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Privacy Legislation Notification
Goldsmith & Poulos LLP ("G&P") has always operated under strict standards of confidentiality as provided under the Rules of Professional Conduct of the Institute of Chartered Accountants. In order to ensure compliance with legislative requirements regarding confidentiality and privacy, G&P has adopted the following policies and safeguards to protect your privacy:
Purposes
We collect confidential information from our clients because it is an integral and required element for compliance with most tax laws. Such data is fundamental to the preparation of tax returns and financial statements.
We retain the above noted confidential information with the understanding that our clients consent to our possession of the same.
We maintain information received from our clients during meetings and discussions in the strictest confidence. This includes tax preparation checklists, worksheets and/or any other documents used in financial statement or tax preparation, or in any other services.
Accountability
No staff member will divulge either the identity of a client, or any details regarding the client, except in the normal discourse between individuals working within the firm, while providing services to the client. No detail whatsoever, oral or written, is taken or discussed outside the office. This policy is emphasized to all staff upon hiring.
All staff and contractors are required to sign confidentiality agreements with the firm.
We do not disclose any information about our clients to anyone, except in prescribed form and manner to comply with income tax laws; and with the express permission of our clients to do so. In some situations we may need to discuss private financial information with third parties, such as bankers, lawyers or CRA officials. In all cases, such discussions do not take place without prior express consent from the client involved.
We retain personal information for as long as required for the efficient delivery of service to a client, and to comply with the record-keeping requirements of the various governmental authorities such as the Canada Revenue Agency.
We restrict physical access to our files through locking cabinetry and locked areas within the building. The exterior doors to the premises are always locked except during regular business hours when responsible personnel are in attendance. We constantly maintain a fully monitored alarm system.
All papers and various documents that we dispose of are shredded in the office to ensure the destruction of confidential data.
All computers are contained in a separate locked room and are backed up on a daily basis. Unauthorized electronic access to our computer records is prevented through a firewall, which completely blocks external access to our networked system.
Clients are encouraged to contact Peter Poulos, CA, at 604 633 2626 with any questions regarding Goldsmith & Poulos' privacy policy or safeguards.
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