The Action Canada Foundation (herein and throughout the Site referred to as “Action Canada”) has developed this website (the “Site”) as an electronic resource containing information about our organization and the programs that we offer. We respect the privacy of every individual who visits the Site, and are committed to ensuring that any personal information that you submit to the Site is accurate, confidential and secure. This Privacy Policy (“Policy”) outlines why and how we collect, use and disclose personal information, and the principles and practices that are used to protect it. A copy of Action Canada’s full Privacy Code is available upon request. PLEASE READ THIS POLICY CAREFULLY AS IT GOVERNS THE USE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS POLICY, YOU SHOULD NOT ACCESS OR USE THE ACTION CANADA WEBSITE.

This Policy was last updated on May 22, 2012. Action Canada reserves the right to revise this Policy at any time. Any changes to this Policy will be promptly communicated on this page, and will not go into effect until at least five (5) days after they are posted.

For the purposes of this Policy, “personal information” means any data that identifies you as an individual or is capable of doing so, and does not include general, statistical or aggregated information. Personal information may include your name, age, ethnic origin, home address, and email address and, where applicable, your credit card or other payment information. Action Canada only collects personal information when it is voluntarily submitted by users of the Site.

You may visit the Site without telling us who you are, or revealing any information about yourself. However, like many organizations’ websites, we may use analytics and third party tracking services that automatically collect certain non-identifying information related to your visit to the Site, including the Internet Protocol (IP) address of your Internet Service Provider, general geographical information, the type and version of the browser that you are using, the date and time you accessed the Site, the Internet address of the website from which you linked directly to our Site, the operating system that you are using, and the pages of the Site that you have visited. We make no attempt to link this information with the identity of individuals visiting the Site. We may, however, review server logs and aggregated traffic statistics for security purposes, for example to detect intrusions into our network, and to monitor and analyse the aggregate viewership of the pages. The possibility therefore exists that server log data, which contains visitors’ IP addresses, could in instances of criminal malfeasance be used to trace and identify individuals. In such instances, raw data logs would be shared with appropriate investigative bodies authorized to investigate such security breaches.

If you provide comments or other feedback to us, you agree that such comments or other feedback become the property of Action Canada, and we may use and disclose them for any purpose provided that we do not associate them with your personally identifiable information without your consent.

By using this Site or by providing your information to us, you signify your consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this Policy. We respect your right to choose. If you do not wish to receive ongoing communications from Action Canada, you may opt out of the initial communication that we send to you. If you do not choose to opt out when the initial notice is sent, your name and email will continue to be on our mailing list unless and until you ask us to remove it. You may change or withdraw your consent to receive any communications, and/or to withdraw your consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information at any time by contacting our privacy officer at privacy@actioncanada.ca. All communications regarding the change or withdrawal of consent must be in writing and addressed to our privacy officer at that address. In some circumstances, a change in or withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide you with information or services, and/or affect your ability to participate in Action Canada programs.

Action Canada collects and uses information only for reasonable purposes which are necessary in connection with its programs and which are appropriate under the circumstances. These include:

We may collect, use or disclose your personal information without your knowledge or consent where we are permitted or required to do so by applicable law, government request or court order, or based on our good faith belief that it is necessary to do so in order to comply with such law, request or court order or to protect our assets, the users of the Site or the public.

Action Canada may share your information with its affiliated organizations, who will use it only in accordance with this Policy. Your personally identifiable information is never sold, and is not shared with third parties unless we give you both prior notice and choice. Although we may use an intermediary to conduct surveys or contests, or to process payments, they are not authorized to use your personally identifiable information for any secondary purposes.

Action Canada may use “cookies”, or similar technologies to enhance the efficiency, convenience, and use of the Site. When you visit the Site, Action Canada may place a “cookie” on the hard drive of your computer to allow us to track and analyze your use of the Site, and to enable the use of certain content management systems. “Cookies” are a technology that installs small data files on a website user’s computer to permit the web server to differentiate users, and to pass information from page to page during a single user’s website session. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you do not wish to have cookies on your system, you can adjust your browser settings to decline them or to alert you when cookies are being sent. If you decline cookies you will still be able to use the Site, but your ability to access certain features of the Site may be affected.

Our Site may contain optional links to third party Internet sites and services that may collect data from you or your computer. Please be aware that the use of such websites is at your own risk, and that we cannot assume responsibility for the privacy practices, policies or actions of the third parties who operate those websites. This Policy applies only to the Action Canada Site, and we encourage you to read the privacy policies contained on each Internet site that you visit.

If Action Canada uses your personal information to make a decision that directly affects you, such as your eligibility to participate in our programs, we will retain that information during the selection process so that you will have a reasonable opportunity to request access to it. Otherwise, we will retain your personal information only so long as is reasonably necessary to satisfy the purpose for which it was collected and/or any legal requirements.

Upon submission, nomination materials become the property of Action Canada, and Action Canada does not return them, or provide feedback on nominations or any part of the selection process other than to provide notification as to whether an applicant will be offered a fellowship. Action Canada will make reasonable efforts to ensure that the information contained in our records is accurate, complete and up-to-date. Subject to certain legal limitations, you have the right to verify any of your personal information contained in our records to ensure that it is accurate and complete, and that its use is in accordance with this Policy. Please contact Action Canada immediately if you discover inaccuracies in our data or if your personal information changes, if you wish to have your information removed from our files, or if you require information regarding the use of your personal information. All notices and requests should be in writing and sent to our privacy officer at privacy@ActionCanada.ca, and must contain provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought. Action Canada will endeavour to respond to any such request within 30 days, or provide written notice of an extension if additional time is required to fulfill a request.

In some circumstances, Action Canada may not agree to your request to change or delete your personal information for legal or other reasons. In such cases, we will notify you in writing and will note your request in our files. You may challenge any such decision by contacting our privacy officer at the email address set out above.

Action Canada is committed to ensuring the security of your personal information in order to protect it from loss and unauthorized access, collection, use, copying, modification, disposal, disclosure or similar risks. Action Canada uses user IDs, passwords, Secure Socket Layer (SSL) encryption technology with certificates issued by GeoTrust, maintains its servers and paper files in locked premises, and restricts the employees and contractors who have access to personal information to those having a “need to know” and who are bound by confidentiality obligations, in order to ensure that information is handled and stored in a confidential and secure manner. When destroying personal information, we delete electronically stored personal information and shred any tangible materials containing personal information. While we will endeavour to destroy all copies of personal information, you acknowledge that deleted information may continue to exist on back-up media but will not be used unless permitted by law.

Action Canada will continually review and update its security policies and controls as technology evolves. Unfortunately, no security technology can be guaranteed to be failsafe. As a result, while Action Canada strives to protect your personal information, no organization, including Action Canada, can fully eliminate security risks associated with personal information. You agree that your use of the Site and transmission of any information is at your own risk. Action Canada cannot warrant the security of any information that is transmitted to or from us, and we cannot be responsible for the actions of any third parties who receive such information.

You agree that your access to and use of the Site, including this Policy, is governed exclusively by the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein (excluding conflicts or choice of laws principles).

Please direct all complaints, questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy, or Action Canada’s compliance with it or with applicable privacy legislation, to Action Canada’s privacy officer in writing at privacy@ActionCanada.ca. If the Action Canada privacy officer is unable to resolve the concern, you may also address your concern in writing to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.