The Council of Canadian Academies (“Council”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy (the “Privacy Policy”) explains the Council’s information management practices, including how the Council collects, uses and discloses personal information. The Privacy Policy applies to: (a) the “www.scienceadvice.ca” website, and the “www.sciencepourlepublic.ca ” website, (collectively referred to herein as the “Web Site”); and (b) other communications you may have with the Council.
PLEASE READ THE PRIVACY POLICY CAREFULLY AS YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR OTHER COMMUNICATION WITH THE COUNCIL INCLUDING BY E-MAIL OR TELEPHONE CONSTITUTES YOUR ACCEPTANCE OF THE PRIVACY POLICY AND ANY SUBSEQUENT MODIFICATIONS THERETO, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, YOUR CONSENT TO THE COLLECTION, USE AND DISCLOSURE OF YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS SET OUT HEREIN.
1. What Information Is Collected?
The information that the Council collects from you can be broadly grouped into the following two categories:
a. Personal Information; and
b. General Non-Specific & Demographic Information (Non Personal Information)
Personal Information
Personal information as used in the Privacy Policy is any information, recorded in any form, about an identified individual or an individual whose identity may be inferred or determined from such information, other than business contact information (e.g., name, title, business address). General
Non-Specific & Demographic Information (Non Personal Information)
Any non-personal information either voluntarily provided by you or recorded as part of your use of the Web Site, including any transaction conducted on the Web Site, is considered to be General Non-Specific & Demographic Information. Non-personal information is information that does not contain personally identifiable information, such as your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address, but may include the type and quantity of the products you purchased and demographic information.
2. How does the Council Collect Information?
The Council may collect information about you when you: (a) use the Web Site; or (b) voluntarily provide your information to the Council, for instance: (i) by responding to our surveys; (ii) by contacting us via e-mail or telephone; or (iii) applying for our newsletters.
3. What does the Council use the information for?
1. Providing Services: The Council uses your information to provide you with services, including responding to your questions or requests.
2. Understanding Your Preferences: In order to provide you with the best online experience possible, the Council collects both personal information and non-personal information to give us a better understanding of you and the demographic and geographic profile of our visitors generally. The information the Council collects is reviewed closely to assist us in determining the most popular products of interest to you and our other customers and better structure the Web Site to suit your needs
Similarly, by tracking your IP address through the Web Site, CCA can better understand the information which is relevant to you and may from time to time use this information to provide you with information which matches your preferences. Should you contact us via e-mail contact links on the Web Site or by telephone, the Council may keep your comments on file so that the Council has a record of your preferences and concerns.
3. Obtaining Feedback: From time to time, the Council may send surveys to you via e-mail, provide a form online at the Web Site or contact you by phone in order to solicit feedback on improvements to be made to the Council services, including the Web Site in order to improve your online experience. You may provide such information or complete these surveys on a voluntary basis and the submission of personal information may not be required. Should you wish not to be contacted by phone for such purposes, please let us know (see section 13 for contact details).
4. Newsletters: The Council may use your personal information to send newsletters in electronic or paper format to you if you have indicated that you are interested in receiving this material.
4. Sharing of Information
Your personal information will not be shared with, disclosed, sold, traded or rented to any third parties and is collected for our express internal use. However the Council may disclose your personal information to: (a) any of our members, affiliates and subsidiaries that the Council deems appropriate; (b) to any of the Council’s service providers.
We will not disclose such personal information unless it is required in order to provide our services. Where the Council discloses personal information to our members, affiliates, subsidiaries or service providers, we will require those organizations or individuals to use such information solely for the purposes of providing services to the Council, its members or the person concerned and to have appropriate safeguards for the protection of that personal information.
Please note that there are circumstances where the use and/or disclosure of personal information may be justified or permitted or where the Council is obliged to disclose information without consent. Such circumstances may include:
a) Where required by law or by order or requirement of a court, administrative agency or governmental tribunal;
b) Where the Council believes, upon reasonable grounds, that it is necessary to protect the rights, privacy, safety or property of an identifiable person or group;
c) Where it is necessary to establish or collect monies owing to the Council;
d) Where it is necessary to permit the Council to pursue available remedies or limit any damages that we may sustain; or
e) Where the information is public.
Where obliged or permitted to disclose information without consent, the Council will not disclose more information than is required.
