Legal, privacy and accessibility 

This policy was last updated: July 2021

Good privacy management stems from good privacy governance. At Foresters we hold ourselves accountable for protecting the privacy of the Personal Information entrusted to us by our members, customers and employees. Proactive management of Personal Information creates a culture where the importance of privacy management is understood and thereby adds value to our organization, our members, customers and employees. Personal information is any information about an identifiable individual, such as name, age, address, gender, government identification numbers, financial information, health information and medical records. It may also include online identifiers, such as IP addresses and cookie identifiers. (“Personal Information”).

This Enterprise Privacy Statement (“Enterprise Privacy Statement”) applies to all Foresters Financial (“Foresters”) business operations and subsidiaries. Foresters is an international financial services provider operating in Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom. Foresters complies with applicable privacy/data protection laws in the jurisdictions where we do business. The privacy principles described below are supplemented by more detailed privacy policies that reflect the requirements of applicable laws in the countries in which we operate. We will provide you with these policies if they apply to your Personal Information. These specific policies will govern in the event of a conflict with this Enterprise Privacy Statement.

Canada privacy policy
US privacy policies
UK privacy policy

We adhere to the following principles when handling Personal Information:

Accountability: We are responsible for Personal Information under our control and establish this Framework for managing privacy across all our business operations. We have designated individuals who are responsible for monitoring compliance with these principles, our policies, practices and procedures and the expectations of our regulators.

Transparency – Individuals have the right to be information about the collection, use and disclosure of their personal information. We make information about our privacy policies and practices readily available to individuals, subject to any exceptions permitted by law.

Identifying purposes – We will be transparent about our privacy practices and will clearly identify the purposes for which we collect, use, retain and disclose Personal Information.

Lawful basis – We will only collect, use and disclose your Personal Information as reasonably necessary for the identified purposes, and only do so where there is a lawful basis. Sometimes, this will be with the knowledge and consent of a member, customer or employee. At other times, it will be on the basis of a contractual obligation, legal obligation, our legitimate interests or vital interests. But in each case only to the extent necessary to fulfill that obligation or interest. Where we require your consent, we may obtain it in writing, verbally, electronically or through an authorized representative. Consent may also be implied.

Limiting Collection – We will limit the collection of Personal Information to that which is necessary for the purposes we identify, and we will collect it fairly and lawfully.

Limiting use, disclosure and retention – We will not use or disclose Personal Information for purposes other than those for which we collected it, except with your consent, or as permitted or required by law. We restrict the access to and disclosure of Personal Information to those who have a need for the information. This may include our employees, licensed representatives or service providers who need the information to perform their duties or to provide us with services. It may also include other companies within the Forester group of companies. who, from time to time, may offer or promote other financial products, benefits or services, or those of select third parties, that we believe may be of interest to our members and customers. We may also have joint marketing or distribution agreements with other financial institutions that may offer or promote products that we believe may be of interest to our members and customers. In some instances, our subsidiaries, employees, service providers, representatives, reinsurers, and any of their service providers may be located in other jurisdictions. Personal Information may then be subject to the laws of those other jurisdictions.

We do not retain Personal information longer than is reasonably necessary or relevant for the identified purposes or as required by law. Once the retention of Personal Information is no longer reasonably necessary or relevant for the identified purposes, nor required by law, it will be destroyed, erased or made anonymous.

Accuracy – We make reasonable efforts to keep Personal Information accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it will be used.

Security safeguards– We will classify and protect Personal Information by security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. We make reasonable effort to prevent any loss or misuse, or any unauthorized disclosure, destruction or modification, of Personal Information.

Individual Rights – Upon request, and as required by applicable laws, we inform authorized individuals of the existence, use and disclosure of their Personal Information and give them access to it as required by law. Individuals may challenge the accuracy and completeness of their information and have it amended, as appropriate. Subject to applicable laws, individuals may also request us to delete the personal information we hold about them. We will consider all such requests and provide our response within a reasonable period, and as required by such laws. Certain personal information may be exempt from such requests in certain circumstances.

Challenging compliance – Individuals may challenge compliance with the above principles by contacting our Chief Privacy Officer who is located at our corporate head office in Toronto, Canada. We also have individuals responsible for privacy in each jurisdiction in which we operate. If you have any questions, concerns or complaints about the handling of your Personal Information at Foresters, please contact a local privacy officer. 

Chief Privacy Officer
789 Don Mills Road
Toronto, ON M3C 1T9
416-467-2530
privacy@foresters.com

Some of our websites and mobile applications may use online data collection tools or cookies to improve functionality, enhance security, evaluate the effectiveness of our websites and advertising campaigns, or provide visitors with a customized online experience. Please refer to our Cookie Policy and our Online Privacy Statement.

Foresters is an international financial services provider operating in Canada, United States and the United Kingdom. We may supplement this privacy statement with more specific privacy policies that are in line with this statement and principles and, where appropriate, reflect the legal and operational requirements of our business operations or the countries in which we operate. We will provide you with these policies if they apply to your Personal Information. These specific policies will govern in the event of a conflict with this privacy statement.

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Last Updated: November 19, 2021

Introduction

This Cookies Policy (“Policy”) describes how and why Foresters Financial (“Foresters Financial”, “we”, “us”, and “our”) uses cookies on our websites.  This Policy applies to Foresters websites and sites that link to the Policy (the “Website”) and includes:

• Foresters.com
• MyForesters.com
• MyPlans

What are cookies?

Cookies are small files, often containing a unique identifier, that websites store on your browser or device when you visit the website or app in order to remember information about you. Cookies are important to ensure that websites and web services are able to function properly, they help to personalize and improve your website experience, and can provide information about how you use the website. Those cookies are set by us and are called first party cookies.

We also allow third party cookies – these are cookies set by a domain other than the website or application you are visiting, such as for analytics or advertising purposes.

We may also use web beacons and pixel tags which are small pieces of code placed on a webpage to monitor the behavior and collect data about website visitors (for example, to count the number of visitors to a webpage, to deliver a cookie or to confirm if you have opened an email from us).

What are the types of cookies we use?

Our Website uses three main groups of cookies, as described below:

We use required cookies to enable our Website to function properly, including to allow you to navigate and access secure areas of the Website.

We use functional cookies to allow us to analyze and measure Website usage, and to improve performance and functionality.

We use advertising cookies to permit Foresters or advertising companies to serve ads that are relevant to your interests.  

Our Website uses two types of cookie durations - persistent and session cookies. Persistent cookies are cookies that remain on your device for a specified duration of time or until you manually delete them or object to them. Session cookies are temporary cookies that expire at the end of the browser session (e.g., when you leave our Website or close your browser).

To learn more about the type of cookies we use and why we use them, click “Cookie Preferences” in the footer of any page, then click on “View cookie settings” and then “Advanced settings.”

Setting your cookie preferences

When you first visit our Website, and periodically thereafter, we will inform you of why we use cookies, and you will have the opportunity to control the non-essential cookies you choose to accept by either clicking on “Agree and proceed” or on “More information” to select which cookies to accept or reject.

You may set or change your cookie preferences at any time by clicking “Cookie Preferences” in the footer of any page.

If you choose to reject or delete cookies, some or all of the functions on our Website may not be available to you.  If you use multiple devices to access our Website you should ensure that the browser on each device is adjusted to suit your cookie preferences.

It is important that your browser is set to accept required cookies otherwise you will not be able to enjoy the Website fully and your ability to use certain features and functionalities may be impacted.

A useful resource to learn more about managing cookies can be found at www.allaboutcookies.org.

