Privacy policy

Agreement

As a non profit organization not engaging in commercial activities, The Canadian Horticultural Council is not obligated to adhere to the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). However, in the interests of fair information practices, we are voluntarily adhering to the Act.

By using our website, ordering publications, registering for meetings or becoming a member, you signify your consent to and agreement to be bound by these terms, practices and policy.

Scope

This policy applies to The Canadian Horticultural Council.

Accountability

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the privacy practice at The Canadian Horticultural Council, please address them in writing to the Financial Controller by E-mail at pproulx@hortcouncil.ca or by mail to The Canadian Horticultural Council, 9 Corvus Court, Ottawa, ON, K2E 7Z4.

Consent

The Canadian Horticultural Council collects personal information from members or customers only if that user voluntarily provides us with such information by registering for meetings, purchasing a publication, becoming a member of The Canadian Horticultural Council or by submitting a question or comment to The Canadian Horticultural Council. Users are under no obligation to provide us with this information. By volunteering this information, users agree to its collection for the purposes stated below.

Purpose

The Canadian Horticultural Council uses the personal information it collects for the following purposes:

To keep aggregate information on website use and to obtain user feedback on the website.
For the purpose for which it is intended (i.e. to mail a publication to a customer, to contact a member regarding trade issues, to process payment, etc.)

Collection of Information

When a user purchases a copy of a publication, registers for a meeting, sends an e-mail or joins the Council, some (or all) of the following personal information is collected:

Name
Address
City
Province
Postal Code
Phone numbers
Email address
Credit Card Number, Type and Expiry Date

The Canadian Horticultural Council also collects non-personally identifiable information that becomes available as a result of a user’s visit to The Canadian Horticultural Council’s website. This information includes the following:

The user’s IP address (A number automatically assigned to your computer when you visit the website. Our server logs the user’s IP address.)
The user’s Internet Service Provider (ISP)
The user’s Web browser.

Non-personal information about a user’s visiting habits may also be automatically collected through the use of “cookies.” Cookies are computer files that are placed in a user’s hard drive to remember any preferences the user may have when surfing the web. They can also tell us how often particular pages are visited.

Limiting Use, Disclosure & Retention

An individual’s personal information is only used in connection with the purposes identified in paragraph 4 of this policy. Individual information collected by The Canadian Horticultural Council will not be sold or made available to third parties. The retention periods for personal information collected by The Canadian Horticultural Council are as follows:

Information collected because of the sale of publications, meeting registrations, and memberships is retained as long as required by the Canada Revenue Agency for tax and audit purposes.
Website user information is kept for 2 months.
Address and contact information is retained for as long as an organization is a member.

Ensuring Accuracy

To change or modify information previously provided to the Canadian Horticultural Council, simply send an email with the required changes to admin@hortcouncil.ca.

Safeguards

To ensure the protection of personal information collected by us, we employ the following physical, organizational and technological security safeguards:

Access is restricted to the Canadian Horticultural Council offices to employees and authorized individuals of the Canadian Horticultural Council only.
Access to the Canadian Horticultural Council server containing personal information is limited to designated employees of the Canadian Horticultural Council and ISP and is accessed by use of a password.
The Canadian Horticultural Council server contains firewall protection. Further, all The Canadian Horticultural Council employees are made aware of the importance of maintaining the confidentiality of our users’ personal information.

Openness

The Canadian Horticultural Council is committed to making readily available to individuals information on our policies and practices.

Individual Access

To review your personal information collected by the Canadian Horticultural Council, please direct your request in writing to the Financial Controller by Email at pproulx@hortcouncil.ca by mail to:

The Canadian Horticultural Council
2200 Prince of Wales, suite 102
Ottawa, ON K2E 7Z4.

Challenging the Canadian Horticultural Council’s Compliance

If you wish to challenge the Canadian Horticultural Council’s compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, please address your concerns in writing to the Financial Controller by Email at pproulx@hortcouncil.ca or by mail to: