Terms of Use

The City of Peterborough is committed to protecting your privacy when you’re using our website. We take appropriate measures to protect and ensure the privacy of any personal information you provide. As a municipality, we are subject to the provisions of the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Most of the information on our website is accessible without any need for you to identify yourself. You may access it anonymously. When the option is presented for certain services or surveys, you may choose to provide personal information. The City is regulated in how it handles personal information under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act as well as its own policies and procedures.

If you have concerns about using the website to conduct your business with us, please contact us for possible alternative methods such as in-person, by telephone or through mail.

We use industry standard encryption technology to protect your personal information when you’re using our website. All user information is maintained in a secure environment.

Why personal information is collected

The City 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; and
To meet legal and regulatory requirements.

From time to time, the City may use the website to request information from you via surveys or other community engagement methods. Your participation in these engagement opportunities is completely voluntary. Any survey information will be used solely for the purposes of monitoring and/or improving the City’s services and products. If you choose not to participate, you will still be able to use our website.

Collection of non-identifying information

The City of Peterborough collects non-identifying information from users of our website. This information includes the Internet Protocol address, type of browser, date and time of visit, and the different webpages you visit on our website. The information is used for statistical reporting purposes and to design and improve access to information and services available on our website. We do not combine the information with other information or services to determine your browsing habits on websites beyond those operated by the City, or to determine your identity.

Use and disclosure of personal information

The City of Peterborough will not use or disclose your personal information without your consent except strictly in accordance with your rights as established by the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Links to third-party sites

Clicking on a link to a third-party site will usually open a new browser window. We provide these links as a convenience for visitors to the website. The inclusion of a link does not imply endorsement by the City of Peterborough, nor can we be held responsible in any way for the content found on any third-party website. The City’s privacy statement applies solely to information collected on the City website.

Accessibility

The City of Peterborough is committed to creating an accessible online environment and making its web documents available to everyone. There may be instances where not all content is in an accessible format, such as maps or Geographic Information System (GIS) data, engineering drawings or site maps for planning applications, complex technical data, and legacy documents. To request an accessible alternative for non-accessible content, please contact the City’s Customer Service Coordinator.

City of Peterborough online calendar – community posting criteria

The purpose of the City’s online calendar is to inform the public about upcoming events in our community and to provide an opportunity to promote community meetings and events.

Residents and organizations may submit event information to be posted on the community event calendar on the City’s website if the event is open to the general public, occurs within the City of Peterborough and meets one of the following criteria:

Events must meet one of the following criteria:

Organized or funded by another order of government
Organized by a government-funded agency or board
Organized by a City of Peterborough affiliated group
Organized by an organization identified as eligible for a City of Peterborough community grant
Funded in full or in part by the City of Peterborough
Sponsored by the City of Peterborough
Organized by a charitable organization with a registered charitable number and operating within the City of Peterborough
Organized by a service club operating within the City of Peterborough performing work that benefits Peterborough residents
Organized by a business improvement area
Located in a facility owned or leased by the City of Peterborough

Events submitted by the public will not be published on the community calendar on the City’s website if they:

Are commercial in nature and, in the City’s sole opinion, are attempting to advertise, promote, or sell products or services of an individual or an individual business
Promote, exhibit, illustrate or manifest hate or obscene/pornographic/sexual content of any kind
Do not comply with municipal, provincial or federal legislation
Promote an individual religion or religious service

The City reserves the right to accept or reject a request to publish information to the public calendar.

City of Peterborough social media presence

We use social media platforms as part of our communications efforts – it’s another way to share information and engage with residents. We regularly monitor our social media accounts during business hours. If your matter is urgent or you would like personal assistance, please contact the city by phone or email.

How we interact with each other

We ask that you be respectful when you’re engaging with the City and others on social media.

The City reserves the right to remove any posts or content that:

Provides the personal information of individuals
Promotes, perpetuates or fosters discrimination on the basis of race, creed, colour, age, religion, gender, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, nationality, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation
Is a personal attack on an individual or specific group
Is profane or abusive
Is sexually explicit or links to content that is sexually explicit
Conducts or encourages illegal activity
Is commercial in nature and is attempting to advertise, promote or sell products or services of an individual or an individual business
Is for the purposes of promoting a candidate for municipal, provincial or federal election
May tend to compromise the safety or security of the public or public systems
Violates a legal ownership interest of another party
Violating privacy legislation, including discussion of items in closed session meetings
Does not comply with municipal, provincial or federal legislation
Promotes an individual religion or religious service

We reserve the right to post, refuse to post, or remove any content from our social media pages at any time, without notice, and to block accounts that repeatedly engage with the City or other accounts in a manner that’s not consistent with our terms.

The overall goal is to ensure that all parties participate online in a respectful, relevant way.

Community events

The City may use its social media accounts to share events that are open to the general public and meet at least one of the following criteria:

Organized or funded by another level of government
Organized by a government-funded agency or board
Organized by a City of Peterborough affiliated group
An organization identified as eligible for a City of Peterborough community grant
Funded in full, or in part, or sponsored by the City of Peterborough
Organized by a charitable organization with a registered charitable number and operating within the City of Peterborough
Organized by a service club or neighbourhood association operating within the City of Peterborough performing work that benefits Peterborough residents
Organized by a business improvement area or Chamber of Commerce for general promotional purposes

You are responsible to protect your privacy

When interacting on social media platforms, you are responsible for protecting your privacy. When you sign up for a social media account, when you post content, and when you interact with other accounts, each of these actions can share information depending on your privacy settings and how that social media platform handles your information. Be sure to get to know the security settings within the social media you are using.

About your personal information

Personal information, which includes your Internet Provider (IP) address, is being collected, managed, processed and or stored by a third-party service provider and is therefore, not in the sole domain, custody and control of the City of Peterborough. Additionally, your personal information may cross the border to a foreign jurisdiction and will therefore be subject to the governing laws of that jurisdiction.