Effective Date: July 12, 2021
1. Our Commitment to Your Privacy
The Visible Minority Re-Settlement and Training Network (“VMRTN”, “we”, “us”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and security of the personal information of our clients, members, donors, partners, and visitors who use our website (www.vmrtn.org or its successor site) and services (collectively, “Services”).
This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information. It is designed to be compliant with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and to provide transparency as required for platforms like Google Ads.
By accessing our website or using our Services, you agree to the terms of this Privacy Policy.
2. What is Personal Information?
“Personal Information” is any information about an identifiable individual. This can include your name, email address, phone number, address, resume, employment history, educational background, country of origin, and any other data you provide to us that can be used to identify you.
3. Information We Collect
We collect information to provide and improve our re-settlement and training services. We collect information in the following ways:
a) Information You Provide Directly to Us:
- Contact Information: Name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you register for a program, subscribe to our newsletter, or contact us.
- Professional and Resettlement Information: Your resume/CV, cover letter, employment history, educational credentials, skills, career goals, and, where necessary for specific programs, information related to your resettlement status (e.g., country of origin, newcomer status). This sensitive information is collected only with your explicit consent.
- Demographic Information: Voluntary information such as age, gender, or ethnicity, used in an aggregated and anonymized form for reporting to our funders and improving our services.
- Donation Information: If you make a donation, we collect information necessary to process the payment, such as your name and payment card details, which are handled by our secure third-party payment processor.
b) Information We Collect Automatically:
- Log and Usage Data: When you visit our website, our servers automatically record information, including your Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, operating system, pages viewed, the links you click, and the dates/times of your access.
- Cookies and Tracking Technologies: We use cookies and similar technologies to operate and personalize our website. Cookies are small data files stored on your device. We use them to understand site usage, improve user experience, and for our advertising purposes.
4. How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To Provide Services: To deliver our core re-settlement support, training programs, mentorship matching, and job board services. This includes sharing your professional information with potential employers, but only with your explicit consent for each application or introduction.
- To Communicate With You: To send you updates, newsletters, event invitations, and respond to your inquiries.
- To Improve Our Services: To analyze usage trends and measure the effectiveness of our programs and website, allowing us to enhance our offerings.
- For Marketing and Advertising: We use Google Ads and other platforms to reach individuals who may benefit from our services. We may use information collected through cookies to show you relevant ads on other websites (this is known as “remarketing” or “interest-based advertising”). We do not use sensitive information (like resettlement status or ethnicity) for ad targeting.
- For Legal and Security Purposes: To comply with legal obligations, protect against fraud, and ensure the security of our network and services.
5. How We Share and Disclose Information
Your privacy is paramount. We do not sell your Personal Information. We may share it under the following limited circumstances:
- With Potential Employers: With your direct and explicit consent, we will share your resume and relevant professional information with our vetted partner employers for specific job opportunities.
- With Service Providers: We may share information with third-party vendors and partners who perform services on our behalf, such as website hosting (e.g., AWS, Azure), email marketing (e.g., Mailchimp), and payment processing. These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and can only use it for the purposes for which it was disclosed.
- For Legal Reasons: We may disclose your information if required by law, subpoena, or other legal process, or if we have a good-faith belief that disclosure is reasonably necessary to protect the rights, property, or safety of VMRTN, our users, or the public.
- Aggregated and Anonymized Data: We may share aggregated, non-personally identifiable information with our funders, partners, and the public for statistical analysis and reporting purposes (e.g., “We helped 500 individuals find jobs in the tech sector last year”).
6. Cookies, Google Ads, and Your Choices
Our website uses cookies to function. We also use third-party cookies for analytics and advertising. Specifically:
- Google Analytics: We use this service to understand how visitors engage with our site. You can learn more about how Google uses data and opt out by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
- Google Ads (Remarketing): We use this service to advertise VMRTN across the internet. Google Ads will display relevant ads to you based on what parts of the VMRTN website you have viewed by placing a cookie on your machine. This cookie does not in any way identify you or give access to your computer. It is used to say, “This person visited this page, so show them ads relating to that page.”
Your Control: You can opt out of Google’s use of cookies by visiting Google’s Ad Settings. You can also control cookie settings through your web browser.
7. Data Security
We are committed to protecting your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We implement robust technical and administrative safeguards, including:
- HTTPS Encryption: Our website uses SSL/TLS to encrypt all data transmitted between your browser and our server.
- Access Controls: Access to personal information is restricted to authorized VMRTN staff and volunteers who need it to perform their duties.
- Secure Storage: We use reputable third-party cloud services that provide high levels of physical and digital security.
While we take extensive measures to protect your data, no method of transmission or storage is 100% secure.
8. Your Privacy Rights Under Canadian Law
As a resident of Canada, you have the following rights concerning your Personal Information under PIPEDA:
- Right to Access: You have the right to request a copy of the Personal Information we hold about you.
- Right to Correction (Rectification): You have the right to request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete Personal Information.
- Right to Withdraw Consent: You have the right to withdraw your consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of your information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer at the address below.
9. Third-Party Websites
Our website may contain links to other websites (e.g., partner employers, resource sites). This Privacy Policy does not apply to those third-party sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.
10. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will post the revised policy on our website and update the “Effective Date” at the top of this page.
11. Contact Us
If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or our data handling practices, please contact our designated Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer
Visible Minority Re-Settlement and Training Network (VMRTN)
1663 North Service Rd E,
Oakville, ON L6H 7T1 Canada
Email: [email protected]