At Better Columbia, we are committed to providing our readers with exceptional service. As providing this service involves the collection, use and disclosure of some personal information about our readers, protecting their personal information is one of our highest priorities.

British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), which came into effect on January 1, 2004, sets out the ground rules for how B.C. businesses and not-for-profit organizations may collect, use and disclose personal information.

We will inform our readers of why and how we collect, use and disclose their personal information, obtain their consent where required, and only handle their personal information in a manner that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances.

This Personal Information Protection Policy, in compliance with PIPA, outlines the principles and practices we will follow in protecting readers’ personal information. Our privacy commitment includes ensuring the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of our readers’ personal information and allowing our readers to request access to, and correction of, their personal information.

Scope of this Policy

This Personal Information Protection Policy applies to the Better Columbia website, email inbox, newsletter, and social media accounts.

This policy also applies to any service providers collecting, using or disclosing personal information on behalf of Better Columbia.

Definitions

Personal Information –means information about an identifiable individual, including name, IP address and personal email address. Personal information does not include contact information (described below).

Contact information – means information that would enable an individual to be contacted at a place of business and includes name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email or business fax number. Contact information is not covered by this policy or PIPA.

Privacy Officer – means the individual designated responsibility for ensuring that Better Columbia complies with this policy and PIPA.

Policy 1 – Collecting Personal Information

1.1  Unless the purposes for collecting personal information are obvious and the reader voluntarily provides his or her personal information for those purposes, we will communicate the purposes for which personal information is being collected, either orally or in writing, before or at the time of collection.

1.2  We will only collect reader information that is necessary to fulfill the following purposes:

  • To verify identity;
  • To detect and prevent spam;
  • To identify reader preferences;
  • To understand the website usage of our readers;
  • To open and manage an account;
  • To deliver requested products and services;
  • To enrol the reader in a newsletter or other email communication;
  • To contact our readers for fundraising;
  • To ensure a high standard of service to our readers;
  • To meet regulatory requirements.

Policy 2 – Consent

2.1  We will obtain reader consent to collect, use or disclose personal information (except where, as noted below, we are authorized to do so without consent).

2.2  Consent can be provided electronically or it can be implied where the purpose for collecting using or disclosing the personal information would be considered obvious and the reader voluntarily provides personal information for that purpose.

2.3  Consent may also be implied where a reader is given notice and a reasonable opportunity to opt-out of his or her personal information being used for mail-outs, the marketing of new services or products, fundraising and the reader does not opt-out.

2.4  Subject to certain exceptions (e.g., the personal information is necessary to provide the service or product, or the withdrawal of consent would frustrate the performance of a legal obligation), readers can withhold or withdraw their consent for Better Columbia to use their personal information in certain ways.  A reader’s decision to withhold or withdraw their consent to certain uses of personal information may restrict our ability to provide a particular service or product.  If so, we will explain the situation to assist the reader in making the decision.

2.5  We may collect, use or disclose personal information without the reader’s knowledge or consent in the following limited circumstances:

  • When the collection, use or disclosure of personal information is permitted or required by law;
  • In an emergency that threatens an individual’s life, health, or personal security;
  • When the personal information is available from a public source (e.g., a telephone directory);
  • When we require legal advice from a lawyer;
  • For the purposes of collecting a debt;
  • To protect ourselves from fraud;
  • To investigate an anticipated breach of an agreement or a contravention of law

Policy 3 – Using and Disclosing Personal Information

3.1  We will only use or disclose reader personal information where necessary to fulfill the purposes identified at the time of collection or for a purpose reasonably related to those purposes such as:

  • To conduct reader surveys in order to enhance the provision of our services;
  • To contact our readers directly about products and services that may be of interest.

3.2  We will not use or disclose reader personal information for any additional purpose unless we obtain consent to do so.

3.3  We will not sell reader lists or personal information to other parties.

Policy 4 – Retaining Personal Information

4.1  If we use reader personal information to make a decision that directly affects the reader, we will retain that personal information for at least one year so that the reader has a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.

4.2  Subject to policy 4.1, we will retain reader personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or a legal or business purpose.

4.3  If you leave a comment, the comment and its metadata are retained indefinitely. This is so we can recognize and approve any follow-up comments automatically instead of holding them in a moderation queue.

4.4 For users that register on our website (if any), we also store the personal information they provide in their user profile. All users can see, edit, or delete their personal information at any time (except they cannot change their username). Website administrators can also see and edit that information.

Policy 5 – Ensuring Accuracy of Personal Information

5.1  We will make reasonable efforts to ensure that reader personal information is accurate and complete where it may be used to make a decision about the reader or disclosed to another organization.

5.2  Readers may request correction to their personal information in order to ensure its accuracy and completeness.  A request to correct personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information and the correction being sought.

5.3  If the personal information is demonstrated to be inaccurate or incomplete, we will correct the information as required and send the corrected information to any organization to which we disclosed the personal information in the previous year.  If the correction is not made, we will note the readers’ correction request in the file.

Policy 6 – Securing Personal Information

6.1  We are committed to ensuring the security of reader personal information in order to protect it from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal or similar risks.

6.2  The following security measures will be followed to ensure that reader personal information is appropriately protected: the use of user IDs, passwords, encryption, firewalls.

6.3  We will use appropriate security measures when destroying reader’s personal information such as deleting electronically stored information.

6.4  We will continually review and update our security policies and controls as technology changes to ensure ongoing personal information security.

Policy 7 – Providing Readers Access to Personal Information

 7.1  Readers have a right to access their personal information, subject to limited exceptions.

7.2  A request to access personal information must be made in writing and provide sufficient detail to identify the personal information being sought.  

7.3  Upon request, we will also tell readers how we use their personal information and to whom it has been disclosed if applicable.

7.4  We will make the requested information available within 30 business days, or provide written notice of an extension where additional time is required to fulfill the request.  

7.5  If a request is refused in full or in part, we will notify the reader in writing, providing the reasons for refusal and the recourse available to the reader.

Policy 8 – Questions and Complaints

8.1  The Privacy Officer is responsible for ensuring Better Columbia’s compliance with this policy and the Personal Information Protection Act.

8.2  Readers should direct any complaints, concerns or questions regarding Better Columbia’s compliance in writing to the Privacy Officer. If the Privacy Officer is unable to resolve the concern, the reader may also write to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.

Contact information for Better Columbia’s Privacy Officer:

Better Columbia

info[at]bettercolumbia.ca