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Privacy

The Government of Canada and the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC) are committed to providing websites that respect visitor privacy

Privacy notice

All personal information collected by this institution is governed by the Privacy Act. This notice summarizes the privacy practices for the CNSC's online activities.

The CNSC’s administration of cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca includes various activities that may require the collection of personal information for both administrative and non-administrative purposes.

All personal information collected by CNSC about visitors to cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca is authorized under legislation and is done in compliance with the Privacy Act. This means that you will be informed when your personal information may be required, the purpose for which it is collected, and how to exercise your right of access to that information.

While visiting cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca, you may be directed to websites controlled by other Government of Canada institutions or a third-party, or to third-party social media platforms. When visiting a website outside of cnsc-ccsn.gc.ca or a social media platform, personal information will be subject to the terms, conditions, and privacy policies of that other institution or third-party. In these cases, we strongly encourage you to take the time to read the specific privacy notices or statements that describe their specific terms, conditions, and policies.

Your privacy and the Internet

Internet protocol (IP) addresses are unique numbers assigned by internet service providers (ISPs) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor's IP address. The IP address, on its own, does not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances – such as with the co-operation of an ISP – the address could be used to identify a site visitor. For this reason, the Government of Canada considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data (such as the page or pages visited, and date and time of the visit) that is automatically collected when visiting a Web page.

Unless otherwise noted, the CNSC does not automatically gather any specific information from you, such as your name, telephone number or email address. The CNSC would obtain this type of information only if you supply it; for example, by email or by filling in a contact form.

In cases where services are provided by organizations outside of the Government of Canada, such as social media platforms or mobile applications, IP addresses may be recorded by the Web server of the third-party service provider.

Digital markers (including cookies)

A digital marker is a resource created by the visitor's browser to remember certain pieces of information for the Web server to reference during the same visit or subsequent visits to the website. Examples of digital markers include “cookies” or HTML5 Web storage. The functions of digital markers include:

  • allowing a website to recognize a previous visit each time the visitor accesses the site
  • tracking what information is viewed on a site to help website administrators ensure visitors find what they are looking for

The CNSC uses sessional or persistent digital markers on some portions of its website. During your online visit, your browser exchanges data with the CNSC's Web server. These digital markers do not allow the CNSC to identify individuals.

You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including cookies, if you so choose. However, it may affect your ability to interact with the CNSC's website.

Web analytics

Web analytics is the collection, analysis, measurement and reporting of data about Web traffic and visits for purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage. Information in digital markers may be used for the purpose of Web analytics to remember your online interactions with the CNSC's website.

The CNSC uses Google Analytics to improve its website. When your computer requests a CNSC Web page, our institution collects the following types of information for Web analytics:

  • the originating IP address
  • the date and time of the request
  • the type of browser used
  • the page(s) visited

Information that the CNSC collects through Google Analytics is disclosed to Google, an external third-party service provider. Your IP address is anonymized before being stored on the service provider's servers to help safeguard your privacy. The information collected is made anonymous by removing the last three digits of your IP address.

Data collected for Web analytics purposes goes outside of Canada to the United States and may be subject to the governing legislation of that country; for example, the United States of America Patriot Act.

Information used for the purpose of Web analytics is collected by the CNSC pursuant to its mandate outlined within the Nuclear Safety and Control Act. Such data may be used for communications and information technology statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting. For more information on how your privacy is safeguarded in relation to Web analytics, see the Standard on Privacy and Web Analytics.

Social media

Personal information that you provide to the CNSC via social media account(s) is collected to capture conversations (e.g., questions and answers, comments, “likes”) between you and the CNSC. It may be used to respond to inquiries or for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. Comments posted that violate Canadian law will be deleted and disclosed to law enforcement authorities. The personal information is included in the CNSC's Personal Information Bank, as described Outreach Activities (PSU 938).

Communicating with the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission

Any documentation received by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), including the author’s name, could be made public if the CNSC feels that it is in the public interest to do so.

Written submissions for public proceedings

Under the authority of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act, the intervention process is a public process. The personal information provided on the Public Commission Hearing Participation Request Form is collected under the authority of subsection 40(3) and section 44 of the Nuclear Safety and Control Act as well as subsection 18(1) and 19(4) of the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Rules of Procedure for the purpose of assessing an individual’s participation in a CNSC public hearing.

Pursuant to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission Rules of Procedure, the request to intervene must include a written submission of the comments to be presented to the Commission, as well as the name, address and telephone number of the requester. It should be noted that all submissions are available to the public upon request to the Secretariat. Personal information is essential for linking the submission to its author. If you wish to ensure the confidentiality of your personal information, please submit it on a separate page. Unless you specify otherwise, your name including your opinions and views may be disclosed publicly. Failure to provide this personal information may result in delays or the denial of your request for participation.

You have the right to the correction of, access to, and protection of, your personal information under the Privacy Act and to file a complaint with the Privacy Commissioner of Canada regarding the handling of your personal information.

Personal information collected on this form is described in the Participation in Commission Proceedings Personal Information Bank PPU 005 and can be accessed and assessed for accuracy. For more information visit Info Source.

General correspondence

If you correspond with the CNSC, please note that the CNSC sometimes considers it to be in the public interest to disclose the correspondence as well as your name. Personal information such as your home or email address can be kept confidential if you so request. Public interest includes consideration of the CNSC’s statutory mandate to disseminate objective scientific, technical and regulatory information to the public.

Whistleblower information

If you are submitting correspondence to report a safety or security concern, it will be treated in accordance with the CNSC’s established practices. Should you wish not to disclose your identity, the CNSC will respect your request for confidentiality.

Inquiring about these practices

Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints you may have regarding the administration of the Privacy Act and privacy policies for the CNSC's Web presence may be directed to our access to information and privacy coordinator. You can contact the access to information and privacy coordinator by telephone at 1-800-668-5284 (toll free), by email or by postal mail at:

280 Slater Street
P.O. Box 1046, Station B
Ottawa, ON  K1P 5S9

If you are not satisfied with the CNSC's response to your privacy concern, you may wish to call the Office of the Privacy Commissioner at 1-800-282-1376.

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