Legal
Privacy Policy
How Tread Well collects, uses and protects the personal and health information of our patients and website visitors.
About this policy
Tread Well operates a foot clinic and a rehabilitation clinic at 3305 Harvester Road in Burlington, Ontario. This policy explains what personal information we collect, both through this website and during your care. It also sets out how that information is used and how it is protected. Tread Well is a health information custodian under Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA). Our practitioners and staff act as our agents and are required to follow this policy, our internal privacy practices and their own professional obligations. Under a federal exemption order (SOR/2005-399), PHIPA rather than the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) applies to our collection, use and disclosure of personal health information within Ontario. That exemption is limited to personal health information handled within the province; general personal information, such as that of website visitors, and information disclosed outside Ontario may remain subject to PIPEDA.
Information we collect through this website
If you send us a message using the contact form on this site, we collect the name, phone number, email address and message content you provide. We ask that you do not include detailed health information in that form; it is intended for general enquiries and appointment requests. We do not collect payment information through this website.
How your information is used
Information you submit through the contact form is used only to respond to your enquiry and, where applicable, to arrange an appointment. Messages are processed by our website hosting platform and delivered to our reception email address, where they are handled by clinic staff. Before a message is sent, Cloudflare Turnstile performs an automated check to confirm the form is being used by a person; this check processes technical information about your browser and device. We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information, and we do not use it for marketing unless you have separately asked to receive communications from us.
Booking and your practice management record
Appointment booking and our clinical records are managed in Cliniko, our practice management platform. Access to these records is limited to clinic staff who need it for their role. When you follow a booking link from this site, the details you enter are saved directly into our Cliniko account. Cliniko acts on our instructions as our service provider; it does not use your information for its own purposes.
This website
This website is hosted by a third-party hosting platform, which processes standard technical information such as your IP address and browser type for security and reliability purposes. The site uses the platform's built-in analytics to understand how pages are visited, such as page views and general usage events. Our Visit Us page embeds a Google map; when it loads, Google may set its own cookies and collect information under Google's privacy policy. We do not use advertising cookies, and we do not sell website visitor information.
Personal health information
Clinical records created during your care, including assessment findings, treatment notes, imaging, scans and correspondence, are collected and retained by the clinic as your health record. They are used to provide and coordinate your care within the clinic, to bill your insurer where you have asked us to do so, and to meet the record-keeping requirements of our practitioners' regulatory colleges. Where you are seen by practitioners in both of our clinics, relevant information is shared internally so that your care can be coordinated.
Insurance and direct billing
If you ask us to direct-bill your extended health plan, we submit the information your insurer requires to process the claim, which typically includes your name, policy details, the service provided and the date of service. We submit only what is necessary for the claim.
Disclosure to others
We do not disclose your information outside the clinic without your consent, except where the law requires or permits it, such as reporting obligations, a court order, or circumstances involving a significant risk of harm. Where you ask us to communicate with your physician or another provider, we share only the information relevant to that purpose.
Retention and security
Health records are retained for the period required by our practitioners' regulatory colleges and applicable Ontario legislation, after which they are securely destroyed. We take reasonable steps to protect records against loss, theft and unauthorized access, including limiting access to staff who need it to perform their role and keeping any paper records in secured storage at the clinic. If personal health information in our custody were lost, stolen or accessed without authorization, we would notify the individuals affected at the first reasonable opportunity and notify the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and the relevant regulatory college where PHIPA requires it.
Consent
When you attend for care, we rely on your implied consent to collect, use and share your personal health information among the practitioners involved in your treatment at this clinic, for the purpose of providing that care. Uses outside your care, such as sending you marketing communications, require your express consent. You may withhold or withdraw consent to a particular use or disclosure at any time, subject to legal and professional limits, and we will explain what effect that has on your care. We collect and use only the information necessary for the purpose at hand.
Your choices and your rights
You may ask to see your health record, request a copy, or ask us to correct information you believe is inaccurate or incomplete. We respond to access and correction requests within 30 days, as PHIPA requires, and will tell you if a short extension or a fee for copying applies. Where we are unable to grant a request, we explain why and how you may challenge that decision. Requests can be made in person at reception or in writing.
Questions and concerns
If you have a question about this policy, wish to access or correct your record, or have a concern about how your information has been handled, please contact the clinic by phone at (289) 337-1657 or by email at reception@treadwell.ca. We will review and respond to your concern. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario at 1-800-387-0073 or ipc.on.ca, and you may also contact the regulatory college of the practitioner involved.
Changes to this policy
This policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. The current version is always available on this page.
Last updated October 2026.