Protecting your privacy
The Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) is committed to protecting the privacy of participants, safeguarding the confidentiality of personal information, and ensuring a secure environment for all information collected as part of the CLSA research platform.
All personal information collected for the CLSA is managed in compliance with McMaster University’s privacy policies, the province of Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) and Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA), as well as the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans – TCPS 2 (2022).
The CLSA also recognizes the compliance requirements under Law 25, as it pertains to participants and users who reside in the Province of Quebec.
How is my privacy protected?
The CLSA is committed to ensuring that privacy and confidentiality are always respected. The CLSA meets this commitment to privacy by:
- Establishing clear principles and strict policies for the protection of personal information, emphasizing high standards of organizational, technical and physical security procedures;
- Ensuring that CLSA staff members are trained in the principles and procedures of personal information protection;
- Restricting access to personal information to a limited number of CLSA personnel who have authorized access for research, administrative, or communications purposes;
- Ensuring updates to the CLSA research protocol is reviewed regularly by the research ethics boards of the institutions involved;
- Designating a member of the CLSA Executive Committee to oversee the study’s privacy protection policies and procedures and work in collaboration with the Advisory Committee on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (ELSI) to review these policies and procedures and develop new ones as needed; and
- Ensuring the CLSA’s policies and procedures are consistent with legislative requirements and the best provincial, national and international standards of privacy and confidentiality protection in health research.
CLSA Privacy Policy
The CLSA Privacy Policy has been developed to:
- Provide transparency and accountability regarding the practices for how the study manages and protects personal information; and
- Provide CLSA participants, researchers and users of the CLSA website and other CLSA online platforms with information on their privacy and access rights.
Who ensures high ethical standards?
All research conducted in preparation for, or as part of, the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging abides by the requirements of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and relevant institutions for ethical conduct and privacy protection in health research.
The CLSA participates in an ethical review process at universities and research institutions involved in the study. This process involves local research ethics boards reviewing all changes to the CLSA research protocol. Research ethics boards are responsible for ensuring compliance with national, provincial and institutional standards and policies on research involving human subjects.
The CLSA Advisory Committee on Ethical, Legal and Social Issues (ELSI) meets regularly, as part of a broader CLSA governance structure, to uphold the accountability, transparency and integrity of the CLSA.
Research Ethics Boards
The CLSA research protocol has been reviewed by the following Research Ethics Boards. If you have questions regarding your rights as a research participant, you may contact the Research Ethics Board in your province.
University of British Columbia
Office of Research Services
6190 Agronomy Road
Vancouver BC V6T 1Z3
University of Victoria
Administrative Services Building (ASB), Room B202
PO Box 1700 Stn CSC
3800 Finnerty Road
Victoria BC V8W 2Y2
Island Health
Queen Alexandra Centre
Main Building Room 205
2400 Arbutus Road
Victoria BC V8N 1V7
University of Calgary
MacKimmie Tower (MT), 6th Floor
University of Calgary
420 Campus Lane NW
Calgary, AB T2N 1N4
University of Manitoba
Bannatyne Campus
University of Manitoba
P126 Pathology Building
770 Bannatyne Avenue
Winnipeg MB R3E 0W3
Bruyère Continuing Care
43 Bruyère Street
Ottawa ON K1N 5C8
McMaster University
237 Barton Street
Suite C1-205
Hamilton ON L8L 2X2
McGill University Health Centre (MUHC)
5100, boul. de Maisonneuve Ouest, 5th floor, Office 576
Montréal, Québec, H4A 3T2
University of Sherbrooke
CIUSS de l’Estrie-CHUS 3001,
12e Avenue Nord, bureau 2929
Sherbrooke QC J1H 5N4
Memorial University
2nd Floor, Bonaventure Place
95 Bonaventure Avenue
St. John’s NL A1B 2X5