Privacy Policy

What personal data we collect and why we collect it

Surveys

From time to time Hydrocephalus Canada will ask our stakeholders for their feedback, opinions and ideas about aspects of our organization such as programs & services, hours of operation or other areas of interest. In these surveys, we may ask our stakeholders to voluntarily provide information such as names, emails, addresses, etc. Survey results will be made public, but the information about whoever chooses to complete surveys will be kept confidential.

Comments

When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection.
An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment.

Media

If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS) included. Visitors to the website can download and extract any location data from images on the website.

Contact forms

When visitors fill out contact forms so that we can answer questions or they can leave comments, we collect the data left on the form.

Cookies

If you leave a comment on our site you may opt-in to saving your name, email address and website in cookies. These are for your convenience so that you do not have to fill in your details again when you leave another comment. These cookies will last for one year.
If you have an account and you log in to this site, we will set a temporary cookie to determine if your browser accepts cookies. This cookie contains no personal data and is discarded when you close your browser.
When you log in, we will also set up several cookies to save your login information and your screen display choices. Login cookies last for two days, and screen options cookies last for a year. If you select “Remember Me”, your login will persist for two weeks. If you log out of your account, the login cookies will be removed.
If you edit or publish an article, an additional cookie will be saved in your browser. This cookie includes no personal data and simply indicates the post ID of the article you just edited. It expires after 1 day.

Embedded content from other websites

Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.

Analytics

How long we retain your data

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.
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.

What rights you have over your data

If you have an account on this site, or have left comments, you can request to receive an exported file of the personal data we hold about you, including any data you have provided to us. You can also request that we erase any personal data we hold about you. This does not include any data we are obliged to keep for administrative, legal, or security purposes.

Where we send your data

Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service.

How we protect your data

Hydrocephalus Canada (HC) applies the ten principles of the Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information when collecting, using or disclosing your Personal Information:

i. Accountability

HC is responsible for the Personal Information collected and maintained by it and which is under its control. Our Director of Programs & Information, whose contact information is available at the bottom of this document, is responsible for the day-to-day care and control of Personal Information.

ii. Identifying Purposes

Hydrocephalus Canada is committed to openness to you regarding its collection and use of Personal Information, as discussed above. To demonstrate this openness, we require the consent of individuals prior to using their Personal Information for any purpose other than that for which it was originally collected or stated within this Privacy Policy. Similarly, if any individuals wish to be advised of the Personal Information we have related to them, they can contact us at the address set out below.

iii. Consent

HC is committed to ensuring that you are aware of how your Personal Information is used. We are dedicated to obtaining the informed consent of individuals who provide us with their Personal Information. If your Personal Information is to be used for a new purpose not previously identified at the time of collection or in this Privacy Policy, consent for that new purpose would be obtained. To this end, all our employees, personnel or agents are instructed to provide information about how Personal Information is used by us to all interested individuals who inquire, as well as obtain the informed consent of those who provide their Personal Information. As well, we may periodically request written confirmation from you to ensure that the Personal Information collected and maintained by us is up-to-date and accurate. We also may ensure that we have your continuing consent to use and retain your Personal Information. HC will not disclose your Personal Information, without your consent. It will only do so if required by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to:
You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice, by contacting the Director of Programs & Information. Please note that the withdrawal of your consent may impact on Hydrocephalus Canada’s ability to serve you and to maintain your relationship with HC.

iv. Limiting Collection

Hydrocephalus Canada restricts the collection of Personal Information only to that information that is necessary for the limited purposes noted above. We are committed to collecting Personal Information in a fair, open and lawful manner. For this reason, HC does not indiscriminately collect Personal Information. We collect Personal Information to fulfill the above-noted purposes only, and for no other purposes.

v. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention

Hydrocephalus Canada does not use Personal Information for purposes other than those for which it was originally collected or stated in this Privacy Policy, unless it has first obtained the consent of the person from whom such information was received. We retain Personal Information only for as long as it is needed and only for the fulfillment of the purposes for which it was originally collected, or for as long as legally required. Once Personal Information is no longer needed, it is shredded and disposed of. When disposing of or destroying Personal Information which is no longer needed, HC ensures the appropriate measures are taken regarding the disposal or destruction so as to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to the information. Hydrocephalus Canada ensures that any third party service providers are following HC’s policies regarding the retention and destruction of Personal Information.

vi. Accuracy

Hydrocephalus Canada is committed to maintaining accurate, complete and up-to-date Personal Information. If you are aware of changes to the Personal Information you have given to us, simply inform us of the changes and we will update our records accordingly. You may check and correct your Personal Information by contacting HC by writing or emailing your request to the address set out below.

vii. Safeguards

Hydrocephalus Canada has developed and implemented security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the Personal Information kept by us. We also ensure that any of our employees who deal with Personal Information are properly trained and are aware of the necessary and appropriate measures required to protect Personal Information. Any Personal Information kept by us is disposed of or destroyed once it is no longer needed to meet the purposes for which it was collected.

viii. Openness

Hydrocephalus Canada makes information about its policies and practices respecting the collection and maintenance of Personal Information available to all interested parties. We are pleased to answer any questions that you may have regarding the collection and maintenance of Personal Information. Please forward any questions in writing or email to the address set out below.

ix. Individual Access

You can also request access to your Personal Information held by us. However, we reserve the right to confirm the identity of the person seeking access to Personal Information before complying with any access requests. Please forward your access request in writing or email to the address set out below.

x. Challenging Compliance

As noted above, Hydrocephalus Canada has designated an official who is responsible for the day-to-day care and control of Personal Information. This official will receive and respond to all information requests regarding our privacy policies or about your Personal Information under our care and control. We investigate all complaints received by us and will respond in writing in a timely manner. If any complaint is found to be justified, then we will take appropriate measures to resolve the matter to the satisfaction of the complainant.

Additional Information

If you would like more information about our policies, or if you would like to access or correct the Personal Information we have about you in our records, then please contact our Chief Privacy Compliance Officer by email or in writing, as provided below:
ATTENTION: Director of Programs & Information
Hydrocephalus Canada
16 Four Seasons Place, Suite 111
Toronto, ON M9B 6E5

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