5. Consent
Unless permitted by law, no personal information is collected, without first obtaining the consent of the individual concerned to the collection, use and dissemination of that information. However, we may seek consent to use and disclose personal information after it has been collected in those cases where we wish to use the information for a new or different purpose where the individual concerned has not already consented to such a use of their personal information.
By providing your personal information to the Council, you agree and consent that we may collect, use and disclose such personal information in accordance with this Policy. In addition, where appropriate, specific authorizations or consents may be obtained from time to time.
In most cases and subject to legal and contractual restrictions, you are free to refuse or withdraw your consent at any time upon reasonable, advance notice. However, it should be noted that in some circumstances, our services can only be offered if personal information is provided to the Council. Consequently, if you choose not provide us with any required personal information, we may not be able to offer the services requested. We will inform you of the consequences of the withdrawal of consent
6. Protection of Personal Information
The Council endeavors to maintain appropriate physical, procedural and technical security with respect to its offices and information storage facilities so as to prevent any loss, misuse, unauthorized access, disclosure, or modification of personal information. This also applies to our disposal or destruction of personal information.
The Council further protects personal information by restricting access to it to those employees and service providers that the management of the Council has determined need to know that information in order that we may provide our services.
7. Use of Cookies
“Cookies” are text files that are created by websites and stored on your computer’s hard drive. Cookies do not contain personally identifiable information. These files assist a website in recognizing a user’s preferences which may have been set by the user while on the Web Site, such as shopping cart preferences, usernames and passwords, etc The Council uses cookies on the Web Site. A cookie created by the Web Site cannot be recognized or viewed by another website, thus ensuring privacy on the customer’s part. There is no way for a cookie to view or store any information from your hard drive, capture your e-mail address, or pass on a computer virus.
8. Links
The Web Site may contain links to third-party websites. The Council has no control over such third-party websites. By clicking on a link, you agree that the Council is not responsible for the privacy practices of such third-party websites and that it is your responsibility to be aware of and comply with such privacy policies.
9. Retention of Information
We will retain your personal information only as long as it is required for the reasons it was collected. When personal information is no longer required for the Council’s purposes, we have procedures to destroy, delete, erase or convert it into an anonymous form.
10. Access to Personal Information
The Council permits the reasonable right of access and review of personal information held by us about an individual and will endeavour to provide the information in question within a reasonable time, generally no later than 30 days following the request.
The Council will use reasonable efforts to allow you to update or correct personally identifiable information which you state as incorrect to the extent that such information has been maintained by the Council. The Council reserves the right not to change any personal information but may append any alternative text the individual concerned believes to be appropriate.
The Council reserves the right to decline to provide access to personal information where the information requested:
a) Would disclose (i) personal information, including opinions, about another
individual or about a deceased individual; or (ii) business confidential information of the Council or a third party;
b) Would interfere with contractual or other negotiations of the Council or a third party;
c) Is subject to solicitor-client, litigation or other legal privilege;
d) Is not readily retrievable and the burden or cost of providing would be disproportionate to the nature or value of the information;
e) Does not exist, is not held, or cannot be found by the Council;
f) May harm or interfere with law enforcement activities and other investigative or regulatory functions of a body authorized by law to perform such functions; or
g) May be withheld or is requested to be withheld under applicable legislation.
Where information will not or cannot be disclosed, the individual making the request will be provided with the reasons for non-disclosure. The Council will not charge an individual for verifying or correcting their information, however, to the extent permitted by applicable law, there may be a minimal charge imposed where the individual needs a copy of records.
11. Changes to the Privacy Policy
As our information management practices change, the Council reserves the right to update the Privacy Policy as required. If the Council decides to amend the Privacy Policy, the Council may post the amended terms on the Web Site so that you will always know what information the Council gathers, how the Council might use that information, and whether the Council will disclose it to anyone. Posting of amended terms shall constitute notice to you. All amended terms shall be effective immediately upon such notice. Your continued use of the Web Site or continued communication with the Council by telephone after such modifications will constitute your: (a) acknowledgement of the modified Privacy Policy; and (b) agreement to abide and be bound by the modified Privacy Policy.
12. Contact Information
If you would like to receive a copy of the most current amendment of the Council’s Privacy Policy or you have any questions or concerns about the Privacy Policy or the Council’s privacy practices in respect of information collected on the Web Site or by telephone, please direct your questions and comments to:
The Council of Canadian Academies
180 Elgin St., Suite 1401
Ottawa, ON
K2P 2K3
Telephone: 613.567.5000
Fax: 613.567.5060
info@scienceadvice.ca