Introduction

The Southern Gulf Islands Coalition (“The Coalition”) is committed to protecting your privacy. The Coalition collects, uses and discloses your personal information in accordance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIPPA) and other applicable legislation. ‘Personal information’ is defined broadly in the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act as recorded information about an identifiable individual, other than contact information, which is the information used to contact a person at a home or business. The purpose of this privacy statement is to inform you of the personal information that may be collected from you when visiting the Coalition website and how that information may be used.

On January 1, 2004, the provincial government of British Columbia passed the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), requiring all companies and organizations in BC to have policies surrounding the collection, use, disclosure, and protection of personal information. Combined with the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), your rights surrounding the privacy of your information have been protected. The Coalition has responded to this legislation with a Privacy Policy that governs our communication and data management systems.

What Information We Collect and Why

Personal Information collected, utilized and disclosed by the Coalition may include:

• Personal contact coordinates (i.e. home address, email and telephone number).

• Credit card or other forms of payment from those who willingly contribute funds in support of Coalition advertising, flyers, etc.

• Any other purpose that is required of the Coalition, pending disclosure of use and intent to the individual and confirmation of their permission.

Consent

Except where authorized by law, the Coalition will only collect, use and disclose personal information when consent has been given by the individual in question. All information that has been provided by an individual voluntarily will be deemed to have been given with consent and will be used as needed by the Coalition and within the boundaries of the Privacy Policy. You may withdraw your consent to our collection, use or disclosure of your personal information on reasonable notice.

Updating Your Information

The Coalition strives to keep personal information and data as accurate as possible and takes the necessary steps towards updating that information with individuals. Those who signed up on our databases can easily opt-out with unsubscribe links.

Safety Measures

As we are committed to ensuring the security of your personal information, the Coalition has in place those safeguards that are essential to data protection. Access to your personal information will be limited to that which is specifically required for a particular task and to those at the Coalition who are responsible for performing each task. Electronic information is stored on a commercial server that is only accessible through a password-based login.

Limits of Accountability

Please note that the Coalition is not responsible for the protection of an individual’s privacy once that person has left a Coalition website via an external link. The Coalition cannot be held responsible for the material or opinions shared on social media or the website and shall not be held accountable for the usage of “cookies” by external parties. External links are only provided as a resource to our website visitors.

Accessing Your Personal Information

You have legal access to your personal information and may request disclosure on how the information has been used and shared by the Coalition. Individuals requesting this information are asked to submit their query with details that would allow the Coalition to respond efficiently. Verification of your identity will be required. Disclosure of your personal information may be edited of certain content as required or authorized by law.

Social Media Participation Policies

Your consent is implied if you are using our social media pages. The Coalition uses social media to communicate with the public. Public participation on Coalition social media sites is governed by these terms. By interacting with any content on or made available through Coalition social media sites, you accept these terms and agree to act in accordance with them.

Where applicable, your postings and links to third-party sites are subject to monitoring for appropriateness. As used herein, “appropriate” means that the postings are relevant to the Coalition’s business and functions, responsive to the issues(s) being discussed, and phrased in respectful language which is appropriate for public discourse. Posts such as listed below are not appropriate:

•profane, abusive, vulgar or pornographic
•offensive terms that target specific ethnic or racial groups
•perceived harassment or defamation
•personal attacks of any kind (towards followers or Coalition volunteers, staff or members)
•libelous material
•threats of physical or bodily harm
•encouragement of illegal activity
•promotion of services or products that aren’t in the broad member interest or are considered “spam”
•engages in political activity or solicits for any religious, political or personal causes
•repetitive posts by the same user or multiple users
•off-topic posts
•confidential, proprietary or otherwise restricted information
•material that infringes any patent, trademark, copyright or other proprietary rights.

Inappropriate or offensive material will be removed by the site moderator without notice to posting party. The Coalition also reserves the right to block site users that include inappropriate content in posts, including posting of inappropriate links.

The Coalition may include useful links or pointers to information created and maintained by other entities. This does not imply any endorsement of the third-party linked site.

Except as specifically noted, opinions expressed in Coalition social media postings are those of the individual authors, and do not necessarily represent the views of the Coalition We do not guarantee or warrant that social media posts are accurate, current, complete, free of viruses or other destructive properties.

Information provided through social media is not a substitute for legal or other professional advice. Participants should consult their own legal or other professional advisers.

The Coalition has no control over advertisements that may be posted by a social media site host in accordance with the site host’s terms of service. Such posts are not intended to reflect the opinion of the Coalition or its officers or employees concerning the significance, priority, or importance to be given the referenced entity, product, service, or organization. Such references are not an endorsement by the Coalition of any product, person, or service, and may not be quoted or reproduced for the purpose of stating or implying Coalition endorsement or approval of any product, person, or service.

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold the Coalition and its volunteers or agents harmless from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, settlements, costs and expenses (including attorney’s fees) arising in any way from your use or access to the Coalition’s social media sites. In no event shall the Coalition or any of its employees be held liable for any direct, indirect, special, incidental, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages arising from any use or inability to use Coalition’s social media sites.

Contact Us

Questions regarding our Privacy Policy and requests for access to personal information should be directed to the Coalition at the contact coordinates available on our website.

Read the Personal Information Protection Act