What Connects Us ~ Ce qui nous lie Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to What Connects Us ~ Ce qui nous lie (WCU-CQNL) in accordance with our obligations under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the applicable provincial privacy legislation in Quebec (p-39.1 - Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector). For the purposes of this policy, “you” refers to a member of the general public.
This document details our practices concerning the collection, use and disclosure of Personal Information provided to WCU-CQNL. Our obligations apply to all of our researchers, employees, collaborators or partners who provide services to or on behalf of WCU-CQNL, in connection with our research projects and their related activities. We urge you to read this document to gain a clear understanding of how we may collect, use and disclose your Personal Information in the course of your use of our website.
If you do not consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your Personal Information in accordance with this policy, do not provide us with any Personal Information. You also have the right to withdraw your consent to our collection, use and disclosure of your Personal Information at any time upon reasonable, advance notice. However, you cannot withdraw your consent retroactively.
WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?
We define “Personal Information” as any information, recorded in any form or survey, about an identified individual, or an individual whose identity may be inferred or determined from the information, (e.g. name and e-mail address). This policy does not cover aggregated data from which the identity of an individual cannot be determined. WCU-CQNL retains the right to use aggregated data in any way that it determines appropriate.
COLLECTION OF INFORMATION THROUGH OUR WEBSITE
By accessing and browsing our website, you agree that we may collect, use and disclose any information we collect about you through our website as described in this policy.
Our web server automatically collects visitor information in the form of the visitor’s domain or Internet Protocol (IP) address, as well as information about the pages being accessed, the date and time of your visit to our website and the documents that you downloaded. We use this information to better serve website visitors, diagnosing any technical problems, and improving our content. For information on how you may opt-out of the collection of such information, please contact us.
If you provide your email address by using the contact form or by submitting an inquiry via email, the personal information you provide (including your email address) will be used only to respond to your message or deliver the requested service.
WHY WCU-CQNL MAY COLLECT PERSONAL INFORMATION
WCU-CQNL uses only fair and lawful methods to collect Personal Information. We collect certain information from you for the purposes of fulfilling our objectives and mandate. These purposes include:
- Collecting data from participants in the context of research projects, to be used in aggregated format
- Distributing publications, invitations to events and programs, and other communications that may be of interest to participants
- Responding to questions and concerns
- Meeting legal or regulatory requirements
- Communicating for any other purpose for which we have your consent
HOW WCU-CQNL USES PERSONAL INFORMATION
Our use of Personal Information is limited to the purposes described in this document, unless we expressly tell you otherwise. We do not otherwise sell, trade, barter, exchange or disclose for consideration any Personal Information we have obtained from you.
CROSS-BORDER TRANSFER OF INFORMATION
In the context of its activities, WCU-CQNL may transfer Personal Information to a service provider which is located outside of Canada, as some partners rely on infrastructure providers that have servers located outside of Canada. In these cases, privacy laws may offer different levels of protection from those in Canada. Your Personal Information may also be subject to access by and disclosure to the local courts, law enforcement and national security authorities under the applicable foreign legislation.
CONSENT
By providing your Personal Information to us, you agree that we may collect, use and disclose it in accordance with this policy and as otherwise permitted or required by law. However, we may seek your consent to use or disclose Personal Information after it has been collected in cases where we wish to use or disclose the information for a purpose not previously identified or expressed in this policy.
WITHDRAWAL OF CONSENT
You may withdraw your consent to us collecting, using and disclosing your Personal Information at any time, subject to reasonable notice and any legal and/or contractual restrictions.
THE ACCURACY AND RETENTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We keep your Personal Information only as long as it is required for the reasons it was collected. This period may extend beyond the end of your relationship with us, but it will only be held as long as it is necessary for us to communicate with you or to have sufficient information to respond to any issues that may arise.
PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION
We endeavour to maintain appropriate physical, procedural and technical security safeguards at our offices and information storage facilities to prevent any unauthorized access to, or loss, misuse, disclosure or modification of Personal Information. This also applies to our disposal or destruction of Personal Information.
To that end, our website is hosted on a Virtual Private Server on a secure, encrypted device that is hosted in a data centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Our content management system is regularly updated to ensure optimal performance and security, and access to information is provided to employees and researchers on a as-needed basis, with the use of a secure user/password system.
COOKIES
Cookies are small data files that are saved to your device when you visit websites and are commonly used to provide you specific information from a website, and to provide the website’s operator information about you. We may use both session cookies and persistent cookies. A session cookie is a temporary file which is only active while you are on the website and is erased once you close your browser. Unlike a session cookie, a persistent cookie is not deleted when you close your browser and will remain on your device indefinitely. These cookies are used to improve navigation on websites (saving your language preference) and to collect aggregate statistical information (to measure repeat visits to the website). You may opt out of such tracking by adjusting the cookie settings on your browser.
Adjusting Cookie Settings on Your Browser
Most Internet browsers are initially set to accept cookies. If you do not wish to accept cookies, you can set yours to refuse cookies or to alert you when cookies are being sent. However, doing so may prevent you from accessing all or part of our website. If you wish to disable cookies on your browser, or be prompted prior to a cookie being loaded, you can do so by adjusting your browser’s settings. Consult each individual browser’s “help” feature for more information.
LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES
Our website may contain links to other websites and pages on social media platforms. This policy only applies to Personal Information that we collect, use and disclose on this website. We are not responsible or liable for the privacy practices of third parties, and we strongly recommend that you review their privacy policies before you disclose Personal Information to them.
CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
This policy is in effect as of December 1, 2025. From time to time, we may review this policy. We reserve the right to change this policy, and any of our policies or procedures concerning our practices for handling Personal Information, at any time and without any prior notice.
PRIVACY CONCERNS
We will promptly respond to questions and concerns relating to our Personal Information handling practices and this policy, and do our utmost to resolve your concerns. In every instance, we will consider our obligations with respect to privileged information, as well as our separate obligations under applicable privacy legislation. We may need to ask you for Personal Information to verify your identity. Please direct your questions or concerns to us using the Contact page.