Privacy Policy

Website: visupportservices.ca
Contact: HealthEquityResearch@viu.ca

1) Who we are

Vancouver Island Support Services (“we,” “us,” “our”) operates visupportservices.ca, a public directory intended to help people find support services and community resources.

For privacy questions or requests, contact: HealthEquityResearch@viu.ca.

2) What this policy covers

This policy explains how we collect, use, store, and share information when you:

• browse the website,
• view or search directory listings,
• use our “Suggest an Edit” or “Suggest a Listing” forms,
• interact with maps and embedded third-party content (where present).

3) Information we collect

A) Information you provide (forms)

Suggest an Edit may collect:

• your email address (required)
• optional phone number and name
• the issue categories you selected (e.g., phone, address, website, etc.)
• your message

Suggest a Listing may collect:

• proposed service details (name, description, phone, email, website, address, city/postal code, service type/category details)
• your name (optional)
• your email address (required)
• optional phone number

Important: Please do not submit personal health details, crisis details, or other sensitive personal information through these forms. This site is a directory and is not designed to intake private medical or crisis information.

B) Information collected automatically (basic technical data)

When you visit the site, our servers may receive:

• IP address
• device/browser details (user agent)
• date/time of requests
• pages viewed and referrer information (standard web logs)

We use this information for security, performance, and operational troubleshooting.

C) Directory interaction analytics (custom, aggregated)

This website records aggregated interaction counts on directory listings, such as:

• viewing a service profile
• clicking website/phone/email links
• map views and “get directions” actions

These are stored as counters and daily totals for reporting and service improvement. They are not intended to identify you.

4) Why we collect information (purpose)

We use information to:

• operate and improve the directory experience (navigation, usability, performance)
• respond to submissions (suggested edits/listings)
• maintain data quality (reviewing and moderating suggestions)
• protect the site (spam prevention, rate limiting, abuse monitoring)
• generate high-level usage insights (what people use, not who they are)

5) Cookies and similar technologies

We may use cookies for basic website functionality and security.

If/when Google Analytics is enabled, it may also set cookies or use similar technologies to measure site usage.

You can disable cookies through your browser settings, but some site features may not function as intended.

6) Google Analytics

We plan to use Google Analytics to understand aggregated website usage (e.g., pages viewed, navigation patterns, general device/browser information).

Google Analytics may collect information such as:

• approximate location (derived from IP)
• device and browser details
• on-site interactions and page views

You can learn about Google’s data practices and opt-out options via Google’s tools and settings (including browser add-ons and ad/personalization settings).

7) How long we retain information

We keep information only as long as needed for operational purposes:

• Suggestion submissions (Suggest an Edit / Suggest a Listing): retained as long as necessary to review, follow up (if needed), and maintain an administrative history of changes/quality control.
• Directory interaction counts: stored as aggregated totals.
• Daily interaction records: stored on a rolling basis (the site’s current configuration retains daily buckets for a limited window; by default this is approximately 180 days, then older daily records are removed).

We may retain server/security logs for a limited period for security and troubleshooting.

8) Who we share information with

We do not sell your personal information.

We may share data with service providers strictly as needed to operate the site, including:

• website hosting / infrastructure providers
• security and performance services
• analytics providers (including Google Analytics, if enabled)

9) Third-party services used by this website (important)

This website uses third-party services that may receive your IP address and basic request data when your browser loads those resources:

• OpenStreetMap tiles (map display)
• Leaflet (map library, loaded from a public CDN)
• Font Awesome (icons, loaded from a public CDN)

Additionally, site administrators may use an internal geocoding tool that sends service addresses to:

• Nominatim (OpenStreetMap) for geocoding (admin-side processing)

These third parties have their own privacy practices.

10) How we protect information

We use reasonable safeguards appropriate for a public directory, including:

• access controls for administrative tools
• security updates and monitoring practices
• basic anti-spam measures and rate limiting for public endpoints

No system can be guaranteed 100% secure, but we aim to keep security proportional and well-managed.

11) Your rights and choices

You may request:

• access to personal information you have submitted via our forms
• correction of inaccurate personal information
• deletion of your submission (where feasible and where not required for legitimate operational or legal reasons)

To make a request, email HealthEquityResearch@viu.ca.

12) Where information is processed

This site is operated from Canada. Depending on hosting and third-party providers, data may be processed in Canada or other jurisdictions. Where information is processed outside Canada, protections may differ.

13) Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the website evolves (for example, when analytics configuration changes). The effective date will be updated accordingly.