Website Policy
The Council of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley adopted the following website policy at their December 13th, 2004 meeting. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the policy, please feel free to contact the Township at mail@ektwp.ca or 613-345-7480.
On This Page:
- By-law 08-08: Being a By-law to Establish a Website Policy
- Schedule A to By-law 08-08 Website Policy
- Appendix A: Disclaimer
- Appendix B: Business Directory
- Communication Policy
The Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley
By-law 08-08
BEING A BY-LAW TO REPEAL BY-LAW 04-56 AND ESTABLISH A POLICY REGARDING WEBSITE GUIDELINES
WHEREAS the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley deems it advisable to repeal By-law 04-56 and to establish a policy regarding website guidelines;
NOW THEREFORE the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley enacts as follows;
1. THAT the Website Policy, as outlined in Schedule “A” attached hereto and made part of this By-law be approved.
2. THAT the Administrator-Clerk shall be responsible for the administration of this By-law and will be accountable to the Council for its enforcement.
3. THAT this By-law shall not be interpreted to contradict or violate any statute or regulation of the Province of Ontario.
4. THAT this By-law shall come into force and take effect on the date of its passing.
Read a First and Second time this 28th day of January , 2008.
Read a Third time and finally Passed this 11th day of February , 2008.
Signed: Mayor Jim Pickard
Signed: Clerk Yvonne Robert
Schedule A to By-law 08-08
Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley Website Policy
Table of Contents
Section 1 Definitions
Section 2 Policy Objectives
Section 3 Final Authority
Section 4 Website Objectives
Section 5 Disclaimer/Terms of Use
Section 6 Authority to Post Material
Section 7 Content Management
Section 8 Content Review
Section 9 Web Hosting for External Organizations
Section 10 External Links
Section 11 Business Directory
Appendix A Disclaimer/Terms of Use
Appendix B Business Directory Guidelines
1.0 Definitions
The following definitions apply to this policy in its entirety.
Content Management: Is defined as the process of determining what information will be offered on the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley’s website. Content management includes, but is not limited to the tasks associated with routine maintenance as defined under this policy.
Council: Refers to the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley.
External Link: An external link is defined as any hyperlink that takes the website user from the Township’s official website to the website of another organization, association, or group.
External Organization: For the purpose of this policy, an external organization is defined as any association, body or group that is not an official board or committee of the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley. For the purpose of this policy, only those boards and committees appointed by Council established by by-law or through provincial legislation are considered to be official boards and committees of Council.
Objectionable Material: Objectionable material is defined as matter which may contain, but is not limited to, material promoting hate and/or violence, materials of a pornographic, profane or sexually explicit nature, as well as content that may offend on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, creed, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, family status or disability.
Routine Maintenance: The definition of routine maintenance includes, but it not limited to the following tasks: updating the calendar of events, posting material advertised by the Township, posting material as requested by various department heads, correcting information posted online in order to ensure accuracy, verifying all hyperlinks to ensure that they are functioning, monitoring website hits, posting council, board and committee meeting minutes in accordance with this policy, as well as posting the council meeting agenda cover sheet.
Township: Refers to the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley.
2.0 Policy Objectives
2.1 Policy guidelines should be made available to staff responsible for maintaining and updating the website, as well as department heads who contribute to content to the website.
2.2 Policy guidelines should also be made available to the general public on the Township’s website.
2.3 The goal of the policy is to establish procedures, aid in content management and to provide staff with a baseline for decisions with regard to the website.
3.0 Final Authority
3.1 Final authority with regard to all decisions pertaining to the Township’s website rests with the Council of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley.
4.0 Website Objectives
4.1 The official website of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley is committed to providing convenient, accurate, timely and efficient access to information about Township services, activities, policies and programs for residents, visitors and persons conducting business in the Township.
5.0 Disclaimer/Terms of Use
5.1 The Disclaimer/Terms of Use contained in Appendix A should be made available to the public on the Township’s website.
