Privacy Policy

Introduction

The Real Estate Foundation of BC (also referred to as “REFBC”, “the Foundation”, “we”, or “us”) is a philanthropic organization working to advance sustainable, equitable, and socially just land use and real estate practices across BC.  

The REFBC is considered a public body in the province of British Columbia and therefore, complies with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FOIPPA”) regarding the management of Personal Information and for the purpose of Freedom of Information (“FOI”) requests. We also comply with the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL”) for the purpose of interacting with individuals through electronic messages.

Personal Information Definition

According to FOIPPA, Personal Information means recorded information about an identifiable individual other than business contact information

Business contact information is defined as information to enable an individual at a place of business to be contacted and includes the name, position name or title, business telephone number, business address, business email, or business fax number of the individual.

Contact information submitted as part of the Foundation’s grants program is considered business contact information and will not be subject to any privacy requirements. This information will be treated as business confidential information.

Contact information submitted as part of events, email marketing or job applications is considered personal contact information and will be subject to any privacy requirements as stated in FOIPPA and CASL.

This privacy notice explains how the REFBC manages personal information under the following circumstances:  

• when members of the public use the Foundation’s website;
• when the Foundation organizes events to promote its work,
• when individuals apply for jobs, volunteer work or governor positions at the Foundation.

At REFBC, we value your privacy and it is our priority to protect your Personal Information and ensure that it is not used or shared for any purpose not stated in this Privacy Notice.  

Personal Information Collection and Use

The REFBC collects and uses Personal Information for the following purposes:

Email communications

We collect email addresses, first, and last names from individuals for the purposes of communicating with grantees, partners, and members of the public who have given explicit consent to receive email communications.

The emails we send to our list may include newsletters, annual and financial reports, and information about REFBC’s events, activities, research, and Land Awards program.

Event registration and attendance

When an individual registers to one of our events, we will collect their first and last name, email address, and any dietary restrictions they may have.  

Surveys

We send surveys to events attendees and we use the information submitted by the attendees to improve future events.

Webinars

We collect email address and full name of the individuals that register for our webinars. We use this information to provide webinar access details as well as to send resources associated with the webinar such as reports and toolkits. 

Job application

We will collect contact information as well as qualifications/resume and references of any individual applying for a job at the Foundation. We will use this information to evaluate the applicant’s relevant experience regarding the role they are applying for.

Website statistics and analytics, including cookies

The Foundation uses cookies and Google Analytics to help us enhance the use of our website and our visitors’ experience. We also collect information on page visits and downloads to better understand what types of content are most valuable to our community

For this purpose, we collect location, IP address, device information, and browsing activities while on the website. This information helps us optimize the content and format of our website to serve you better.

You may disable the use of cookies on your browser.

Social media interactions

When you interact with the Foundation through social media, for example Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn, these social platforms collect aggregate demographic information such as age, gender, and interests. We monitor this data for the purpose of tailoring our content to specific audiences.

Make sure that you do not provide unnecessary personal information or anybody else’s such as name, email address, or phone numbers through your social media posts.

Personal Information Disclosure

The REFBC does not sell, rent, trade, or otherwise disclose any of the Personal Information we collect from you to third-parties not identified in this Privacy Notice.

REFBC only discloses your personal information when:

• we explicitly request your consent to allow us to share your Personal Information with third-parties under specific circumstances described in the consent request.
• we work with service providers that host or process data on our behalf. We only allow sharing of information with service providers that have agreed to satisfy strict data protection requirements.
• we believe disclosing Personal Information is necessary to investigate, prevent, or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, or potential threats to the Foundation or any individuals with a relation to the Foundation.
• we are compelled to disclose Personal Information for legal reasons that do not require your consent, such as court orders.

Personal Information Storage and Transfer

The REFBC stores your Personal Information at their offices in Vancouver, British Columbia and with third-party service providers that are either located in Canada or the US.  

Based on the requirements imposed by FOIPPA under section 30.1 (a), we will request for your explicit consent to store your Personal Information in systems residing in the US.

Personal Information Safeguarding

The REFBC has implemented physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect the systems and locations where we store your Personal Information against unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

We ensure that our employees are aware of the procedures to follow to protect Personal Information and we also work with our third-party providers to ensure they follow strict data protection practices.

FOI Requests and Rights Over Your Personal Information

According to section 4, FOIPPA provides you, as a member of the public, with the right to access government records and ensures that public bodies are transparent and accountable.

Subject to any exceptions or constraints established by FOIPPA under sections 12 to 22, you have the right to submit an FOI request, including access to your Personal Information.  

You also have the right to request correction of the Personal Information we hold about you under section 29 of the legislation.

To submit an FOI request or a request regarding the access or correction of your Personal Information, please submit an email with the details of your request at privacy@refbc.ca.

Contact Us

If you have any further questions, concerns, or unresolved requests, please contact us at privacy@refbc.ca.