Privacy Notice

CanAssist at the University of Victoria (CanAssist) is committed to protecting the privacy of website visitors and people who ask questions and receive answers through the www.ability411.ca website. 

Any personal or sensitive information you provide is managed according to British Columbia’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). This means that, at the point of collection, you will be informed that your personal information is being collected and the purpose for which it is being collected. If you have questions regarding Freedom of Information or Protection of Privacy, please email foipp@uvic.ca.

What information is collected?

General information
When you visit the Ability411 web site, we may collect information about your web browser, operating system, device, TCP-IP address, and the date, time, length of stay, and specific pages accessed during your visit. A “cookie” may track your use of the website. A cookie is a small file stored on your computer by your web browser.

Information you provide to us
If you submit a question to us, you will be required to provide your name, email address, and location (city or town). In order to provide context, your question may contain personal health information about yourself or another person.

Google Analytics
Some of our pages use Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager to interpret our server logs, also using cookies. It is possible to disable your browser’s use of cookies if you do not wish Google Analytics to be enabled with respect to your use of these webpages. Our implementation of Google Analytics does make use of IP masking, however, to protect your privacy. For more information about Google Analytics and security and privacy, please visit their website.
 

What is the purpose of collection and how will it be used?

General information helps us to track visits to Ability411, understand what information is most popular, and find out how visitors are using the web service. A cookie may remain on your computer after your internet session finishes and until it expires or is deleted by you. If you wish to delete cookies from your machine, consult your browser’s help files for instructions on how to do so. Cookies will be set to self-destruct after a three-month period.

Information you provide to us enables Ability411 to receive your question, understand your situation, and respond with an answer. Your contact information and question enters a records system, which allows us to track your question and respond to you.

In order to help others with similar situations and/or challenges, we may choose to use your question (though not your information) in a broader context. In the event that we do so, we will remove all identifiable information from your question and post the question with our answer on the website.
 

Who will have access to the information?

Only authorized staff and contractors who are trained to handle personal and confidential information will have access to information submitted by you. Your information will not be shared with third parties.
 

How will the information be safeguarded?

CanAssist protects your personal information by making reasonable security arrangements against such risks as unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, or disposal. Specifically, access to systems, applications, and the collected data is restricted to authorized personnel only. Furthermore, any personal information collected and used for identifying user trends (e.g. IP address) is aggregated and made anonymous during report generation.

The server containing the records system that stores your information is located in Canada and is protected by physical and electronic security measures.
 

How long will the information be retained?

CanAssist will retain your information for a period that conforms with both the university’s policies and with FIPPA. 
 

Links to other sites

Ability411 websites may contain hyperlinks to other sites. We are not responsible for the content or the privacy practices of other external websites. We encourage you to examine each site’s privacy policy and disclaimers so that you may make your own decisions about whether to use those sites as well as about the accuracy, reliability, and correctness of material and information found on those sites.

How you can notify us for accessing and updating your information

If you would like to access, modify, delete, or request annotations to any questions or personal information, please contact us with clear instructions about what you would like to access, modify,  delete, or annotate at the following address and we will respond to your request promptly:
CanAssist, University of Victoria
CARSA, PO Box 1700, STN CSC
Victoria, BC V8W 2Y2
ability411@uvic.ca
 

Questions about this privacy notice

Questions about this privacy notice, including about the collection of personal information, can be directed to:
Privacy Officer c/o Office of the University Secretary
University of Victoria
Room A138, Michael Williams Building
PO Box 1700, STN CSC 
Victoria BC V8W 2Y2
foipp@uvic.ca

Last updated: 5 April 2018