6.0 Authority To Post Material
6.1 The staff member responsible for routine maintenance of the website is authorized to carry out those activities defined as routine maintenance under this policy, as well as the removal, alteration and addition of information found on departmental pages when requested by the appropriate department head.
6.2 The staff member responsible for routine maintenance of the website is authorized to post in the location(s) most appropriate to the subject matter, any material advertised by the Township in other media outlets.
6.3 Board and committee meeting minutes which have been adopted by the board or committee may be posted on the website by the staff member responsible for routine maintenance.
6.4 Council meeting minutes which have been adopted by Council may be posted on the website by the staff member responsible for routine maintenance.
7.0 Content Management
7.1 Content which includes objectionable material as defined under this policy, is prohibited from appearing on the official website of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley.
7.2 Final authority to determine whether or not content meets the definition of objectionable material rests with Council..
7.3 Content on the Township’s website must meet the one or more of the following criteria in order to be posted:
(i) The content must provide public information about events, activities, and services provided by, in association with or supported by the Township, a Board, and/or Committee of the Township.
(ii) The content must provide public information about events, activities and services provided by, in association with or supported by upper tier governments that directly affect residents, visitors, and persons conducting business in the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley.
(iii) The content is deemed by Council to be of interest to the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley, its residents and/or visitors.
8.0 Content Review
8.1 Each department head and Committee is required to perform a semi-annual review of all website material posted under their departmental sections.
8.2 Department heads may request that their departmental information be reviewed, amended or removed at any time throughout the year.
9.0 Web Hosting For External Organizations
9.1 The Township does not provide web hosting for external organizations.
10.0 External Links Policy
10.1 External links from the Township’s website must meet one or more of the following criteria in order to be posted. The link must:
(i) Connect members of the public with information and services provided by other levels of government in Canada;
(ii) Provide additional information on subject matter found within the pages of the Township’s website. Such information must be provided by an official and/or accredited source;
(iii) Connect members of the public with non-profit agencies and organizations which have bearing on information provided within the Township’s website;
(iv) Provide the content that is deemed by Council to be of interest to the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley, its residents and/or visitors.
10.2 External links from the Township’s website must not contain or reflect any of the following:
(i) The link must not contain objectionable material as defined in this policy;
(ii) The link must not contain buried links to objectionable material;
(iii) The link must not be a personal homepage;
(iv) The link must not connect to a for-profit business unless it is associated with the Township’s online business directory, and is featured on the appropriate business directory webpage.
10.3 Township cannot be responsible for any material stored on other websites, nor is it liable for any inaccurate, defamatory, offensive or illegal materials found on other websites.
10.4 Requests to establish an external link from the Township’s website will be received and evaluated by the staff member responsible for routine maintenance of the site. The staff member responsible for routine maintenance of the website is authorized to post online those links which meet the criteria as established in this policy.
10.5 Links which fail to meet the criteria for posting may be removed or replaced without notice.
11.0 Business Directory
11.1 Matters pertaining to the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley’s online business directory can be found in Appendix B of this policy.
Appendix A
Disclaimer/Terms of Use
The following statements are intended to encourage the responsible use of resources provided by the Township through their website.
Persons utilizing the Township’s official website, www.ektwp.ca, accept and acknowledge the following statements, and agree to abide by the terms of use contained therein:
1.0 Accuracy Of Information
1.0 The Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley makes every effort to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the information provided, however information should be verified independently before being used or relied on by contacting the appropriate department. All information is provided on an “as is” basis without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, statutory or otherwise. The Township does not warrant or make any representations as to the quality, content, accuracy or completeness of the information, text, graphics, links and other items contained on its website. The Township makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the fitness of the information for any purposes, or to results obtained by individuals using the information and is not responsible for any action taken in reliance on the information contained herein. Material 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.
2.0 External Links From The Township’s Website
2.1 The Township is not responsible for any material stored on other websites, nor is it liable for any inaccurate, defamatory, offensive or illegal materials found on other websites, and that the risk of injury or damage from viewing, hearing, downloading or storing such materials rests entirely with the user.
2.2 External links may be removed or replaced at anytime without notice. The Township reserves the right to refuse or delete any link that is inconsistent with the guidelines established by the Township’s Website Policy.
3.0 Links To The Township’s Website
3.1 The Township welcomes links to its website; however, establishment of a link does not imply any sponsorship of that site by the Corporation of Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley.
4.0 Content Ownership
4.1 Persons using the Township’s website, acknowledge that content including, but not limited to, text, software, photographs, video, graphics or other material contained in this website may be protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents or other proprietary rights and laws.
4.2 Content, including code and software, available through the Township’s website may not be modified, copied, reproduced, published, uploaded, posted, transmitted or distributed in any way inconsistent with the intent of the material.
5.0 Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
5.1 The information accessible on the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley’s website does not require users to identify themselves, and can be accessed anonymously. The website does not automatically gather any specific personal information from the user, such as name, home phone number or email address. This type of information is obtained only if the user supplies it.
5.2 From time-to-time the Township’s website may request information via surveys. Participation in these surveys is completely voluntary. If the user chooses not to participate in surveys, they will still be able to access the website.
5.3 The Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley does not use or retain personal information that is provided by the user for any secondary purposes unless we clearly notify the user and gain their permission first. The Township will not sell, share, rent or otherwise disclose your personal information to any organization or individual outside the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley unless we first notify the user and ask permission. The exceptions to this policy of non-disclosure are stated below. The Township may disclose your personal information:
i.) To companies contracted to process your requests
ii.) For law enforcement purposes
iii.) For the purpose of acting in an emergency or in compassionate circumstances to facilitate contact with your next of kin or friend if you become injured or take ill
Appendix B
Business Directory Guidelines
1.0 Business Directory Objectives
1.1 The objective of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley’s online business directory is to promote local businesses within the Township at no charge to the businesses.
1.2 The business directory is intended to compliment the Township’s main website by emphasizing the economic diversity of the Township.
1.3 The business directory is administered by the Economic Development Committee of the Corporation of the Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley.
1.4 Final authority with regard to all matters relating to the directory rests with Council.
2.0 Criteria For Listing A Business
2.1 To qualify for listing on the directory, a business must be located within the geographic boundaries of the Township.
2.2 Businesses that meet the listing criteria are eligible to display their information on one (1) page of the directory. Where appropriate, businesses may be indexed in more than one location within the directory.
2.3 All businesses which meet the listing criteria and have applied to be posted on the business directory are required to review a copy of their listing prior to publication, and must return to the Township a signed confirmation form that verifies the accuracy of the information and consents to the publication of the listing on the business directory portion of the website.
2.4 Businesses that fail to submit a signed confirmation form will not be listed on the business directory.
3.0 Directory Content Management
3.1 The staff member responsible for routine maintenance to the Township’s website is authorized to proceed with business directory content management, which includes but is not limited to, minor and routine changes, processing directory applications, adding and removing businesses in accordance with these guidelines.
4.0 External Links From Business Directory Listings
4.1 External links located on business directory pages must connect directly to the website appropriate to the local business referenced on that page of the business directory.
4.2 External links from the business directory must comply with section ten (10) of the Township’s website policy.
5.0 Review Procedures
5.1 All listings on the directory will be reviewed annually to ensure the accuracy of the information and to determine that all businesses continue to meet the listing criteria.
5.2 At the time of the review, all businesses listed will be mailed, faxed or emailed a business directory reminder encouraging them to keep their listing current.
Communication Policy
The purpose of this policy is to provide general guidelines as to the level of customer service expected by all Township of Elizabethtown-Kitley employees. According to the policy:
- Telephone calls are to be returned within one (1) business day if the staff person receiving the message is in the office. In the case where the staff person is away, a return call is to be made within one (1) to two (2) days of returning to the office.
- Emails are to be acknowledged within two (2) business days, provided the employee is not on an extended leave.
- If the email is considered ‘junk mail’, such as selling advertising space etc., no response is required by staff.
To view the Township’s Communication Policy please click here
