NSCOESN Canada

Notice

Providing content in Canada’s official languages

The Official Languages Act, the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations establish when we use both English and French to provide services to or communicate with members of the public. When there is no obligation to provide information in both official languages, content may be available in one official language only. Information provided by organizations not subject to the Official Languages Act is in the language(s) provided. Information provided in a language other than English or French is only for the convenience of our visitors.

Linking to non-NSCOESN websites

Links to websites not under the control of the NSCOESN, including those to our social media accounts, are provided solely for the convenience of our website visitors. We are not responsible for the accuracy, currency or reliability of the content of such websites. The NSCOESN does not offer any guarantee in that regard and is not responsible for the information found through these links, nor does it endorse the sites and their content.

Visitors should also be aware that information offered by non-NSCOESN sites to which this website links is not subject to the Official Languages Act. The information offered may be available only in the language(s) used by the sites in question. With respect to privacy, visitors should research the privacy policies of these websites before providing personal information.

Copyrights: Ownership and Usage of Content Provided on this Site

The material on this site is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, and by Canadian laws, policies, regulations, and international agreements. Such provisions serve to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission.

Reproduction

Unless otherwise specified, you may not reproduce materials on this site, in whole or in part, for the purposes of commercial redistribution without prior written permission from the NSCOESN.

Some of the content on this site may be subject to the copyright of another party. Where information has been produced or copyright is not held by the NSCOESN, the materials are protected under the Copyright Act, and international agreements. Details concerning copyright ownership are indicated on the relevant page(s).

Links to Other Websites and Ads

Our social media accounts may post or display links or ads for websites that are not under our control. These links are provided solely for the convenience of users. The NSCOESN is not responsible for the information found through these links or ads, nor does it endorse the sites or their content.

Following, “Favouriting” and Subscribing

Our decision to “follow,” “favourite” or “subscribe” to another social media account does not imply an endorsement of that account, channel, page or site, and neither does sharing (re-tweeting, reposting or linking to) content from another user.

Comments and Interaction

We ask that your comments be relevant and respectful. We reserve the right to delete comments that violate this notice, and the user may be blocked and reported to prevent further inappropriate comments.

We cannot engage in issues of party politics or answer questions that break the rules of this notice.

We reserve the right to edit or remove comments that:

  • Contain personal information;
  • Are contrary to the principles of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;
  • Express racist, hateful, sexist, homophobic, slanderous, insulting or life-threatening messages;
  • Put forward serious, unproven or inaccurate accusations against individuals or organizations;
  • Are aggressive, coarse, violent, obscene or pornographic;
  • Are offensive, rude or abusive to an individual or an organization;
  • Are not sent by the author or are put forward for advertising purposes;
  • Encourage illegal activity;
  • Contain announcements from labour or political organizations;
  • Are written in a language other than English or French;
  • Are unintelligible or irrelevant;
  • Are repetitive or spam; and
  • Do not, in our opinion, add to the normal flow of the discussion.

Please be respectful and make sure that your comments are relevant to where they are posted. The views of users commenting on our social media accounts do not necessarily represent the views of the NSCOESN. Our social media accounts may post or display links or ads for websites that are not under our control. These links are provided solely for the convenience of users. The NSCOESN is not responsible for the information found through these links or ads, nor does it endorse the sites or their content.

Copyright

Information that we post is subject to the Copyright Act.

Privacy

The NSCOESN is committed to providing a website that respects the privacy of visitors. This notice summarizes the privacy practices for the NSCOESN’s online activities. This means that you will be informed of the purpose for which your personal information is being collected and of how to exercise your right of access to that information.

Your Privacy and the Internet

The nature of the Internet is such that web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor’s Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet service providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. The IP address, on its own, does not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason, the NSCOESN considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data automatically collected when visitor requests a web page, such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.

Unless otherwise noted, the NSCOESN does not automatically gather any specific information from you, such as your name, telephone number or email address. The NSCOESN would obtain this type of information only if you supply it to us, for example, by email or by filling in a form. In such cases, how your personal information is handled will be provided in a Personal Information Collection Statement.

