Privacy Policy

Introduction

Sinclair Sports Medical Centre Inc. (“Sinclair Sports Medical Centre,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information and personal health information entrusted to us. This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and safeguard information when you visit our website, contact our clinic, book an appointment, or receive services from us.

Our clinic is located at 494 Veterans Drive, Unit #17, Barrie, Ontario. We provide healthcare services including chiropractic care, registered massage therapy, athletic therapy, physiotherapy, and related sports medicine services.

Privacy Laws

We handle personal information in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy laws. Depending on the nature of the information and services involved, these laws may include the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”), Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act, 2004 (“PHIPA”), and other applicable federal or provincial privacy requirements.

Where we collect, use, or disclose personal health information in connection with healthcare services, that information will be handled in accordance with PHIPA and any professional obligations applicable to our healthcare practitioners.

Information We Collect

We may collect personal information directly from you when you use our website, contact us, submit a form, book an appointment, or receive services from our clinic. Depending on your interaction with us, this information may include:

• Your name;
• Telephone number;
• Email address;
• Mailing or residential address;
• Appointment and scheduling information;
• Information included in messages, questions, or inquiries you submit;
• Billing, payment, insurance, or benefits information where applicable;
• Emergency contact information where applicable;
• Information about your healthcare providers or other individuals involved in your care;
• Personal health information necessary to assess, provide, document, and coordinate your treatment;
• Medical history, symptoms, injuries, treatment information, clinical notes, assessments, and related records where applicable; and
• Other information you voluntarily provide to us.

Website and Technical Information

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically by our website, hosting provider, analytics services, security services, or other technology providers. This information may include your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring website, pages viewed, date and time of access, and other technical information about how you interact with the website.

We may use this information to operate, secure, troubleshoot, maintain, and improve our website and to better understand how visitors use it.

Contact Forms

Our website may allow you to submit information through contact forms. Information submitted through these forms may include your first name, last name, telephone number, email address, and message.

Please avoid including highly sensitive medical or personal health information in a general website contact form unless it is necessary for your inquiry. Website forms and ordinary email may not provide the same level of security as dedicated clinical record systems.

Appointment Booking

Our website provides access to an online appointment booking service operated through Jane. When you use an external booking platform, information you provide may be collected and processed by the provider of that service in accordance with its own privacy practices, terms, and security measures.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies and terms of any third-party booking or technology provider before submitting personal or health information through its services.

How We Use Personal Information

We may use personal information for purposes including:

• Responding to questions and inquiries;
• Scheduling, confirming, changing, or cancelling appointments;
• Providing healthcare and related professional services;
• Assessing your needs and developing appropriate treatment plans;
• Creating, maintaining, and updating patient or client records;
• Coordinating care among healthcare professionals where appropriate;
• Communicating with you regarding your care, appointments, or clinic services;
• Processing payments, insurance claims, or benefit-related documentation where applicable;
• Managing our clinic’s administrative and business operations;
• Maintaining the security and functionality of our website and systems;
• Complying with professional, regulatory, legal, accounting, and recordkeeping obligations;
• Investigating or responding to complaints, incidents, or legal matters; and
• Carrying out other purposes that we identify when information is collected or that are permitted or required by law.

Personal Health Information

When you receive healthcare services from us, our practitioners may collect personal health information necessary to provide safe and appropriate care. This may include your health history, current symptoms, injuries, assessments, diagnoses where applicable, treatment plans, clinical observations, progress notes, referrals, and other information relating to your physical or mental health and the healthcare provided to you.

Personal health information will only be collected, used, and disclosed as permitted or required by applicable law and professional standards. Access to health records is limited to individuals who require the information for authorized purposes.

Consent

We obtain consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information where required by law. Consent may be express or implied depending on the circumstances, the sensitivity of the information, and applicable legal requirements.

By voluntarily submitting information through our website or contacting us, you consent to our collection and use of that information for the purposes reasonably connected with your request.

You may withdraw consent to certain uses or disclosures of your personal information, subject to legal, regulatory, contractual, and professional restrictions. Withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide certain services.

Disclosure of Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information. We may disclose information where reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy, including to:

• Healthcare professionals involved in your care, where permitted or authorized;
• Service providers that assist us with appointment scheduling, website hosting, information technology, communications, payment processing, record management, or administrative functions;
• Insurance providers or benefit administrators where authorized or permitted;
• Professional advisors such as accountants, legal counsel, or consultants where necessary;
• Regulatory colleges, professional bodies, government authorities, law enforcement agencies, or courts where disclosure is required or permitted by law; and
• Other parties with your consent or where otherwise permitted or required by law.

Service providers are expected to handle personal information appropriately and only for the purposes for which they have been engaged.

