Privacy policy.
ONSIDE – Privacy Policy
We are the Organization for Nova Scotia Innovation Driven Entrepreneurship (“ONSIDE”,” “we,” or “us”), a not-for-profit organization that is focused on working collaboratively with stakeholders and partners to galvanize a prosperous Nova Scotia through inclusive Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurship (IDE).
ONSIDE is committed to protecting the privacy of all users of our websites (including www.onsidenow.ca, and www.startnowincubator.ca ), (the “Website”) and our services, including virtual and in-person events and collaborative projects we may host or provide from time to time (the “Services”). This policy describes how we collect, use and disclose personal information in the provision of the Services. “Personal information” means any information about an identifiable individual, but does not include the name, title, business address or telephone number of an employee of an organization.
Where we provide our Services in collaboration with another party, (for example, ONSIDE’s collaboration with Mashup Lab, www.mashuplab.ca to provide the Virtual Business Incubator Project), please refer to the privacy policy of that other party for information about how they collect, use and disclose personal information for their own purposes.
By using ONSIDE’s Services, you give consent to the use and disclosure of information that is collected or submitted as described in this Privacy Policy. If you have any questions about ONSIDE’s privacy practices or policies, please contact [info@onsidenow.ca or startnow@onsidenow.ca].
Our privacy commitment is based on the ten fair information principles that form the basis of the CSA Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information: Accountability; identifying purposes; consent; limiting collection; limiting use, disclosure, and retention; accuracy; safeguards; openness; individual access; and challenging compliance.
Please read the Privacy Policy carefully before using the Services. By using the Services, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by the Privacy Policy. If you do not want to agree to the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Services.
Collection of Personal Information
Information You Provide To Us
We collect personal information that users of our Services provide directly to us. For example, we collect personal information when individuals fill out forms on our Website or communicate with us via email, communicate with us via contact forms, respond to surveys, provide comments or other feedback via our Website or other mediums, register to attend an event, participate in a project, or participate in any other aspect of the Services. Depending on how a user is using the Services, we may collect name, email address, demographic information, educational information, or information about a business. We may also collect an individual’s opinions on topics (for example, when responding to a survey) or other qualitative information submitted to us.
For some projects and Services, we partner with and/or receive funding from government agencies, where a condition of our funding is the collection of certain demographic characteristics of project participants, which is then shared with the funding agency in an aggregated format (not identifying individual project participants). For example, in accordance with our funding agreement with the Women’s Entrepreneurship Strategy from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), we provide demographic information to the Women’s Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. Examples of the kinds of demographic information that we may ask project participants to provide include:
Demographics of the business owner:
Gender and Ownership
Diversity and Ownership (Indigenous, Racialized, Black, Person with Disability, 2SLGBTQ+)
Age
Education
Postal code
Business information:
Date Created
Business Status
Sector
Product or Service Provided
Locations (country, code)
Current Business Status:
Number of employees
Sales
Net Revenues
Markets and Export
Information We Collect Through Automatic Tracking Technology
We use automatic data collection technologies including Google Analytics to collect certain information about equipment, browsing actions, and patterns attributable to visitors of our Website. This will generally include information about a user’s location, traffic pattern through our Website, and any communications between a visitor’s computer and our Website. Among other things, we will collect data about the type of computer used, Internet connection, IP address, operating system, and browser type.
The information we collect automatically is used for statistical data and will not include personal information. We use this data to improve our Website and our service offerings. To the extent that you voluntarily provide personal information to us, our systems will associate the automatically collected information with your personal information.
Use of Personal Information
We use personal information we collect to deliver the Services and generally as follows:
To manage registration for our Services;
To communicate with users about news and updates related to the Services;
To respond to inquiries or other correspondence;
To administer surveys and promotions;
For research and program development purposes.
In addition, we distribute publications and offer educational opportunities concerning entrepreneurial skills development which we provide as a service to our community.
Use of Cookies
Similar to most commercial websites, our Website utilizes a standard technology called “cookies” and server logs to collect information about how our site is used. Information gathered through cookies and server logs may include the date and time of visits, the pages viewed, time spent at our site, and websites visited just before and just after our own, as well as your IP address.
We may also use technological equivalents of cookies, including social media pixels. These pixels allow social media sites to track visitors to outside websites so as to tailor advertising messages users see while visiting that social media website.
Third-Party Use Of Cookies
Some content or applications, including advertisements, on the Website are served by third parties, including advertisers, ad networks and servers, content providers, and application providers. These third parties may use cookies alone or in conjunction with web beacons or other tracking technologies to collect information about you when you use our Website. The information they collect may be associated with your personal information or they may collect information, including personal information, about your online activities over time and across different websites and other online services. They may use this information to provide you with interest-based (behavioural) advertising or other targeted content. To opt out of interest-based advertising, and find information about blocking or limiting cookies, visit AdChoices, the Canadian self-regulatory program for online interest-based advertising administered by the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada (“DAAC”).
Canada’s Anti Spam Law (“CASL”)
We will only send you commercial electronic messages (“CEMs”) where we have your express or implied consent to do so. Your consent to receive CEMs is implied where we have an existing business relationship with you, or you have reached out to us and made an inquiry within a certain time frame. You may unsubscribe from receiving CEMs at any time, by clicking the unsubscribe button on an email or following the direction provided in a text message.
Disclosure of Personal Information
We do not sell, rent or lease personal information. We may share your personal information to our subsidiaries, affiliates, and service providers for the purpose of providing our Services to you.
As described above, where we partner with and/or receive funding from government agencies or similar bodies, we may disclose certain data (for example, demographic and business information) on an aggregate basis to the government agency in accordance with the contractual arrangements between ONSIDE and the agency.
We may provide your information to any successor or assign in the event of a merger, divestiture, restructuring, reorganization, dissolution, or other sale or transfer of some or all of our assets and/or business.
We may disclose information when legally compelled to do so when we, in good faith, believe that the law requires it, or for the protection of our legal rights, or when compelled by a court or other governmental entity to do so.
Safeguarding of Personal Information
We use appropriate security measures to protect against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, use or modification of personal information. Such measures will vary depending on the sensitivity, amount, format, nature and storage of the personal information and will involve, as applicable, physical, organizational and electronic security measures, including premises security, restricted file access, technological safeguards including security software and firewalls to prevent unauthorized computer access, and password and security policies. In communicating with us, you should be aware that e-mail is not a fully secure medium.
Retention of Personal Information
The personal information that you provide will be retained by ONSIDE in accordance with applicable laws. However, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify personal information we hold if it is no longer needed for the purposes for which it was collected.
Access and Correction
We will take reasonable steps to ensure the personal information we hold is accurate, complete and up-to-date. Upon your written request, and subject to certain exceptions provided by law, we will inform you of the existence, use, and disclosure of your personal information and give you access to that information. We may charge a minimal fee for providing such access to you. If you believe that the personal information that we hold about you is not accurate or complete, you may write to us at [info@onsidenow.ca or startnow@onsidenow.ca]. If you are able to establish that the information is not accurate or complete, we will take reasonable steps to delete and/or correct the information so that it is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. In order to facilitate a request to correct or update information, we may ask you to provide additional information to confirm your identity. Any such information will only be used for the purpose of confirming your identity and will not be retained by us.
Privacy Policy Changes
We may change our Privacy Policy from time to time without notice. Please check our Website for the most up-to-date version of the Policy.
Questions, concerns or requests for access
If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Privacy Policy, please contact us as follows: