Privacy Policy
Plain-language summary: Brain-CE collects only the personal information you choose to give us — primarily your email address for our newsletter, or information you provide when contacting us or applying as a fellow. We do not sell your data, share it with advertisers, or use it for any purpose unrelated to our non-profit mission. You may withdraw consent and request deletion at any time.
01 Introduction
The Brain Climate & Equity Collaborative (“Brain-CE,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of everyone who visits our website, subscribes to our communications, participates in our programs, or otherwise interacts with us.
This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA, S.C. 2000, c. 5), the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL, S.C. 2010, c. 23), and the Personal Information Protection Act (Alberta PIPA, SA 2003, c P-6.5) where applicable.
By using our website at brainclimate.org or any associated Services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with our practices, please do not use our Site or provide us with personal information.
02 Who We Are & Who Is Responsible
Brain-CE is a federally incorporated Canadian non-profit organization. Our website is hosted on WordPress.com infrastructure and operated by Brain-CE’s leadership team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
The individual responsible for Brain-CE’s compliance with privacy legislation (our Privacy Officer) is:
Privacy Officer: Muse Laroyia
Co-Lead & Executive Director, Brain Climate & Equity Collaborative
muse@brainclimate.org
All privacy-related inquiries, access requests, and complaints should be directed to the Privacy Officer at the contact details above.
03 Information We Collect
Brain-CE collects personal information only to the extent necessary for our non-profit activities. We collect information in the following circumstances:
Information You Provide Directly
| Context | Information Collected | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Newsletter subscription | Email address | Sending updates, event notices, and research summaries |
| Contact forms | Name, email address, message content | Responding to inquiries and partnership requests |
| Fellow / volunteer applications | Name, email, institutional affiliation, CV, areas of interest | Evaluating and onboarding fellows and volunteers |
| Meeting bookings (Calendly) | Name, email, selected time, optional notes | Scheduling meetings with Brain-CE leadership |
| Expression of Interest (University of Calgary survey) | As specified in the survey form | Assessing interest in Brain-CE programs |
| Email correspondence | Name, email, content of correspondence | Communication and record-keeping |
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our Site, our hosting provider (WordPress.com / Automattic) may automatically collect certain technical data, including:
- IP address (typically anonymized);
- Browser type and version;
- Operating system;
- Pages visited and time spent on pages;
- Referring website or search terms;
- Date and time of access.
This information is used in aggregate form for website analytics and security purposes. Brain-CE does not actively operate independent tracking cookies beyond those set by our hosting infrastructure. Please refer to Automattic’s Privacy Policy for details on data collected at the hosting level.
Information We Do Not Collect
Brain-CE does not collect, and has no interest in collecting:
- Payment or financial information (we do not process payments on this Site);
- Government identification numbers;
- Sensitive health information about individual users;
- Information about children under 13 years of age;
- Biometric data of any kind.
04 How We Use Your Information
Brain-CE uses personal information only for the specific purposes for which it was collected, or for compatible purposes that a reasonable person would expect. Specifically, we use personal information to:
- Send newsletters, research updates, and event communications to subscribers who have provided express consent under CASL;
- Respond to inquiries and requests received through contact forms or email;
- Process and evaluate applications from prospective fellows, volunteers, and collaborators;
- Schedule and manage meetings booked through Calendly;
- Maintain records of organizational engagement and project participation;
- Comply with legal obligations applicable to a Canadian federally incorporated non-profit;
- Improve our website and communications based on aggregate usage data;
- Protect the security and integrity of our Services.
We will not use your personal information for any purpose not described in this Policy without first obtaining your consent, unless we are required or permitted to do so by law.
We do not use personal information for automated decision-making, profiling, or algorithmic processing of any kind.
05 Legal Basis for Processing
Brain-CE’s processing of personal information is grounded in the following bases under PIPEDA and applicable provincial legislation:
- Express consent: Newsletter subscriptions and participation in Brain-CE programs are based on your freely given, informed, and specific consent. Consent may be withdrawn at any time without penalty (see Section 11).
- Implied consent: Where you initiate contact with Brain-CE (such as sending an email), we rely on implied consent to process your information in order to respond.
- Contractual necessity: For fellows and contributors who enter into formal engagement agreements, processing is necessary to administer those agreements.
- Legitimate interests: We process basic technical and aggregate usage data on the basis of our legitimate interest in operating a secure and functional website, to the extent such processing is proportionate and does not override your privacy interests.
- Legal obligation: We may process or retain information where required by applicable Canadian law.
07 Third-Party Services & External Links
Our Site contains links to external websites, social media platforms, academic publications, and partner organization sites. This Policy does not apply to those third-party sites, and Brain-CE is not responsible for their privacy practices.
Brain-CE maintains active presences on the following platforms, each governed by their own privacy policies:
- LinkedIn — LinkedIn Privacy Policy
- Instagram / Meta — Instagram Privacy Policy
- TikTok — TikTok Privacy Policy
- BlueSky — BlueSky Privacy Policy
- X / Twitter — X Privacy Policy
We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit through links on our Site before providing personal information.
08 Email Communications & CASL Compliance
Brain-CE is committed to full compliance with the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). We send commercial electronic messages (CEMs) only to individuals who have provided express consent to receive them.
Express Consent
When you subscribe to our newsletter through our website, you are providing express consent under CASL to receive Brain-CE communications, including research updates, event announcements, advocacy news, and organizational updates. Each consent request clearly identifies:
- Who is requesting consent (Brain-CE);
- What types of messages will be sent;
- How to withdraw consent at any time.
Unsubscribing
Every newsletter or mass email sent by Brain-CE will include an unsubscribe mechanism. You may opt out at any time by:
- Clicking the “Unsubscribe” link at the bottom of any Brain-CE email;
- Emailing muse@brainclimate.org with the subject line “Unsubscribe”;
- Contacting us through our contact page.
We will process unsubscribe requests within 10 business days, as required by CASL. Withdrawal of consent does not affect the lawfulness of any communications sent prior to your withdrawal.
Transactional Messages
Certain communications — such as confirmations of meeting bookings, direct replies to your inquiries, or fellow onboarding information — are transactional in nature and are not subject to CASL’s express consent requirements. These will only be sent in direct response to your actions.
09 Data Retention
Brain-CE retains personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by applicable law.
| Type of Information | Retention Period |
|---|---|
| Newsletter subscriber email addresses | Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent, plus a brief administrative period of up to 30 days |
| Contact form submissions | Up to 2 years from the date of last correspondence, or as required to resolve any ongoing matter |
| Fellow / volunteer application materials | Duration of engagement plus up to 3 years, or as required under applicable record-keeping obligations |
| Meeting booking data (Calendly) | Governed by Calendly’s retention policies; generally deleted after the meeting has occurred |
| Website technical / analytics data | Governed by Automattic’s retention policies; generally aggregate and anonymized |
When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to ensure it is securely deleted, anonymized, or de-identified.
10 Security of Personal Information
Brain-CE takes reasonable and appropriate technical and organizational measures to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include:
- HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted through our website;
- Use of reputable, security-conscious third-party service providers (Formspree, Automattic, Calendly);
- Limiting access to personal information to Brain-CE personnel who require it for legitimate organizational purposes;
- Encouraging the use of secure communication channels for sensitive correspondence.
Despite these measures, no method of transmission over the Internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. Brain-CE cannot guarantee absolute security and is not responsible for unauthorized access resulting from circumstances beyond our reasonable control.
In the event of a privacy breach that creates a real risk of significant harm to individuals, Brain-CE will comply with PIPEDA’s mandatory breach reporting obligations, including notifying the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and affected individuals as required.
11 Your Privacy Rights
Under PIPEDA and applicable provincial legislation, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information held by Brain-CE:
Request a copy of the personal information Brain-CE holds about you, and information about how it has been used and disclosed.
Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information held by Brain-CE.
Withdraw consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.
Request deletion of your personal information where it is no longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and no legal obligation requires its retention.
Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe Brain-CE has not handled your personal information in accordance with applicable law.
Withdraw consent to receive commercial electronic messages from Brain-CE at any time, free of charge, within 10 business days of your request.
How to Exercise Your Rights
To exercise any of the above rights, please contact our Privacy Officer at muse@brainclimate.org with a clear description of your request. We will respond within 30 days of receiving your request. In some cases, we may need to verify your identity before processing your request.
We will not charge a fee for access requests unless the request is manifestly excessive, in which case we will notify you in advance.
If you are dissatisfied with our response, you have the right to complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca or by telephone at 1-800-282-1376.
12 Children’s Privacy
Brain-CE’s website and Services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental consent.
If you are between 13 and 18 years of age, we encourage you to review this Policy with a parent or guardian before providing any personal information to Brain-CE.
If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13 without appropriate consent, we will take immediate steps to delete that information. Parents or guardians who believe we may have collected information from their child should contact us at muse@brainclimate.org.
13 Changes to This Privacy Policy
Brain-CE may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable law, or the Services we offer. The effective date at the top of this page will be updated whenever a revision is made.
For material changes that significantly affect how we handle personal information, we will endeavour to provide advance notice — either through a notice posted on our Site or by email to current subscribers — at least 10 days before the change takes effect, where feasible.
Your continued use of the Site after the effective date of any revision constitutes your acceptance of the updated Policy. If you do not agree with the revised Policy, you should discontinue use of the Site and, if applicable, contact us to withdraw your consent and request deletion of your information.
14 Contact Us & Complaints
All privacy-related inquiries, access requests, correction requests, withdrawal of consent, and complaints should be directed to Brain-CE’s Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer — Brain-CE
Brain Climate & Equity Collaborative
Federal Non-Profit Corporation · Canada
Muse Laroyia, Privacy Officer & Co-Lead Executive Director
muse@brainclimate.org
Daniela Oboh, Executive Director
daniela@brainclimate.org
We aim to respond to all privacy requests within 30 days.