Last updated: {December, 2025}
The Federation of BC Writers (“FBCW,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) is a non-profit organization supporting writers across British Columbia. Our website address is: https://bcwriters.ca.
Organization Name: Federation of BC Writers
Mailing Address: PO BOX 3503 Courtenay, BC, V9N 6Z8
Contact Email: hello@bcwriters.ca
Phone: (250) 741-6514
We comply with applicable Canadian privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Depending on your jurisdiction, additional regulations may apply.
We collect personal data from users and visitors to support membership services, event registrations, newsletter distribution, and the general operation of our website. This may include:
Name, email address, mailing address, and phone number
Membership details and personal account preferences
Payment and transaction information for membership dues, event fees, or donations
Voluntary information submitted through forms or surveys
Cookies, IP addresses, browser information, and device identifiers
Data generated through analytics or embedded third-party content
We do not intentionally collect sensitive information (e.g., health data). If such data is voluntarily provided (for example, accessibility needs for an event), we use it solely for the purpose for which it was submitted and retain it only as long as necessary.
We collect personal data:
With your explicit consent (e.g., newsletter sign-ups, contact forms)
To fulfill a service you requested (e.g., membership, registration)
To meet legal or administrative obligations
WordPress itself does not collect personal data beyond registered user profiles; however, plugins, hosting services, and payment processors may collect additional data as detailed below.
When visitors leave comments on the site, we collect the data shown in the comment form, the visitor’s IP address, and browser user-agent string to help detect spam.
An anonymized string (hash) created from your email address may be provided to the Gravatar service to display your profile image.
If you upload images to the website, please avoid uploading images with embedded location data (EXIF GPS). Visitors may download and extract this data from publicly accessible files.
If you submit a contact form:
We collect your name, email address, and any additional information you provide.
Contact submissions are retained for up to 12 months for customer service and administrative purposes.
We do not use information submitted through contact forms for marketing without your consent.
(Adjust this retention period as needed.)
Our website uses cookies to improve user experience. These include:
WordPress cookies for logged-in users and commenters
Analytics cookies (if enabled)
Third-party embed cookies (e.g., YouTube, social media, donation widgets)
You may disable cookies in your browser settings.
We may use analytics tools (e.g., Google Analytics, Jetpack, or hosting-provider analytics) to collect anonymous data such as:
Page views
Geographic location (approximate)
Device/browser information
User behavior on the site
Users can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on or by adjusting cookie preferences.
Links to provider privacy policies can be added here:
Google Analytics: https://policies.google.com/privacy
We share data only with trusted third-party service providers essential to our operations, including:
Payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) – for secure transaction processing
Email newsletter providers (e.g., Mailchimp)
Website hosting provider
Event registration tools (e.g., Eventbrite)
Analytics providers
These third parties may store data outside of Canada. Their privacy policies govern their use of your information.
We do not sell or rent personal data to any organization.
We retain personal data only as long as necessary:
Contact form entries: 12 months
Analytics data: 12–24 months, depending on provider settings
Membership and purchase records: 7 years, for legal and financial compliance
Comments and user accounts: retained indefinitely unless deleted by the user
You may request deletion of your personal information at any time.
You may request:
Access to your personal data
Correction of inaccurate information
Deletion of your data
Withdrawal of consent for marketing
A copy of the data you have provided us
That we restrict or object to certain types of processing
To submit a request, contact us at: {{Insert privacy contact email}}.
Our website may send data to trusted third-party services outside of Canada, including:
Website hosting providers
Email newsletter platforms
Payment processors
Analytics tools
These partners use recognized safeguards such as encryption, secure transfer protocols, and contractual agreements to meet international data protection standards, including those applicable in the EU.
For privacy-specific concerns or data requests, please contact:
Privacy Officer
Federation of BC Writers
Email: privacy@bcwriters.ca
Mailing Address: PO BOX 3503 Courtenay, BC, V9N 6Z8
We use:
Secure server environments (SSL/HTTPS)
Encrypted payment processing
Restricted access to administrative tools
Regular software and security updates
Staff/volunteer training on data handling
In the event of a breach, we follow these steps:
Immediate internal reporting and investigation
Prompt communication with affected users
Cooperation with legal authorities when required
Measures to prevent future breaches
We may receive limited data from:
Payment processors (transaction confirmations)
Event registration platforms
Email marketing services (subscription status)
We do not conduct automated decision-making or user profiling involving personal data.
As a non-profit organization, the Federation of BC Writers complies with applicable Canadian privacy requirements and industry standards related to membership associations.
