Acceptance of Terms of Use

Your access to and use of the City of Markham web site (including any Online Service) constitutes acceptance of these Terms of Use. The City of Markham reserves the right to change these Terms of Use at any time without notice. Your continued use of this web site constitutes acceptance of these changes.

Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability

While the City of Markham endeavours to provide current, accurate and complete content, the information and services provided on this web site are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. The City of Markham expressly disclaims all guarantees, warranties, and representations of any kind (whether express or implied) regarding the web site, including that the information and services provided on this web site are current, accurate, complete and available at all times. The City of Markham reserves the right to edit, delete, change or withdraw any information or service provided on this web site at any time without notice.

Your use of this web site or reliance on any information or service provided on this web site will be at your sole risk. Compliance with all applicable laws, regulations, by-laws, guidelines, directives, codes and standards is your responsibility. Your use of this web site (and any Online Service) in no way relieves the onus on you for such compliance. The City of Markham is not responsible or liable for any damages, costs, expenses, loss or injury, including any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential or other damages including lost profits, arising out of or in connection with the use, or inability to use this web site (or any Online Service), or the information and services provided on this web site. The City of Markham is not responsible or liable for any viruses, harmful software or other contamination of your system, or any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions arising out of your use of this web site.

The Disclaimer and Limitation of Liability contained in these Terms of Use will also apply to the benefit of any third parties whose information/material is accessible through the City of Markham web site. Use of this web site is governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.

Online Services

The City of Markham reserves the right to edit, delete, change or withdraw any Online Service at any time without notice. The City of Markham may terminate your use of any Online Service if you have used the Online Service in any way that is contrary to law, contrary to these Terms of Use or that disrupts the use of the Online Services by others.

The City of Markham makes no guarantee, warranty or representation, express or implied, that:

1. the Online Services will meet your requirements;
2. the Online Services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free;
3. the information or the results that may be obtained from the use of the Online Services will be accurate, reliable, useful or complete;
4. the quality of any products, services, information, or other material purchased or obtained by you through the Online Services will meet your expectations; and
5. the Online Services will be compatible with any software you use in conjunction with the Online Services.

Any material downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of the Online Services are done at your own discretion and risk and you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from the download of such material.

Links to third party sites

In the event that you encounter an external link reference, it will be leaving the Markham.ca domain and entering an external link. The link provides additional information are meant for convenience only and do not imply endorsement or approval by the City of Markham, nor can we be held responsible in any way for the content found on any other linked site. Also, you should be aware that the privacy protection provided on the Markham.ca domain (see Privacy Policy below) may not be available at the external link.

Corporate Policy

The City of Markham web site will provide links to other organizations, provided these organizations are either a City of Markham service or a related level of government such as a government agency (Provincial, Municipal, Federal), or a public board (e.g. libraries, school boards). In addition, links could be allowed for organizations related to the enterprise or business of a department.

The City of Markham web site also offers to provide links solicited by Community Groups and Businesses. The former through the Community Resource Coordinator, and the latter through the Website Administrator. All links are allowed subject to the ultimate approval of the Website Administrator.

Requests for Hot Links will be submitted to the Website Administrator for approval based on this policy. Work will then begin to create the appropriate linkages and ensure the URL (Universal Resource Link) links to the appropriate organization.

Logos and their Use

The City of Markham's logos and slogans are trademarks of The Corporation of the City of Markham. Any reproduction of these logos and slogans, other than for municipal use, licensed programs of the City of Markham or without the City of Markham's written permission is prohibited. These include, but are not limited to; the Corporate logos (Mark of Excellence, High Tech Capital), the Heritage logo, the Markham Transit logo, the Markham Museum & Historic Village logo, the Frederick Horsman Varley Art Gallery logo and the Markham Theatre for the Performing Arts logo.

Third party trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

For information regarding City of Markham logos, slogans and their usage, contact the Corporate Communications & Community Engagement Department at 905.477.7000, extension 7754.

About the web site

This site is owned and operated by The Corporation of the City of Markham.

Users are requested to be mindful of legal obligations and of anything that could possibly damage the web site. Users are licensed to display on computer and print the information provided on this web site.

For general questions, technical questions and information regarding this web site, please contact the City of Markham Website Administrator at webmaster@markham.ca.

Assistance

Please take a moment to email the Website Administrator at webmaster@markham.ca if you have any questions or comments regarding the City of Markham web site, its programs or operations.

Privacy Policy

The City of Markham acknowledges and appreciates that the communication of personal information is extremely sensitive and it recognizes the need to protect the personal privacy of individuals who interact with the City of Markham through various means of communication.