Do Not Track Signals

Foresters does not track its customers or members over time in order to provide targeted advertising or for other purposes. Some browsers offer the capability to active a “Do Not Track” signal. We do not currently process or respond to “Do Not Track” signals from your browser. We and our third-party service providers may collect personal information about our customers and members online activities. 

Links to other third-party sites

If you follow a link from our Website to a third-party website, please be aware that the owner of the third-party website will have their own privacy and cookie policies for their site. We recommend you read their policies as we are not responsible or liable for what happens at their Website. When viewing videos on this Website they are being viewed through a third-party video player. These video players (example YouTube) will place cookies on your device. These cookies are required to play the video on our Website and may also be required to support website accessibility for people with disabilities.

Contact us

You may contact us for more information on our use of cookies at:

Chief Privacy Officer

Email: privacy@foresters.com

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Foresters Financial is committed to keeping your information secure. Foresters ensures the security of information and information systems by implementing adequate measures to protect the confidentiality and integrity of your information.

Your online account with Foresters Financial is protected from a wide variety of cyber threats.

Your user name and Password – All passwords are encrypted and we have implemented industry standard authentication systems to protect your online credentials. The protection mechanisms what we use are supporting to avoid unauthorized users.

Protect your Identity
The act of deliberately using someone else’s Identity is known as identity theft. Identity theft is a growing problem that affects thousands of individuals annually. Always be aware of new ways in which you are at risk for identity theft.

How do I prevent Identity Theft?

Identity theft can be prevented by not giving away unnecessary information. Sometimes it occurs as a result of negligence. To minimize the risk of becoming a victim of identity theft, there are some basic steps you can take.

• Verify that your computer is protected by Antivirus software
• If you use a laptop for business or personal use, ensure that it is encrypted. That way, if it is stolen, the information contained on that machine is more difficult to retrieve
• Protect your various accounts with a strong password and change it on a regular basis
• Never click links in suspicious emails and don’t open attachments from untrusted senders
• Don’t respond to emails requesting your personal or account information
• Always look for the “security lock” icon before supplying credit card information on any website
• Do not input personal information on a computer in a public place, like a library, coffee shops, etc.

These are some additional steps you may consider while dealing with non-digital information.

• Be suspicious of any email message that asks for confidential personal information either through replying to the email or through a web site link.
• In some cases phishing emails will include a link to an external web site. The link may look very familiar and legitimate, however when you hover the cursor over the link, it may show an unknown web site.
• These emails may contain generic greetings such as “Dear User” or “Hello Email User” or sometimes no greeting at all.
• You should also look for phrases like “Verify your account”, or “During regular maintenance”, or “will result in account suspension” or “foresters.com contract” or “still no response from you yet...” or “internal attack – security statement”.
• The email messages are designed to give a sense of urgency to get recipients to react immediately and provide sensitive information.
• Remember, phishing emails may also contain official company logos in an effort to fool users.

How do I protect myself from Phishing scams?

• There are some good security practices that can help to protect your information:
• Protect your personal information
• Use Anti-virus software
• Protect your internet connection
• Keep Web-browsers and software up-to-date
• Backup your data

Protect Your Personal Information - Do not respond to unsolicited emails or website popups asking for your personal information. Foresters will never ask you to disclose sensitive information such as your password, SIN number, bank account details, security questions, etc. through such methods.

Use Anti-virus software – A computer virus is malicious software that can copy itself and infect computers. These malicious programs come in a number of forms including Viruses, Worms, Trojans, Spyware and others. Many computer viruses can be prevented by using Antivirus software and ensuring it is kept up to date.

Protect your Internet Connection – Computers connected to the Internet may pose more risks than computers not always connected to Internet. Although we may think that no one would be interested in our personal computers, but malicious hackers around the world can scan your computer and steal personal information. They can also use your computer to attack other computers on the same network. If you don’t need to use the Internet then it is a good idea to disconnect the computer from the internet connection. It is also important to avoid sharing your files and folders on the network. To help prevent malicious hackers who may try to exploit your computer, switch on the Firewall in your computer.

