Privacy Policy

Basic Statement

Presently, the Board does not collect personal information about you through our website. While the Board is an independent quasi-judicial tribunal, it generally follows the same privacy practices as the Government of Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Government Website Privacy Policy Statement can be found here: http://www.gov.ns.ca/govt/privacy/default.htm

What do we mean by Personal Information?

The term "personal information" means any information about you as an identifiable individual, for example, your name, residence, email address, health status, property assessment and market value, etc.

Personal Information contained in Decisions and Filed Evidence

While the Board does not collect personal information through its website, all personal information that you provide as part of a public proceeding conducted by the Board, except information granted confidentiality, whether sent by postal mail, facsimile or email, becomes part of a publicly accessible file and may be posted on the Board's website through its decisions or by posting evidence relating to public proceedings.

This is consistent with the principle that quasi-judicial proceedings should be open and transparent in the sense that justice can be seen to be done and is accessible to the public. In keeping with this principle, persons who provide personal information contained in evidence to be considered by the Board in an appeal or application should reasonably expect that such information may form part of the public record, subject to order of the Board. For example, letters of comment filed during a power rate hearing may be posted with other evidence submitted by the parties. Additionally, at the conclusion of the hearing, the Board may publish a decision which refers to that evidence or to the parties themselves.

When do we protect Personal Information?

There are several ways in which some personal information is kept confidential by the Board. First, the identity of persons appealing decisions of the Director of Victim Services or seeking reinstatement to the casinos is not released in decisions posted on our website. Second, other information may be kept confidential at the request of one or more parties under the Board's Rules of Procedure. Finally, in determining which personal information should be contained in its decisions, the Board takes guidance from the Recommended Protocol for the Use of Personal Information in Judgments, as approved by the Canadian Judicial Council, March 2005, which can be found here.  

Server Logs

To minimize costs, the Board shares some common internet services with the Government of Nova Scotia. Government web servers automatically collect some information about a visitor's computer or their access device, such as its internet protocol address or browser version, in their logs. The Board does not collect such information, nor does it disseminate such information to third parties, except where we are required to do so by law, e.g., under subpoena. Although the Board does not collect or disseminate personal information obtained through server logs, the Government of Nova Scotia may do so. This information is used by the Government of Nova Scotia in aggregate form for statistical purposes only. Any further information on the collection or dissemination of personal information by the Government of Nova Scotia can be obtained by referring to the Nova Scotia Government Website Privacy Policy Statement which can be found here: http://www.gov.ns.ca/govt/privacy/default.htm

Further Information

For further information on disclosure and privacy matters, please feel free to contact the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board at 3rd Floor Summit Place, 1601 Lower Water Street, Box 1692, Unit "M", Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3S3, (902) 424-4448.