Policies

Corporate Policies

MASC maintains policies that relate to the governance of the Corporation’s activities. If you have any questions about MASC policies, please contact an MASC Service Centre.

Privacy Policy

The purpose of MASC’s Privacy Policy is to outline the guiding principles for MASC’s management of personal and confidential information.

The MASC Privacy Policy provides that:

  • MASC collects information under the authority of The Manitoba Agricultural Services Corporation Act, and is required to protect personal and confidential information in accordance with The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.
  • In addition to protecting the privacy rights of individuals, MASC is committed to protecting information provided to it in confidence by its clients, public bodies, or other organizations.
  • In keeping with established principles of fair information practices, MASC is responsible to:
    • obtain consent before collecting, using, and disclosing personal information;
    • collect the minimum amount of information needed to accomplish its purpose;
    • use and disclose personal information only for the reason(s) it was collected, unless consent is obtained, or if such use and disclosure is required or permitted;
    • ensure the personal information that is collected is as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as necessary for its purposes;
    • provide individuals with access to their own information and allow them to make corrections as appropriate;
    • keep personal information only for as long as it is required; and
    • ensure the security of personal information.
  • MASC has designated staff to answer questions and handle complaints and further, a person who is dissatisfied with a decision made by MASC respecting privacy matters may make a complaint to the Ombudsman for the Province of Manitoba, in accordance with The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

Misrepresentation

Misrepresentation and program abuse are not victimless acts – they can affect everyone and anyone. For most AgriInsurance programs, premiums are paid 40 per cent by insured producers, 36 per cent by the government of Canada, and 24 per cent by the Manitoba government. Misrepresentation and program abuses affect AgriInsurance programs, producers, and the public.

In order to offer equitable insurance at reasonable cost, MASC works hard to ensure that producers only receive payments for claims for which they are eligible. Specific examples of misrepresentation include:

  • misstating production on a harvested production report;
  • misstating production in respect of a claim;
  • failing to disclose any fact required to be stated; and
  • making a false statement.

MASC does NOT consider misrepresentation or abuse of government programs just another cost of doing business. MASC staff are vigilant to identify concerns.

If you suspect misrepresentation or abuse of MASC’s programs, current or historic, please contact MASC TIPS lines at:

MASC Attention: Lead Investigator
400 – 50 – 24th Street NW
Portage la Prairie, MB, R1N 3V9
1-833-206-0457 (toll-free)
(ask for Lead Investigator)
 MASCTIPS@www.masc.mb.ca 

Penalties for misrepresentation and abuse of AgriInsurance and other programs can be significant and include claim reductions or claim recovery, termination from the program, and referral to law enforcement for possible criminal charges. See the annual AgriInsurance Contract for further details.

MASC Moderation and Privacy Notification

MASC may reply to questions and take part in online conversations when possible.

The views of those who comment on MASC’s social media channels do not necessarily represent the views of the Corporation. MASC monitors these channels regularly and may participate in online conversations, as appropriate. MASC welcomes your comments if they follow the conventions of polite and respectful discourse.

Inappropriate comments will be removed, and users may be restricted from MASC’s social media pages. Inappropriate comments include, but are not limited to:

  • abusive, obscene, indecent, or offensive language;
  • defamatory, harassing, hateful, discriminatory or threatening remarks, or unproven/unsupported accusations against individuals or organizations;
  • identification of publicly elected representatives, candidates or parties, regardless of their political affiliation, whether comments are supportive or critical;
  • comments that invade the privacy of others or impersonate others;
  • content that, in the opinion of the moderator, is not related to the discussion;
  • content posted without the necessary rights, licences, and consents;
  • encouragement of conduct that may or could be a criminal offence or a civil liability;
  • encouragement of comments that violate any local, provincial, national, international law, or regulation anywhere in the world;
  • long-embedded URLs;
  • links pointing to malware sites;
  • excessive links and code;
  • identical comments by the same user (spam);
  • content that is posted for private advertising purposes;
  • comments contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms or The Human Rights Code; 
  • comments that reveal personal information about the poster or others;
  • sexual content or links to sexual content;
  • announcements from labour or political organizations; and
  • comments in languages other than English or French.

News media are asked to direct inquiries to media@www.masc.mb.ca.

MASC social media accounts give the public a convenient option to access information and services. While we try to ensure the accuracy of the content, MASC is not responsible for any reliance by the user on the accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or reliability of the content. In using this content, you agree to indemnify and hold MASC harmless from all third-party claims, demands, actions, or costs (including legal costs on a solicitor-client basis) arising out of your use of these sites.

To protect your own privacy and the privacy of others, please limit the personal information you provide. MASC cannot control the conduct of third parties having access to publicly accessible sites and disclaims responsibility for any personal information that is posted by you and/or used by third parties. Moderators will watch for and potentially remove inappropriate or unnecessary personal information or images about the submitter or a third party. Moderators may also restrict future posts. Personal information includes addresses, phone numbers, photographs containing images of identifiable people and any other information defined as personal information in The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA).

The collection of personal information from a social media site and the subsequent use, disclosure and management of that information by MASC is subject to FIPPA. Social media account(s) are public and are not hosted on MASC servers. Users who choose to interact with MASC via social media should read the terms of service and privacy policies of third-party social media service providers. If you have any questions about The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, please visit the FIPPA website. 

Compensation Disclosure

In accordance with Section 2 of The Public Sector Compensation Disclosure Act, the link below discloses the aggregate compensation paid to MASC Board members and individual compensation paid to Board members and staff, where such compensation is $85,000 or more per year.

In the year 2024, MASC paid Board members $59,009.81 in aggregate, with no one board member receiving compensation of $85,000 or more. Employee compensation includes taxable benefits for group life insurance, accidental death and disablement insurance, vehicle use, transportation allowances, severance pay, and payment of professional fees, where applicable.

Accessibility For All Manitobans

MASC is committed to ensuring access and participation for all Manitobans. In accordance with The Accessibility for Manitobans Act, MASC strives to meet the needs of those who face barriers, and to treat all people in ways that allow them to maintain their dignity and independence.

Accessibility Standard for Client Service

As a Crown corporation, MASC actively supports the Manitoba government’s Accessibility Standard for Customer Service (PDF). MASC uses many methods to suit the communicative and physical needs of individual clients, and accommodates a wide variety of assistive devices to help all Manitobans access MASC services.

MASC regularly maintains the accessibility features of its Service Centres located across Manitoba. When a feature is temporarily unavailable, on-site signs will indicate how long the feature will be unavailable, and will provide alternate ways to access MASC services.

Website Access

MASC is continually working to make this website accessible to the widest possible audience. The MASC website is developed to meet ‘Level AA’ conformance of the World Wide Web Consortium W3C Guidelines 2.1, and MASC will provide ongoing, seamless and standardized content that can be read/interpreted by the widest range of people and assistive devices.

Requesting Accessibility Accommodations

If you require an accommodation to access MASC services or information, or to attend a public event organized by MASC, you can request an accommodation by contacting the department or event organizer. Reasonable accommodations will be made. Contact information can be found on the MASC Contact page.