Heritage Watch ("we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you visit our website or subscribe to our communications.
1. Information We Collect
We collect information you provide directly to us, including when you sign up for our newsletter or Ambassador program:
- First and last name
- Email address
- Neighbourhood / community selection
- Whether you wish to become a Heritage Watch Ambassador
- Optional comments submitted with petition signatures
We also automatically collect certain technical information when you visit our site, including your IP address (stored only as a one-way cryptographic hash for consent-audit purposes), browser type, referring URL, and pages visited. This data is used solely for site analytics and security.
2. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Send you heritage news, community alerts, and council meeting updates you have consented to receive
- Coordinate Heritage Watch Ambassador activities (fact-checking, community research)
- Display anonymised petition signature counts and neighbourhood breakdowns
- Improve the functionality and content of our website
- Comply with our legal obligations under PIPEDA and CASL
We will never use your information for purposes beyond those described here without first obtaining your express consent.
3. Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL)
All email communications from Heritage Watch are sent only to individuals who have provided express consent through our subscription form. Every email we send includes a clear and functional unsubscribe mechanism. You may withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email or by contacting us directly at [email protected]. We will process unsubscribe requests within 10 business days as required by CASL.
We retain a record of your consent, including the date, time, consent text shown, and a hashed IP address, as required to demonstrate compliance.
4. Sharing Your Information
We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your information only in the following limited circumstances:
- Service providers: We may share data with trusted third-party service providers (e.g., email delivery platforms) who assist in operating our website and communications, subject to strict confidentiality agreements.
- Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to valid requests by public authorities.
- With your consent: We may share your information for any other purpose with your prior express consent.
5. Data Retention
We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Subscriber records are retained for the duration of your subscription and for a reasonable period thereafter to maintain our CASL consent audit trail. You may request deletion of your data at any time (see Section 7).
6. Cookies and Analytics
Heritage Watch uses standard web analytics to understand how visitors use our site. Analytics data is aggregated and anonymised; it does not identify individual users. We do not use third-party advertising cookies or tracking pixels.
7. Your Rights
Under PIPEDA and PIPA, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
- Withdraw consent to receive communications at any time
- Request deletion of your personal information
- Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.
8. Security
We implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. Email addresses submitted with petition signatures are stored only as one-way cryptographic hashes and cannot be reversed. Subscriber email addresses are stored securely and accessible only to authorised Heritage Watch administrators.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. We will notify subscribers of material changes by email and will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Your continued use of the site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
10. Contact Us
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us: