Privacy Policy

Last Updated: June 27, 2025

Your privacy is important to the Homelessness Services Association of British Columbia (HSABC). This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect your personal information when you visit our websites, www.hsa-bc.ca and conference.hsa-bc.ca. We aim to be clear and open about our practices and to comply with applicable Canadian privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), and British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

1. Accountability: HSABC is responsible for the personal information under its control. We have designated a Privacy Officer who is accountable for our compliance with the principles described in this Privacy Policy.

2. What is "Personal Information"? In Canada, "personal information" generally means any information about an identifiable individual. This includes details such as your name, home address, email, phone number, and sometimes your IP address. It does not include business contact information like your name, title, business phone number, or business email address if we're using it to communicate with you about your job or profession.

3. Identifying Purposes: What Information Do We Collect and Why? We collect different kinds of information depending on how you use our websites. The purposes for collecting this information are identified before or at the time of collection.

Information You Give Us Directly:

When you fill out forms: If you register for events or training, fill out contact forms, or participate in surveys, we collect the information you provide. This could include your name, organization, contact details, and any other information you choose to share.
- Purpose: To process your registration, respond to your inquiries, facilitate your participation in surveys, and provide the services you requested.
When you make payments: When you register for events, training, or purchase other services, we collect information necessary to process your payment. This typically includes your billing address and payment details.
- Purpose: To complete transactions for courses, events, or other services you purchase. Please note that payment information (like credit card numbers) for e-commerce payments is managed directly by our third-party payment gateway provider, Stripe, and is not stored on our servers.
When you email us: If you send us an email through either website, we collect your email address and the content of your message.
- Purpose: To respond to your communication and address your specific requests.
When you sign up for our newsletter: We collect your email address.
- Purpose: To send you our newsletter and updates you have subscribed to.
When you apply for scholarships or other programs: We collect the information necessary to process your application.
- Purpose: To evaluate your eligibility and administer the scholarship or program.

Information We Collect Automatically (Website Usage Data):

Technical Information: When you visit our websites, our systems automatically gather certain technical details. This includes your IP address, the type of browser you use, your operating system, device type, and the website that referred you to us.
- Purpose: To understand how our websites are used, improve their performance, ensure security, and prevent fraud.
Usage Information (Google Analytics): We utilize Google Analytics to measure website usage statistics and understand how you interact with our websites. This includes which pages you visit, how long you stay on them, links you click, and search terms you use. This information is typically grouped together and is anonymous, meaning it doesn't directly identify you.
- Purpose: To analyze website traffic, identify popular content, diagnose technical issues, and continuously improve our website's functionality and user experience, ultimately enhancing the services we provide.
Cookies and Similar Technologies: Our websites use "cookies" and similar technologies. Cookies are small text files placed on your device by your web browser when you visit a website. They help the website remember things about your visit, like your preferences, or to recognize you if you return.
- How we use cookies: We use cookies to:
  - Make our websites function correctly (e.g., remembering if you're logged in to a member area).
  - Understand how people use our websites so we can make them better (through analytics).
- Your choices about cookies and meaningful consent: We will obtain your meaningful consent for the use of cookies that are not strictly necessary for the operation of the website. Most web browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings. You can usually set your browser to reject all cookies, to alert you when a cookie is being sent, or to delete cookies that have already been placed. However, if you disable cookies, some parts of our websites may not work as intended. We provide clear information about the cookies we use and their purposes, allowing you to make an informed decision.

4. Consent: By providing us with your personal information, you consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of that information as described in this Privacy Policy. Where required by law, or for uses and disclosures that are not integral to our services, we will seek your express consent. For certain less sensitive information or for purposes that are reasonably expected, your consent may be implied by your actions (e.g., continuing to use our website after being presented with a cookie banner).

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. We will inform you of the implications of such withdrawal. To withdraw consent, please contact our Privacy Officer.

5. Limiting Collection: We limit the collection of personal information to that which is necessary for the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy. We collect information by fair and lawful means.

6. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

To provide you with services and information: This includes responding to your questions, processing your registrations for events and training, delivering newsletters and updates you've subscribed to, and providing access to member-only or paid resources.
To manage your membership (if you are a member): We use your information to manage your HSABC membership, communicate with you about our activities, and provide member benefits.
To manage non-member/guest accounts: We use your information to manage your access to specific training and events for which you have registered or paid, and for communication related to these activities. Your information is stored to facilitate your participation and provide relevant updates.
To manage our websites and services: We use website usage data to understand how people use our sites, identify popular content, fix technical issues, and make our websites more useful and effective.
For internal operations: This includes data analysis, ensuring our websites' security, preventing fraud, and meeting our legal obligations.
To communicate with you: We may send you important updates, announcements, or information related to HSABC's work, training, or services.
Inter-website Data Exchange: Our main website (www.hsa-bc.ca) and our sub-website for conferences (conference.hsa-bc.ca) automatically exchange information about your membership status. This allows us to verify your eligibility for member-specific fees and access to content across both platforms.

We will not use or disclose your personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with your consent or as required by law.

Who Do We Share Your Information With? We generally do not share your personal information with outside organizations, except in these limited situations:

Service Providers: We may use trusted third-party service providers to help us run our websites or deliver services (e.g., website hosting, email services, analytics like Google Analytics, and payment processing services like Stripe). These providers are only given the information they need to do their job and are contractually required to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we've authorized. We conduct due diligence to ensure these service providers uphold appropriate privacy and security standards.
Legal Requirements: We may share your information if we are required to do so by law, a court order, or if we believe it's necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of HSABC, our members, or others.
With Your Consent: We will share your information with other parties only if you give us your clear permission to do so.
Aggregated or Anonymized Data: We may share grouped or anonymous data (data that cannot be used to identify you personally) with third parties for research, analysis, or reporting. For example, we might share general statistics about website visitors.

How Long Do We Keep Your Information? We keep your personal information only for as long as needed to fulfill the purposes for which we collected it, to provide our services, and to meet our legal, accounting, or reporting obligations. When your information is no longer needed, we will securely dispose of it in a manner that prevents unauthorized access.

7. Accuracy: We strive to keep your personal information as accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used. We encourage you to notify us of any changes to your personal information.

8. Safeguards: We take reasonable steps to protect the personal information we collect from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These steps include:

Security Measures: We use a combination of physical, administrative, and technical safeguards. This includes secure servers, firewalls, encryption for sensitive information sent online, and access controls.
Internal Policies: We have internal rules and procedures for handling personal information to make sure it's protected.
Staff Training: Our staff are trained on the importance of privacy and how to handle personal information securely and in accordance with this policy.

While we do our best to protect your personal information, no method of transmitting information over the internet or storing it electronically is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee its absolute security.

9. Openness: We are open about our privacy practices. This Privacy Policy is readily available on our websites, clearly outlining our policies and practices for managing personal information.

10. Individual Access: You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

Right to Access: You have the right to ask for access to the personal information we hold about you. Upon request, we will inform you of the existence, use, and disclosure of your personal information. We will provide access to your personal information within 30 days of receiving your request, unless an extension is permitted by law. We may charge a reasonable fee for providing access, but we will inform you of the approximate cost in advance.
Right to Correction: You have the right to ask us to correct any personal information we hold about you that is inaccurate or incomplete. We will amend the information as required.
Right to Withdraw Consent: As noted above, where we need your consent to collect, use, or share your personal information, you have the right to withdraw that consent at any time, as long as there aren't legal or contractual reasons preventing it. We will inform you of the implications of such withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the information below.

11. Challenging Compliance: You have the right to challenge our compliance with the principles outlined in this Privacy Policy. If you believe your privacy rights have been violated, please contact our Privacy Officer in the first instance. We will investigate all complaints and take appropriate measures. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC BC) or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC), depending on the nature of the issue.

Data Breach Notification: In the event of a security breach involving your personal information that poses a real risk of significant harm, we will notify you and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (and/or the OIPC BC, if applicable) as required by law. We will also keep a record of all data breaches.

Links to Other Websites: Our websites may have links to other websites that are not run by HSABC. This Privacy Policy only applies to www.hsa-bc.ca and conference.hsa-bc.ca. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these other websites. We encourage you to read the privacy policies of any website you visit.

Changes to This Privacy Policy: We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in how we operate, new technology, or legal requirements. When we make changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy regularly to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

Contact Us: If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, or if you wish to exercise your rights, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer
Homelessness Services Association of BC
26-202 Lorne Mews, New Westminster, BC. V3M 3L7

Email: info@hsa-bc.ca Phone: (778) 945-7790