The Terms of Use Agreement set out below contains the terms and conditions which govern your use of the eChat Service (the Website). Carefully read the Terms of Use Agreement before proceeding.
Agreeing to the Terms of Use Agreement is required for further use of, and access to, the Website. When you click the “I Agree” button when entering the Website, you acknowledge having read, understood and accepted the Terms of Use Agreement. If you do not agree to the Terms of Use Agreement you will not be able to use the service.
Toronto Public Health, under contract to and in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC), provides this eChat Service (“the Service”), which allows you to chat online with a Toronto Public Health sexual health counsellor regarding Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), contraception, and other sexual health topics. This Service is for counselling, information and educational purposes only.
It is not intended for crisis situations. Call the 24/7 Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600.
The information provided to you does not, and is not intended to; provide medical advice or recommendations re. diagnosis or treatment. It is general information only.
Users of the Service should seek the advice of a physician or other health care professional before making medical decisions or if they have questions regarding medical conditions.
If you think you may be experiencing a medical emergency call 9-1-1 or TeleHealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000 or visit your doctor or closest hospital emergency room.
Every effort is made to ensure the information provided by the Service is accurate, current and reliable. However, we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information.
The Service is intended for residents of Ontario. If you reside outside the province we can provide sexual health counselling, information and education but not local resources for referral.
If you use the Service, you may provide Toronto Public Health with personal health information. Your acceptance of these Terms and Conditions is your consent to such information being collected and used by Toronto Public Health which collects this information and uses it in order to respond to your inquiries and to assure quality service. Toronto Public Health is governed by Ontario privacy legislation. Our Information Practices statement is available online.
We endeavour to protect your privacy at all times, however, communications over the internet require the use of means that are beyond the control of Toronto Public Health and may be subject to interception or loss. Therefore, Toronto Public Health cannot guarantee the security of any transmission of data across the internet.
The system used by the Sexual Health Infoline Ontario eChat maintains logs that record the IP address of site visitors. An IP address is the number automatically assigned to the computer or to the ISP (Internet Service Provider) requesting a URL. Toronto Public Health cannot identify you from this information, and does not link information with the identity of individuals visiting this site.
Responses to your inquiries may contain links to web pages created by or for organizations outside of Toronto Public Health. Access to these websites is provided solely as a convenience to you. Toronto Public Health has no control over the content of these pages and disclaims all liability associated with any reliance on such content. Access to the linked sites does not imply that Toronto Public Health approves or endorses the view, products or services provided on the linked sites. Direct any questions regarding the linked sites to the particular organization operating the site.
You acknowledge that you do not have and will not obtain any intellectual property right in or to any information that is provided to you in connection with your use of the Service, including information that is accessed through links to third party web pages.
The City of Toronto is not responsible for and will not be liable to you or to anyone else for any damages whatsoever, including any indirect, special, incidental or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with your use or inability to use the Website, even if the City of Toronto has been advised of the possibilities of such damages.
The Toronto Public Health eChat is an anonymous service. Copies of transcripts cannot be provided by the Sexual Health Infoline Ontario eChat after the chat/counseling session has been terminated. Clients who would like to keep a copy of their eChat session must make a copy themselves, by either downloading the transcript or by printing it themselves.
As this is an anonymous service, Toronto Public Health is unable to verify identity of service clients in order to supply copies of records; transcripts cannot be printed for, mailed or emailed or otherwise transmitted to service clients by the Sexual Health Infoline Ontario eChat or Toronto Public Health.