWMO and, with respect to that information, to act in a manner consistent with the requirements of this Notice.

The NWMO retains the right to use information that does not identify, or permit the identification of an individual, in any way that it determines appropriate.

Accuracy, Retention & Security

The NWMO endeavours to ensure that any Personal Information collected via this Website in its possession is as accurate, current and complete as necessary for the purposes for which the NWMO uses that information. The NWMO retains Personal Information collected via this Website as long as it believes it is necessary to fulfil the purpose for which it was collected. The NWMO permits the right of access and review. If you believe Personal Information about you and held by the NWMO is not correct, you may request an update of that information by sending a request to the Webmaster. Where information is to be disclosed, the NWMO will endeavor to provide the information in question within a reasonable time and no later than 60 days following the request.

Please note that for security purposes and to ensure that this Website remains available for use, the NWMO employs software programs to monitor network traffic, to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, and to prevent denial of service attacks or other attacks intended to cause damage. Evidence of such acts may also be disclosed to law enforcement authorities and result in criminal prosecution under the laws of Canada or such other jurisdictions as may apply.