Privacy Statement
Our Commitment to You
Stone is committed to conducting our business in the highest professional and ethical manner. It's one of our core values. We are committed to providing investors with excellent service while respecting the privacy of personal information. The Stone Privacy Policy outlines and demonstrates our commitment to protecting your privacy and safeguarding your personal and financial information.
What is Personal Information
Personal information is information that identifies an individual. It includes your name, age, marital status, birth date, social insurance number, home address and telephone number.
How do we collect your information?
Personal information is collected directly from you or your investment advisor when you open an account with us. This information is obtained when you send us a completed application form or when your investment advisor transmits information to us electronically.
Who else do we collect information from?
There are instances where we may collect information about you from a third party in the normal course of business. These parties may include:
- Your investment advisor dealer or intermediary;
- Other financial institutions or mutual fund companies;
- Other companies affiliated with Stone Funds; and
- Third parties who represent that they have a legal right to disclose the information, such as an executor of an estate.
What information is collected?
The personal information that is contained in your account may include your name, address, telephone number, social insurance number, date of birth, account holdings and history, as well as the name, address, date of birth and social insurance number of your beneficiary or spouse (when applicable). Depending on which services you have requested from us, we may also have information that may include your banking information. At times, we may request independent sources to verify and supplement information you provide to us.
How do we use your information?
Some of the purposes that we will identify in using or disclosing your information may include:
- Identifying you;
- Ensuring the accuracy of the information contained in your account;
- Opening and administering your account;
- Processing your transactions;
- Maintaining account holdings and transaction records;
- Providing you and your investment advisor with account information and statements;
- Providing you with financial statements, tax receipts, transaction confirmations, proxy mailing and other information that may be required to service accounts;
- Producing mailing lists to facilitate the mailing of Stone Funds financial statements or other notices that we may provide to you from time to time that relate to your Stone Funds holdings;
- Meeting legal and regulatory requirements; and
- Verifying information that you had previously given to another organization when necessary to act on the identified purposes.
Who do we disclose your information to?
In the normal course of business we may be required to third parties disclose your information to our agents, our suppliers or other organizations. These parties may include:
- Your investment advisor, dealer or intermediary;
- Other financial institutions, securities dealers and mutual fund companies, for example, when you move your investments from one firm to another;
- Other companies affiliated with Stone Funds;
- Canadian governments, government agencies and regulators;
- Contracted third-party service providers, such as account statement providers and mailing companies, courier companies, imaging companies and document storage companies.
Disclosing your information when permitted or required by law
Stone must provide information where required by a valid demand, search warrant or other legally valid inquiry. We may disclose information to an investigative body in the case of a breach of an agreement or contravention of laws. We may also disclose information to help us collect a debt owed by you.
How do we obtain consent?
In providing information to us, directly or through your investment advisor, and continuing to conduct business with us you are consenting to the use of your personal information. Our privacy policy is available on our website at www.stoneco.com or by requesting a copy from our Fund Services Team at 800 336 9528 and may be included in your application form if you open an account directly with Stone.
How can you withdraw all or part of your consent?
You may withdraw your Stone's consent use of your personal information by contacting our Fund Services Team. Your decision to withdraw your consent may limit the products and services that Stone can offer you. In some circumstances, legal requirements may prevent you from withholding consent.
Your right to access your information
Upon written request Stone will provide you with access to your personal information. Please note that we may not be able to provide you with your information in certain circumstances. For example: information containing references to other persons; information containing proprietary information confidential to Stone, or information cannot be disclosed for legal reasons.
Keeping your information accurate
The accuracy of your personal information is essential to providing you with excellent service. If you wish to change or update your personal information, please contact us. Please inform us of any errors regarding your personal information right away, so that we may correct our records.
Where do we keep your information?
Stone and our agents keep your client records in electronic and paper format. Paper records forming part of your client record may also be kept in offsite storage facilities. Your client record may be transferred to other secure off-site locations for disaster recovery purposes.
How do we protect your information against loss and unauthorized access?
Our employees and service providers have access to your information provided the information is required for the identified purposes and access is permitted only to the extent necessary for such purposes. In addition, we have taken additional measures to ensure that your information is protected, such as restricting physical access to critical business processing areas in our offices and using computer passwords and file encryption for online activities.
How long do we keep your information?
We retain your information only as long as it is required (whether to provide you with service or as required by law). The length of time may vary depending on the product or service and the nature of the information. This period may extend beyond the end of your relationship with us but only for so long as it is legally necessary for us to have sufficient information to respond to any issues that may arise at a later date.
Resolving your concerns
If you have any questions or concerns about the treatment of your information please follow these steps:
Step 1. In most cases, a concern is resolved simply by discussing it with a member of our Client Services Team, who can be contacted by telephone at 800 795 1142 or 416 867 8086 or via e-mail at clientservices@stoneco.com or via fax at 416 364 2498 or by mail at Stone Funds, Attention: Privacy Officer, 36 Toronto Street, Suite 710, Toronto, ON, M5C 2C5.
Step 2. If your concerns have not been resolved to your satisfaction, please contact our Privacy Officer directly, who can be reached by telephone at 800 336 9528 or 416 364 9188 or via e-mail at clientservices@stoneco.com or via fax at 416 364 9188 or by mail at Stone Funds, Attention: Privacy Officer, 36 Toronto Street, Suite 710, Toronto, ON, M5C 2C5.
Step 3. In the event that you have not obtained a satisfactory resolution through steps 1 and 2, you may contact the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at 800 282 1376 or by writing to: The Privacy Commissioner of Canada, 112 Kent St, Ottawa, ON, K1A 1H3