In cases where services are provided by organizations outside of the NSCOESN, such as social media platforms or partner sites, IP addresses may be recorded by the web server of the third-party service provider.

Communicating with the NSCOESN

If you choose to send the NSCOESN an email or submit a form, your personal information is used by the NSCOESN in order to respond to your inquiry and manage your membership. The information you provide will not be shared with another institution. The NSCOESN does not disclose the information to anyone.

Emails and other electronic methods used to communicate with the NSCOESN are not secure unless it is specifically stated on a web page. Therefore, it is recommended that you do not send sensitive personal information through non-secure electronic means.

Third-Party Social Media

The NSCOESN’s use of social media serves as an extension of its presence on the web . Social media account(s) are public and are not hosted on the NSCOESN servers. Users who choose to interact with us via social media should read the terms of service and privacy policies of these third-party service providers and those of any applications you use to access them. The NSCOESN uses Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Our social media accounts are not NSCOESN websites and represent only our presence on third-party service providers.

Personal information that you provide to the NSCOESN via social media account(s) is collected to capture conversations (e.g. questions and answers, comments, “likes,” retweets) between you and the NSCOESN. It may be used to respond to inquiries, or for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. Comments posted that violate Canadian law will be deleted and disclosed to law enforcement authorities. Comments that violate our rules of engagement will also be deleted.

Cookies

Cookies are used to track how our visitors use this site, to determine sites previously visited or to facilitate the use of secure portions of this site. A cookie is a file that may be placed on your hard drive without your knowledge by a website to monitor your use of the site. The cookies we use do not allow us to identify individuals. They are compiled into statistical information on traffic patterns and are used to assess and improve the efficiency of the site.

We use two types of cookies:

  • Session cookies – These are used as an integral part of the identification process for some of our online applications. This is for security purposes to determine that you are who you say you are and to provide you with your confidential account information during an online session. No personal information is kept in session cookies and they are stored only in your browser’s temporary (cache) memory. When you log out of your session, the cookie is no longer valid and is discarded when you close your browser.
  • Persistent cookies – These are more permanent and can be re-read when you return to the site that placed them on your computer. The information in them is written onto your hard drive and remains there until the expiry date of the cookie. They are used to identify and provide personalized features (for example, to help us remember which official language you prefer) and for tracking traffic patterns to and from our site. For more information on the tracking we use, refer to the Google Analytics section below.

You may adjust your browser settings to reject cookies, if you so choose. However, it may affect your ability to interact with the NSCOESN’s website.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google Inc., helps to measure traffic patterns to, from and within our public website. This analytics measurement tool uses “session” and “persistent” cookies to collect standard Internet log information and to track visitor behaviour information in an anonymous form. Persistent cookies are stored on your computer and expire two years after your last visit to our website. The information generated by the cookies about your use of the website (including your IP address, truncated to ensure your anonymity) is transmitted to Google. No personal, identifying information is recorded or provided to Google. This anonymous information is used to evaluate visitors’ use of the website and to compile statistical reports on the NSCOESN’s site activity. The aggregate data and statistical reports are used only to help us make our site more useful to visitors and are made available only to web managers and other designated staff who require this information to perform their duties.

For further information about Google Analytics, please refer to Google Analytics Privacy Policy.

If you wish, you may opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics by disabling or refusing the cookies; by disabling JavaScript within your browser; or by using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-On. Disabling Google Analytics or JavaScript will still permit you to access comparable information or services from our website. You will still be able to access our website if you disable your session cookie option, but you might have difficulties accessing any secure services.

Protecting the Security of the NSCOESN’s Website

The NSCOESN employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the IP address of the computer that has contacted our website, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.

This information is collected pursuant to section 161 of the Financial Administration Act. The information may be shared with appropriate law enforcement authorities if suspected criminal activities are detected. Such information may be used for network security related statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting.

Inquiring about these Practices

Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints you may have regarding the administration of privacy policies regarding the NSCOESN’s web presence may be directed to us by email.