Legal and Regulatory Disclosures

We may collect, use, preserve, or disclose information without consent where permitted or required by applicable law. This may include circumstances involving legal proceedings, regulatory investigations, professional obligations, public safety, fraud prevention, debt collection, or compliance with a court order, warrant, subpoena, or other lawful requirement.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website may use cookies and similar technologies. Cookies are small data files placed on your device that can help websites operate correctly, remember preferences, improve performance, maintain security, and understand website usage.

Cookies may include essential cookies required for website operation and, depending on the technologies enabled on the website, analytics or other functional cookies.

You can usually configure your browser to block, restrict, or delete cookies. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality or performance of the website.

Analytics and Third-Party Technologies

Our website may use third-party technologies to provide hosting, security, analytics, booking, mapping, embedded content, or other functionality. These third parties may collect technical information when you interact with their services.

Third-party providers operate according to their own privacy policies and may process information in Canada or other jurisdictions. We encourage you to review the privacy practices of third-party services before interacting with them.

External Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, booking platforms, review services, social media platforms, or other external resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security, availability, or content of websites and services that we do not control.

Visiting an external website is subject to that website’s own privacy policy and terms.

Safeguards

We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we hold. These measures are intended to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, alteration, copying, or destruction.

Safeguards may include access controls, password protection, secure systems, staff confidentiality obligations, physical security, appropriate record-handling practices, and the use of reputable service providers.

No website, electronic communication method, or data storage system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. You should use appropriate caution when transmitting sensitive information electronically.

Retention of Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and to satisfy applicable legal, regulatory, insurance, accounting, and professional recordkeeping requirements.

Clinical records may be subject to minimum retention periods established by Ontario law or the regulatory college governing the healthcare professional responsible for the record.

When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy, delete, or anonymize it, subject to applicable retention obligations.

Accessing and Correcting Your Information

Subject to limited exceptions under applicable law, you may request access to personal information or personal health information that we hold about you. You may also request that inaccurate or incomplete information be corrected.

We may need to verify your identity before processing an access or correction request. Certain information may be withheld where permitted or required by law, including information protected by legal privilege or information that could reveal confidential information about another individual.

Accuracy

We take reasonable steps to keep personal information accurate, complete, and up to date where necessary for the purposes for which it is used. You are encouraged to notify us if your contact, health, insurance, or other relevant information changes.

Information About Children and Minors

We may provide healthcare services to children and minors. Where required by law or professional standards, consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of a minor’s personal or health information will be obtained from the minor, a parent, guardian, or another authorized substitute decision-maker, as appropriate.

The ability of a minor to provide consent may depend on their capacity to understand the information relevant to the decision rather than solely on their age.

Email and Electronic Communications

If you communicate with us by email, text message, website form, or another electronic method, you acknowledge that electronic communications may involve privacy and security risks. Unless we provide a secure method specifically intended for clinical information, please avoid sending unnecessary sensitive health information electronically.

We may use the contact information you provide to respond to inquiries, communicate about appointments, or provide information reasonably related to your care or relationship with the clinic.

Marketing Communications

Where we send commercial electronic messages, we will do so in accordance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”) where applicable. You may withdraw your consent to receive promotional communications by using an unsubscribe method provided in the communication or by contacting us.

Administrative, appointment-related, transactional, or healthcare communications may still be sent where they are necessary or otherwise permitted by law.

Cross-Border Processing

Some service providers may process or store information outside Ontario or outside Canada. When information is processed in another jurisdiction, it may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction and may be accessible to courts, law enforcement agencies, or government authorities in accordance with local law.

Where appropriate, we take reasonable steps to select service providers that maintain safeguards suitable for the information they process.

Privacy Incidents and Breaches

If we become aware of unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, or theft of personal information, we will assess the circumstances and take appropriate steps to contain and investigate the incident.

Where required by applicable privacy legislation or professional requirements, we will notify affected individuals, regulatory authorities, professional colleges, or other organizations.

Your Privacy Rights

Depending on the circumstances and applicable law, you may have the right to:

• Ask whether we hold personal information about you;
• Request access to your personal information or health records;
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information;
• Withdraw consent where consent is the legal basis for a particular use or disclosure;
• Ask questions about our privacy practices;
• Raise concerns or make a privacy complaint; and
• Contact the appropriate privacy regulator if you are not satisfied with how a privacy concern has been addressed.

Privacy Complaints

If you have a question or concern about how we handle personal information or personal health information, please contact us first so that we can review and respond to the matter.

You may also have the right to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, depending on the nature of the issue and the legislation that applies.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, services, or legal obligations. The updated version will be posted on this website. We encourage you to review this page periodically for changes.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this policy, would like to request access to or correction of your information, or have a privacy-related concern, please contact:

Sinclair Sports Medical Centre Inc.
494 Veterans Drive, Unit #17
Barrie, Ontario
Phone: 705-726-7701