Introduction

Protecting your privacy and the confidentiality of your information – over the Internet, on the telephone, or through our offices – has always been fundamental to the way we do business at AdvantageBC . We operate on the basis of this Privacy Policy and related procedures that guide the handling of the personal information we collect. We have created this privacy statement in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to protecting the privacy of our members, partners and potential Web site visitors. This policy and related procedures are consistent with the
Canadian Standards Association Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (herein “CSA Model Code”) and applicable privacy legislation, which includes the European Union (EU) General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”). GDPR requires that AdvantageBC protect the personal data and privacy of EU data subjects. If there is any conflict between this Privacy Policy and GDPR, the GDPR principles shall govern in respect of EU data subjects.

Privacy Statement

This policy deals only with personal information handled by AdvantageBC. Personal information is information about an identifiable individual, excluding business contact information. The following explains how AdvantageBC handles personal information. AdvantageBC reserves the
right to change this policy and it may be updated periodically. These changes may affect our use of your personal information. Accordingly, please check for changes regularly.

Accountability

AdvantageBC is accountable for all personal information under its control. AdvantageBC’s Privacy Officer is Kit Sauder, Director of Communications & Research, you can reach Kit at KSauder@AdvantageBC.ca, by telephone at 604.356.0339. Any questions about AdvantageBC’s handling of personal information should be directed to the Privacy Officer. Please see below for more information about the process for referring questions about AdvantageBC’s handling of personal information.

The Type of Information We Collect

AdvantageBC collects the following information:

 Name
 Title
 Company
 Address
 Telephone Number
 Fax Number
 Email Address
 Date of Birth
 Category of Profession
 Credit Card Number & Expiration Date (where applicable)

And specific details related to providing a service, and administering membership or registration. Please note, an employee’s name, title, organization name and telephone number are not considered personal information under the applicable privacy legislation and as such are
not covered by our privacy policy. In addition to the above information, it is the policy of our Internet service provider to collect on our behalf basic information about everyone who visits our website. When you open an account or contact us on our site, fill out an online form or create an account, we collect the personal information you provide such as your name and email address. We use cookies on our website that recognize information to record visits and improve the website. Our purpose is to better understand how you use our site to improve it. You can opt-out of cookies through the privacy settings on your browser. That will disable, however, some features of our site.

This information includes:

 IP Address
 Operating Software
 Browser Software
 Internet Service Provider (“ISP”)
 Geographic Location
 Referring Link

Article 6.1(a) of the GDPR provides the legal basis for the processing of the above data (that is, by using this website users are providing their consent). The legal basis for the processing of data that is automatically collected is article 6.1b(f) of the GDPR (that is, the processing is necessary for legitimate interests pursued by us); the legitimate interests pursued by the controller being the optimization of AdvantageBC’s websites and of its services. We use Google Analytics to analyze traffic to this website. Google Analytics does not create individual profiles for visitors. It only collects aggregate data to help us understand how visitors use our website so we can maximize its effectiveness. We do not use this in an identifiable way, but rather to make performance enhancements to our website and services and determine broad usage statistics such as country of origin, time of use, pages visited and browser used. These files are used solely to increase system performance and are not sold or shared with any third party, nor used for any marketing purpose. More information about Google Analytics’ privacy policy can be found at:
http://www.google.com/privacy.html and https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites

Purpose of Personal Information

The purpose for which AdvantageBC collects personal information will be identified at or before the time the information is collected. AdvantageBC may collect personal information for the purposes of:

 administering AdvantageBC membership and providing member services;
 notifying AdvantageBC members of upcoming AdvantageBC events and new services;
 registering for AdvantageBC events, for example, Mineral Exploration Roundup, workshops, etc.;
 managing subscriptions to AdvantageBC’s magazine, Mineral Exploration;
 purchasing various AdvantageBC products or services including assessment report printing and safety manuals; and
 processing and administering the above or other purposes as necessary.

AdvantageBC will not use personal information for any other purpose than identified at or before the time of collection.

Consent

Except as otherwise set out above, AdvantageBC seeks consent for all personal information we collect, use and disclose through information provided to individuals prior to collection, or at the time of collection. If you have voluntarily provided your information to AdvantageBC, you
have consented to the collection, use and disclosure of your personally identifiable information as described in this privacy policy. As required by the CSA Model Code and applicable privacy legislation, AdvantageBC will not use personal information for any purpose other than that for which you consented. Should AdvantageBC require personal information for a new purpose, we will contact you to seek consent for that new use.

