Statement of Policies about Information Use

Some provinces have enacted consumer reporting legislation which regulates the conduct of our business.  Others have not.  However, as a matter of corporate policy, Equifax Canada complies in all provinces of Canada, with the regulations of the province which is most strict in each area of our business.  Non-compliance by a client with this legislation could result in Equifax-Canada severing the client relationship.

Consumer reporting laws provide the basic framework for our information practices, but in many instances, and particularly in provinces which do not regulate consumer reporting, Equifax-Canada goes beyond legal requirements to set additional standards and procedures in the interest of consumer service and protection of privacy.  For example, even where not required by law, it is our practice to furnish to consumers, regardless of whether they have been denied credit, insurance or employment, detailed disclosure of all information in our files in easy-to-understand formats and with a system of toll-free access.  Our consumer service consultants are trained to provide quick and courteous service and, whenever a recheck or verification of information is requested, we follow up on the process with a new complete report.

Consumer reporting laws permit us to furnish consumer reports only to those businesses having permissible purposes -- credit evaluation, insurance underwriting, employment decisions, the granting of a license or other business needs involving a transaction with a consumer.  Equifax-Canada applies these permissible purpose standards even in provinces where no consumer reporting legislation exists.  To ensure that consumer report information is kept strictly confidential and is used only for permissible purposes, we carefully screen applicants from businesses who want to receive consumer reports.  We visit each applicant's premises to confirm identity and purpose of use, and we require every user to certify that reports will be requested in compliance with the aforementioned legal requirements.

-from Consumer Information and Privacy:  The Equifax Canada Perspective