The City of Markham is subject to the provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection Act (MFIPPA). The first part of MFIPPA states that all government records should be available to the public with the exception of specifically enumerated types of information. The second part of the MFIPPA provides for the protection of personal information.

The MFIPPA requires that a local government protect the privacy of an individual's personal information that exists in the governmental records and that it follow a privacy protection scheme that includes rules regarding the collection, retention, use, disclosure and disposal of personal information in its custody or control.

For more information, visit the Ontario Information & Privacy Commission web site at www.ipc.on.ca.

Providing Personal Information via the City web site

Most of the information accessible on the City of Markham web site does not require you to identify yourself. You may access it anonymously. However, the City of Markham does collect personal information about you when you choose to provide it. We collect only as much personal information as it necessary to assist you in conducting business with the City of Markham via this web site. The only personally identifying information arising from your use of the City of Markham web site is what you voluntarily supply.

The City of Markham does attempt to provide you with multiple "channels" for conducting business (i.e. telephone, walk-in, mail-in, fax-in) in addition to the City of Markham web site. If you have concerns about using the web site to conduct your business with us, please be assured that alternative channels are available.

Why Personal Information is Collected

The City of Markham collects and retains personal information for the following reasons:

• To process your requests for services, products or additional information
• To communicate with you regarding services that you have requested
• To advise you of changes to our web site services and of service interruptions
• To meet legal and regulatory requirements

Use of "Cookie" Technology

Cookie technology captures summary - not individual - information on visitor use patterns. This is a computer code that tracks "traffic" so we can determine how effective the web site is in meeting informational or service needs. A cookie contains no personal identifying information and the City of Markham acquires no knowledge of an Internet visitor's browsing path once they have exited our web site. Apart from providing a performance measure, the data collected by the cookie is otherwise meaningless.

Use of Remarketing Codes

The City of Markham website may also use remarketing tracking codes in conjunction with Google Adwords and/or other display advertising networks to advertise Markham’s services across the internet.

Remarketing codes track web use such as browsing patterns and keywords to show you ads based on the pages of the Markham website you have visited. Like cookies, this technology captures only summary information and does not collect personal information as defined in MFIPPA. The City of Markham may also use “Google Analytics Advertising Features” to help us analyze how visitors use our website.

If you do not wish to see ads from the City of Markham, you can opt out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting Google’s Ad Settings.

Correcting/Changing Personal Information

If your personal information changes (i.e. name, address, postal code, telephone number, e-mail address etc.), or you no longer desire service, the City of Markham will endeavour to provide a way to correct, update or remove the information. Details of how to do this are usually provided on the web page where the information is being collected or displayed.

Use and Disclosure of Personal Information

The City of Markham is the sole owner of the information collected on this site. The City of Markham does not use or retain personal information that you provide for any secondary purposes unless you have first been notified and your permission has been obtained. The City of Markham will not sell, rent, share or otherwise disclose your personal information to any organization or individual outside the City of Markham unless you are first notified and your permission is received, except in the following circumstances. The City of Markham may disclose your personal information:

• To companies contracted to process your requests
• For law enforcement purposes
• For purposes of acting in an emergency to facilitate contact with your next of kin or friend if you become injured or take ill

From time to time the City of Markham web site may request information from you via survey or ask permission to send you special offers. Your participation will be completely voluntary and you will have a choice of whether or not to participate. Any survey information will be used solely for the purposes of monitoring and/or improving the City of Markham's services and products. If you choose not to participate, you will still be able to use the web site.

Protection of Personal Information

The City of Markham takes every precaution to protect your personal information on the web site. Requiring you to enter a unique Login ID each time you conduct a transaction protects your personal account information. Please note that your unique Login ID should never be shared with anyone.

If you have any questions or concerns about the security of this web site, you may send an e-mail to webmaster@markham.ca.

Exceptions

There may be certain exceptions to the City of Markham's Privacy Policy. Any exceptions will be clearly identified at the time the information is being gathered.

Contact Information

Concerns regarding Privacy issues should be directed to the Public Services & Records Coordinator:

• By E-mail: atari@markham.ca
• By Telephone: 905.477.7000 extension 2082
• By Mail: Alida Tari, Manger of Access & Privacy, City of Markham, Clerk's Department, 101 Town Centre Boulevard, Markham, Ontario, L3R 9W3

Concerns regarding Access to Information should be directed to the City Clerk:

• By E-mail: kkitteringham@markham.ca
• By Telephone: 905.477.7000 extension 8220
• For more information, visit the Ontario Information and Privacy Commission web site at www.ipc.on.ca.