Accessibility
Website and documents
We are constantly working to make the City of Ottawa’s website and web content accessible and usable for everyone.
Our goal is to meet or exceed Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) conformance requirements as stipulated by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), under the Integrated Accessibility Standards (IASR).
Monitoring and maintaining accessibility
- Sites are continuously monitored using third party software (Site Improve) to report on accessibility issues
- Staff are trained and have access to correct any issues identified
- New and updated features are put through a formal testing procedure which (usually) includes external industry expert analysis,
- Utilize both trained staff and external vendors for PDF accessibility
Measures to support accessibility
City of Ottawa takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of its websites
- Include accessibility throughout our internal policies
- Integrate accessibility into our procurement practices
- Provide continual accessibility training for our staff
- Assign clear accessibility goals and responsibilities
- Employ formal accessibility quality assurance methods
Accessibility at the City
As outlined in its Accessibility Policy, the City of Ottawa is committed to providing equal treatment to people with disabilities with respect to the use and benefit of City services, programs, goods, facilities and information.
This commitment extends to residents, visitors and employees with visible or non-visible disabilities.
Learn more about our commitment to accessibility at the City
Disclaimer
The material on this website is provided as general information only and is not intended to provide specific legal advice for any individual and should not be relied upon in that regard.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy and veracity of the information on this website, the City of Ottawa is not responsible in any way for damages arising out of the use of this website. And, although the City of Ottawa relies on reputable sources and believes the information posted on the website by the City is correct, and attempts to keep the information current, the City of Ottawa does not warrant the accuracy or completeness of the information.
The City of Ottawa reserves the right to discontinue, change or modify this site at any time without notice. Links to other websites or references to other organizations, products, services or publications do not constitute endorsement or approval by the City of Ottawa, and the City of Ottawa makes no representations whatsoever about any other website that you may access through this one.
The City of Ottawa assumes no responsibility for the accuracy of translations that are performed using third-party translation software.
The City of Ottawa will not be liable for damages arising from, but in no way limited to, the transmission of confidential information over the Internet.
The City of Ottawa reserves the right to edit, delete, modify, vet, and/or change any material sent or posted to its website in whole or in part at its sole discretion.
All information at this site is protected by the Canadian laws of copyright. Unless permission is granted, no one may copy, redistribute, reproduce or republish in any form, any material located on this website.
Privacy
Purpose
The purpose of the statement is to inform users of this site with regard to the collection and use of personally identifiable information. The following is not intended and should not be interpreted as a contract of any nature, either stated or implied.
Definition of personally identifiable information
For the purposes of this statement "personally identifiable information" means any information relating to an identified or identifiable individual who is the subject of the information.
Providing personally identifiable information
Citizens do not have to routinely provide personal information to visit the City of Ottawa portal or to download information. Government agencies may request personally identifiable information from you in order to provide requested specialized services, but such information is handled as it would be on an in-person visit to a government office.
Personally identifiable information available
The IP (Internet Protocol) numbers of computers (servers) used to visit sites are noted as part of our statistical analysis on use of our websites so we may better design services and improve access to them. However, the site does not attempt to gain personally identifiable information on individual users and associate them with IP addresses.
Restrictions on the disclosure of customer information
Our users are important to us. We do not sell or rent our users' information to any outside company or organization. We do not reveal specific information about users or other personally identifiable data to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use, except if required to do so by law. We endeavour to ensure that we collect only the minimum amount of information needed to meet the purpose for which the network was created.
Other websites
Various websites may be linked through the portal. Visitors to those sites are advised to check the privacy statements of these sites and be cautious about providing personally identifiable information without a clear understanding of how the information will be used. Visitors may also wish to consult privacy guidelines such as those recommended by the Online Privacy Alliance.
Use, collection, and retention of customer information at the City of Ottawa portal
For each visitor, we do collect information about the Internet Protocol (IP) address, type browser used, the date and time of the visit, and the IP addresses of the locations to which the visitor linked during his or her visit to our website. This information is strictly used for statistical reporting purposes.
We only collect, retain and use personal information where we believe it is essential (and allowed by law) to administer our business and to provide products, services and other opportunities requested by our customers.
We currently accept payment by Master Card, Visa and American Express on this site. We have taken many steps to ensure the security of your transaction and your credit card information including transmission, processing and storage of your credit card details.
Web analytics and cookies
In order to improve our website, we are presently using Google Analytics to collect data for statistical reporting purposes. Google Analytics analyzes the use of our website through using cookies to collect and generate information about your visits to our web site (including your IP address) that is transmitted to their servers in an anonymous form for processing. In order to better protect your privacy we are currently masking user IP addresses as described in the section labeled “Use of IP address” in the Google Analytics Privacy Policy.
You can opt-out of analytics activity by setting your browser to notify you when a cookie is sent and block analytics cookies if desired. Please consult your browser's Help Menu for instructions. Visiting our website with analytics cookies disabled will have no significant impact on your browsing experience. Google currently offers a free Google Analytics opt-out tool for Internet Explorer (versions 7 and 8), Google Chrome (4.x and higher), and Mozilla Firefox (3.5 and higher).
We also use session-based cookies on the City website to process requested services (e.g., course registration). A session-based cookie is a small file that stores information, but is discarded when the user exits the browser. The City website uses this method in order to collect data that is not personally identifiable, ensuring it is used for statistical reporting purposes only.
Your feedback is important in helping us decide whether to continue to use this technology. Should you have any questions or feedback, please contact us.
Restrictions on the disclosure of customer information
We do not sell or rent our users' information to any outside company or organization. We do not reveal specific information about users or other personally identifiable data to unaffiliated third parties for their independent use, except if required to do so by law.
Protection of information via established security procedures
Improvements in Internet security occasionally cause older browsers to be unable to connect to ottawa.ca. This is for the protection of our users. If your browser is unable to make a secure connection, please consider upgrading your browser if you wish to access protected content.
Limiting employee access to information
Our director limits employee access to personally identifiable information to only those employees who need access in order to perform their assigned duties. The director is instructed to enforce with its staff their responsibilities in protecting subscriber's information.
Freedom of Information (FOI)
The City of Ottawa endeavours to make information available to the public, consistent with the Routine Disclosure and Active Dissemination Policy. Some records, however, may be subject to the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and require a formal access to information request prior to disclosure.
In accordance with the City’s Privacy Policy, the City of Ottawa is committed to being open, accessible and transparent in its actions while safeguarding the privacy of individuals by protecting the personal information in the City’s custody or control. The City is required to handle information according to responsibilities and requirements set out under the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and other applicable access and privacy legislation.