Use Secure Browsers – Web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, etc. are installed on many computers. It is important to setup web browsers securely. As detailed below, some specific web browser features need to be configured to secure your internet browsing.

• How and What to Backup - Backing up is easy if you set your folder structure properly. It's faster and easier to back up if all your files and subfolders are organized in a single parent folder.
• When to backup – depending on how frequently your files are getting changed. You may backup on a weekly or even daily basis.

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Foresters Financial™ is committed to supporting people with disabilities. Our commitment in fulfilling our mission is to strive at all times to provide our products and services in ways that respect the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We are also committed to giving people with disabilities the same opportunity to access our products and services and allowing them to benefit from the same services, in the same place and in a similar way as other customers. As we move toward this goal, we expect that our services, benefits and facilities will be more and more responsive to the needs of people with disabilities.

Foresters Financial fully supports the standards of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and has developed plans to implement them in our organization. Our Multi-Year Accessibility Plan outlines what we will do to remove and prevent accessibility barriers in our organization for customers and-or employees.

Providing information in an accessible or alternate format is a way to help remove potential barriers to accessing and understanding information. Foresters Financial is committed to striving to provide accessible information and communication to its customers and recognizes that persons with disabilities may use methods other than standard print to access information. For more information on available accessible formats or to request an available accessible format document, please contact us.

Website accessibility refers to the practice of designing websites so that people with disabilities and those with different or diverse abilities can understand content, navigate and interact online and have equal access to information and functionality. We are actively working to improve our website to provide a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience. We are striving to ensure our website is consistent with the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 and is usable with assistive technology.

We are committed to communicating with customers with disabilities in ways that take into account their disabilities. This means that employees communicate in a manner that enables customers to communicate effectively, and to use and receive information about our products and services.

We are committed to helping our customers with disabilities who use assistive devices, and ensuring our staff is familiar with various assistive devices that may be used while accessing our products or services.

Customers with disabilities may be accompanied and assisted by a support person, and may bring their service animal on the parts of our premises that are open to the public, subject to any other applicable laws. We strive to ensure that people involved in dealing with customers are appropriately trained in how to interact with customers in these cases.

Sometimes, we may determine that a service animal cannot enter a certain area, or a customer may need a support person to provide the necessary assistance but not have one available. In these circumstances, we will use our best efforts to suggest reasonable and appropriate alternatives to provide assistance.

We will notify our customers promptly in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to services or facilities for people with disabilities. Our notification will include information about accessible alternatives for accessing our products, services or facilities, as well as the expected length of the disruption. We will provide notification in an accessible format which may include, but is not limited to, outgoing telephone messages or by posting on this website.

Our training for employees, volunteers, others who interact with the public on our behalf, and people who develop our customer service policies will comply with applicable accessibility laws, and may include:  

• How to interact and communicate with customers with various types of disabilities
• How to interact with customers with disabilities who use an assistive device or rely on the assistance of a service animal or support person
• How to use available equipment or devices that may assist with the provision of products or services to customers with disabilities
• What to do if a customer with a disability is having difficulty in accessing our products and services
• Our policies, practices and procedures relating to the provision of products or services to customers with disabilities
• A review of the purpose and requirements of any applicable laws or regulations, including the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 

Learn more about:

• Accessibility Policy for Customer Service
• Multi-Year Plan
• Accessibility Compliance Report

We are committed to continually learning about our customers, their priorities and needs and to improving access to our products and services. We welcome comments and feedback as we strive to meet our customers’ needs and expectations.  

Customers who wish to provide feedback on how we meet their accessibility needs can contact us using their TTY service, by telephone or in writing by regular or electronic mail. 

Please click here for our contact information.

We will use our best efforts to address or respond to a customer’s feedback immediately. However, it may sometimes be necessary to refer feedback to another Foresters Financial representative for response or to be handled through our regular complaint handling procedures.

Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.

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