Limits for Collecting, Using, Disclosing and Keeping Personal Information

AdvantageBC does not collect, use or disclose personal information of individuals except when individuals give consent as set out above and provide the information on a voluntary basis. There may be occasions where more specific personal information is necessary for us to proceed with a request for information, or to provide you with a product or service. In such cases, we will provide you with a description on the information we need and how we will use it. In all cases, AdvantageBC limits the amount and type of information collected to only the personal
information that is required to provide the individual with the requested information, product, or service. We collect only information that is voluntarily provided by you and undertake that such information will be kept strictly confidential. We retain personal information only as long
as is necessary to provide the individual with the requested product, service or information and delete or destroy this information after that time. In some cases, however, legal reporting and retention requirements necessitate that AdvantageBC retain information for a specific amount
of time. In general, AdvantageBC retains information for a period not longer than 6 years. AdvantageBC does not sell or trade any personal information with third parties. AdvantageBC may transfer information to service providers where information processing is outsourced by
AdvantageBC in the course of its administrative procedures, event registration or member services in specific cases. Where personal information is transferred to a service provider for processing, we require the service provider to respect this Privacy Policy and we restrict them from using or disclosing personal information transferred to them for any purpose other than the provision of services to us for the purposes for which the information was collected. AdvantageBC may be required to disclose personal information in the rare event it is ordered to do so by law or to prevent fraud, as permitted or required by applicable legislation. Any personal information that AdvantageBC retains is kept in such a manner as to ensure its security and confidentiality at all times.

Safeguarding Personal Information

AdvantageBC respects the privacy of our members, partners, potential website visitors and internet users and will protect that privacy as vigorously as possible. We store personal information in electronic and physical files that are secure. Our security measures include secure locks on filing cabinets, a secure office space that is alarmed after hours and using industry standard techniques such as firewalls, and restricted access to records and to equipment, including computers. Unfortunately, no data transmission over the Internet can be guaranteed to be 100% secure. As a result, while we strive to protect your personal information,
we cannot ensure or warrant the security of any information you transmit to us or receive from us electronically. This is especially true for information you transmit to us via e-mail. We have no way of protecting that information until it reaches us. Once we receive your transmission, we make our best efforts to ensure its security on our servers. Although we store and process personal information primarily in Canada, we may use services that store or process your personal information outside of Canada, where it may be accessible to law enforcement and national security authorities of jurisdictions outside Canada.

Accuracy of and Access to Personal Information Collected

AdvantageBC makes every effort to keep personal information as accurate, complete, current and relevant as necessary for the identified purposes. AdvantageBC makes readily available to individuals our Privacy Policy and related procedures for managing personal information. We provide access to the Privacy Policy and related procedures to individuals on AdvantageBC’s Web site (www.AdvantageBCbc.ca) and in written form. Any questions about the handling of personal information by AdvantageBC can be raised with our Privacy Officer. At the written
request of an individual, he or she may view or edit their personal information collected by AdvantageBC. AdvantageBC will inform the individual of what personal information we have about them, what it is being used for and, in cases where it has been disclosed, to whom it has
been disclosed. There may be exceptional circumstances as provided by the CSA Model Code and applicable privacy legislation under which AdvantageBC may not be able to give an individual access to the personal information about her or him held by AdvantageBC. We will also delete your personal information if you wish and you can withdraw consent to us holding the information you provided at any time, provided that the information is no longer required for the purposes it was collected or another legal or business reason. To make a request, please send a letter, email or fax addressed to our Privacy Officer at the address indicated above. In your request, please include the following information: AdvantageBC, contact details, membership number (where applicable), the nature of your request, including whether you wish to view and/or edit information or inquire regarding use and/or disclosure. AdvantageBC will reply to your request in no later than thirty days after receipt of the request, or if we are not able to respond within this time period, we will send you a notice of extension. If we are not able to disclose all the personal information we hold on you, we will give you a reason for our inability to do so, unless prohibited by law.

Questions

Any questions or comments about AdvantageBC’s handling of personal information should be directed to our Privacy Officer. If you still have concerns about your personal information, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia.