Privacy Policy

At Business Link, we are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This privacy policy (“Policy”) outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your information when you use our services or interact with our website.

What is Personal Information?

In accordance with the Alberta Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (“FOIPPA”), the term “Personal Information” refers to any information about an individual to be identified. Personal information includes:

- Your name, home address, phone number, email address, and credit card information

- Any other information that specifically identifies you as an individual.

However, information that enables a person to be contacted at a place of business is not included in this definition, such as your title, position, business address, business email address, or business telephone.

Information We Collect

We may collect various types of information when you use our services or interact with our website, including:

- Personal Information: This may include your name, email address, phone number, postal address, and other information you provide to us.

- Usage Information: We may collect information about how you use our website and services, including your IP address, browser type, pages visited, content downloaded, and other usage data.

- Cookies and Similar Technologies: We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your experience on our website and for analytics purposes. You can control cookies through your browser settings.

How We Use Your Information

We may use the information we collect for the following purposes:

- To provide and improve our programs and services.

- To communicate with you, including responding to your inquiries and providing customer support.

- To personalize your experience and tailor content and advertisements to your interests.

- To analyze trends and gather demographic information.

- To detect, prevent, and address technical issues or fraudulent activities.

- To comply with legal obligations.

Sharing Information

We may share your information with third parties for the following purposes:

- Service Providers: We may engage third-party “Service Providers” to perform services on our behalf, such as hosting, analytics, and marketing.

- Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to another entity.

- Legal Compliance: We may disclose your information when required by law or to protect our rights or the rights of others.

- Anonymity: We also collect aggregate, anonymized data from other “Organizations,” and share such data with them. That data is used by us and by other “Organizations” to create common audiences for serving online advertising and for co-marketing through website tags such as pixels and floodlight tags.

Retention & Disposal of Information

Business Link and our “Service Providers” (for the purposes of providing and supporting the “Site” and other services offered by us), may store or disclose your personal information outside of Canada in accordance with the “FOIPPA” regulations. In certain circumstances, we may need to disclose your personal information to our “Service Providers” in order to facilitate the operation of the “Site,” our databases, e-mail marketing software or for processing payment transactions. In some cases, these “Service Providers” may reside outside of Canada. Before any personal information is disclosed to our “Service Providers,” they must contractually agree to collect, use, store, access and protect the personal information in a manner that is consistent with our privacy policies and in compliance with “FOIPPA.”

Business Link may retain “Personal Information” only for as long as it reasonably requires that “Personal Information” for business or legal purposes. Business Link manages the information it collects in accordance with Alberta government records retention schedules and other legislative and policy requirements. Business Link’s record retention and destruction policies require the destruction of “Personal Information” when it is no longer required for business or legal purposes.

Consent

By accessing and using the “Site,” you acknowledge that Business Link is collecting (either directly or indirectly through its “Service Providers”) information, including personal information, relating to your access to and use of the “Site.” Any such “Personal Information” collected directly from you is collected under section 26(c) of “FOIPPA” for the purposes set out above. You consent to the indirect collection of any such “Personal Information” by Business Link, and to the storage and disclosure of that personal information inside or outside of Canada for the purposes set out above. Your consent is effective on and after the date of information collection and does not expire unless revoked by you in writing.

Wherever possible, and wherever required by applicable law, we seek your explicit consent before these activities occur. At any time, you may request that we stop communicating with you by either updating your user profile or contacting us directly.

Withdrawal of Consent

If you would like to request the deletion of your information, please reach out to us at marketing@businesslink.ca. Please note that while we will make every effort to accommodate your request, we may need to retain certain information as required or permitted by law.

You always have the option not to provide us with “Personal Information.” Your decision to not consent to the use and disclosure of your “Personal Information” will not impair your ability to browse the “Site.” However, it may limit your ability to use certain features of the “Site.” To opt-out of Google, please refer to the currently available opt-outs provided by Google Analytics. For newsletter opt-out, you can click the “Unsubscribe” link located at the bottom of the newsletter.

Safeguarding & Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect the security and confidentiality of all “Personal Information” we receive. Under “FOIPPA,” Business Link has comprehensive security measures to protect against unauthorized collection, duplication, access, alteration, disclosure, and disposal.

Security measures, such as the use of FTP secure sites and SSL encryption, have been integrated into the design, implementation, and day-to-day operating practices. Any personal information submitted on the “Site” is secure once it reaches the Business Link server. In transit between a computer and the server, all information is secured using SSL encryption, which the web browser typically denotes using a lock icon.

Cookies

Cookies are small pieces of data that web pages place on devices (e.g., computers or mobile phones) to assist in returning to that page. Business Link utilizes cookies to track activities on the “Site,” enabling us to identify consumers’ interests in small business-related products and services. This allows us to continuously improve and tailor our content to provide a more personalized experience. Users have the option to adjust their web browser settings to deny cookies or receive warnings before cookies are deposited.

We may permit our “Service Providers” to place cookies on your devices and collect your devices’ IP addresses, providing them with general location data. Our “Service Providers” may use this data to serve advertisements to you on the “Site” or elsewhere online and to report to us on the aggregated effectiveness of our advertisements. To facilitate this, our “Service Providers” may combine your IP address with other information obtained from various sources, as permitted by law.

By using our “Site” and services, users consent to the collection, use, and sharing of your information as described in this “Policy.”

Link Policy

The “Site” provides links to external third-party websites offering information on small business-related products and services. These sites may be operated by other government agencies, non-profit organizations, or private businesses. Business Link does not control the content of these external websites, nor is it responsible for the “Personal Information” collected by or privacy practices of these sites.

We strongly encourage users to review the “Policy” of each external website before submitting any “Personal Information.” It is important to note that Business Link’s “Policy” applies solely to information collected on our “Site” and through our services.

Account Registration

The use of the Interactive Business Plan Builder requires registration of an account. By registering for an account and providing your email address on the “Site” or any companion site, you are consenting to receive communications from Business Link regarding the Interactive Business Plan Builder and your account.

When you register for an account, we will collect the following information: your full name, email address, business name, country, province, city, and chosen password. We will use your contact details to send you a confirmation email, communicate with you in response to your inquiries, and send you communications related to the Interactive Business Plan Builder. We will not use your contact details to send you marketing communications unless you opt for such communications.

Additionally, if you register for an account, we will collect information about your use of the services. This information is used to deliver services to you and enhance your experience.

Processing Payment

Business Link may, from time to time, offer certain paid resources on the “Site,” including, without limitation, events, webinars, or workshops. If you engage Business Link for any paid resources, your credit card information is processed by our payment processing provider, Eventbrite, in order to process payments for your orders. Business Link itself does not collect your payment information. Certain payment information may be available through the Eventbrite account held by Business Link, but all such information is held in strict confidence. Please view our Cancellation Policy for more information.

Disclaimer

Business Link may, from time to time, review and revise its privacy practices and Terms, including our “Policy.” As noted above, your continued use of the Website shall be deemed to be your conclusive acceptance of any modifications to the Terms, including the “Policy.” This page was last updated on May 27, 2024.

If you have any questions or concerns about this “Policy” or our data practices, please contact us at marketing@businesslink.ca.

If you are not satisfied by our response, you can reach out to the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

30 Victoria Street

Gatineau, Quebec

K1A 1H3