Social Media Policy

This policy applies to the use of social media by our office. It does not address the terms of service and privacy policies of each social media platform used. Prior to using these social media platforms, users are encouraged to review the terms of service and privacy policies for each platform before engaging in their use.

The Office of the Yukon Ombudsman, Information and Privacy Commissioner, and Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner uses social media to raise awareness of our office and its work, share news, and engage citizens and organizations in the Yukon. In particular, those organizations include authorities under the Ombudsman Act, public bodies under the Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act (ATIPP Act), custodians under the Health Information Privacy and Management Act (HIPMA), and public entities under the Public Interest Disclosure of Wrongdoing Act (PIDWA).

Our social media accounts are managed by staff and contractors on behalf of the Yukon Ombudsman, Information and Privacy Commissioner and Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner.

In general, we update and monitor our social media accounts Monday through Friday between 9:30 and 4:30 pm, but we may monitor and respond outside of those hours as well.

Our social media platforms will complement our website, and where possible, direct users back to the website for in-depth information, forms, or other documents.

Content

Through our social media accounts, we aim to keep you informed about the activities of our office, as well as developments that relate to our work and our mandates.

Our social media content may include:

• news releases, speeches, and other publications issued by our office and others
• links to information and articles that relate to our work
• activities of our office
• information about upcoming events
• messages from the Ombudsman, Information and Privacy Commissioner and Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner

We may follow, like, share, re-tweet or re-post news, links and other content relevant to our work and mandate, and of interest to our followers.

This does not imply endorsement by our office, nor can we guarantee the accuracy of this content. If a third party uses this content, they agree to indemnify and hold harmless our office from all third party claims, demands, actions or costs arising out of use of these sites.

Social media posts are not in any way binding or an authoritative source of law, policy, advice or guidance from our office.

Commenting & Terms of Use

Respectful commentary, opinions, questions, and responses related to the topic under discussion are welcome. We cannot commit to responding to all comments received on our social media sites, but will reply to questions and take part in discussions when possible.

Please refrain from:

• abusive, obscene, indecent, threatening, violent or offensive language
• defamatory, harassing, hateful remarks or accusations against individuals or organizations
• comments that are discriminatory on the basis of race, national or ethnic origin, age, creed, gender, marital status, socio-economic status, physical or mental disability or sexual orientation
• sexual content or links to sexual content
• messages that encourage or suggest illegal or illicit activity
• solicitations, advertisements, announcements, or endorsements of any commercial, financial, labour or political organization
• excessive links and code
• content that violates a legal ownership interest of any other party
• comments not related to the particular post or material being commented on
• comments that are repetitive or are considered spam

We reserve the right to restrict or remove any content that we determine violates our social media policy or any applicable law. We also reserve the right to report any potentially illegal activity to law enforcement authorities.

If you choose to engage in a conversation with us via social media, please remember that you do so within the public domain. To protect your privacy and that of others, do not include personal information in your posts.

Any information, personal or otherwise, that you provide to us through social media is collected by our office for purposes associated with our mandates.  This information will only be retained, used and disclosed in accordance with our obligations under our mandates or for law enforcement purposes.  All other information will be deleted.

Staff of our office may be active on social media as private citizens. Despite their professional affiliation, their posted content does not represent the official position of this office.

Complaints

The Yukon Office of the Ombudsman, Information and Privacy Commissioner and Public Interest Disclosure Commissioner has authority under four different pieces of legislation, as set out above.

We do not accept complaints (or disclosures of wrongdoing) via social media. For more information about how we can help you with complaints or disclosures, please get in touch with us using the contact information below and we can provide advice on how you should proceed. 

Phone: 1-867-667-8468, or toll-free 1-800-661-0408 (ext 8468)
Email: info@yukonombudsman.ca
Visit our office at:
3162 Third Avenue, Main Floor
(corner of Third Avenue & Alexander Street)
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 1G3

You may also review the complaint procedures we have set out on our website:

Ombudsman

For the Public
For Authorities

Information and Privacy

For the Public
For Public Bodies
For Custodians

Public Interest Disclosure

For Employees
For Public Entities

Questions/Comments

If you have questions or comments about our use of social media or about any of our work, please get in touch using the contact information given above.

Copyright

By submitting content to our social media platforms, users are giving our office permission to use and distribute this content in our print and online publications.

We reserve the right to supplement, remove or modify this social media policy as necessary, from time to time. Please check our website for changes or contact us directly.