Privacy Policy

The purpose of the code

Cottage Life Media, a division of Blue Ant Media Partnership is committed to keeping personal information accurate, confidential, secure, and private. Our Corporate Privacy Code builds on this commitment.

This Corporate Privacy Code provides guidelines that Cottage Life Media uses to protect the privacy of personal information, no matter how the information is collected or stored. In addition to our Corporate Code, each division of Cottage Life Media has developed and maintains its own privacy policy.

The Corporate Privacy Code consists of ten principles. Each corporate division’s privacy policy follows the ten principles as they may apply to their business. In addition, each division may:

  • define how it subscribes to each principle
  • modify details to provide specific examples
  • include additional measures for the protection of personal information

Cottage Life Media Privacy Code is based on the Canadian Standards Association (CSA) Model Code for the Protection of Personal Information (CAN/CSA-Q830-96). As part of our mandate, Cottage Life Media will continue to review its Privacy Code every two years to ensure it is relevant and up to date.

The ten privacy principles

Principle 1 Accountability

Principle 2 Identifying Purposes for which Personal Information is Collected

Principle 3 Getting Consent

Principle 4 Limits on Collecting Personal Information

Principle 5 Limits for Using, Disclosing, and Keeping Personal Information

Principle 6 Keeping Personal Information Accurate

Principle 7 Safeguarding Personal Information

Principle 8 Making Information About Policies and Procedures Available

Principle 9 Individual Access to Personal Information

Principle 10 Handling Complaints and Questions

1. Accountability

Cottage Life Media is accountable for all information in its control. Mr. Terry Sellwood, General Manager for Cottage Life Media, is the designated Chief Privacy Officer. The Chief Privacy Officer is accountable for Cottage Life Media compliance with the ten privacy principles.

Cottage Life Media recognizes that it is responsible for personal information in its possession or custody, including information that has been transferred to a third party for processing.

Cottage Life Media abides by the provisions of the federal law, and assumes responsibility for doing so.

2. Identifying Purposes

Cottage Life Media makes all reasonable efforts to ensure that we specify the nature of the intended use of the data at or before the time the information is collected.

3. Consent

Cottage Life Media makes all reasonable efforts to ensure that organizations providing personal information to our clients have obtained consent from the consumer before disclosing this personal information.

Cottage Life Media ensures that all list and other media owners have provided their consumers with a meaningful opportunity to decline to have their name or other information used for any further marketing purposes by a third party.

4. Limiting Collection

Cottage Life Media makes all reasonable efforts to ensure that we limit the collection of the personal information on our lists to that which is necessary for the intended use as identified under Principle 2, Identifying Purposes.

5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention

Cottage Life Media agrees to keep personal information only as long as necessary for the identified purposes. Formal guidelines and procedures to ensure the safe destruction or disposal of personal information no longer required are established and have been implemented.

6. Accuracy

Cottage Life Media keeps personal information on consumers as up to date as possible for the defined need.

7. Safeguards

Cottage Life Media takes responsibility for the protection of list data. This includes, but is not limited to,

restricting physical access to data, organizational restrictions through security clearances on a “need-to-know” basis, and technological measure such as passwords and encryption. Care is also used in the disposal or destruction of personal information so as to prevent unauthorized parties from gaining access to this information.

8. Openness

Cottage Life Media is open and forthcoming about the policies and procedures it uses to manage personal information. Consumers have ready access to information about these policies and procedures. Cottage Life Media makes every effort to ensure that the consumer easily understands personal information handling practices and procedures.

The Chief Privacy Officer, accountable for Cottage Life Media policies and practices relating to privacy, and to whom complaints or inquiries can be forwarded is as follows:

Mr. Terry Sellwood
Cottage Life Media

54 St. Patrick St.
Toronto, Ontario M5T 1V1

A copy of any information that explains Cottage Life Media privacy policies, standards, and practices is available upon written request to Mr. Sellwood at the above address.

9. Individual Access

Cottage Life Media will work with consumers, list, and other media owners to fulfill the right of the consumer to know of the existence, use, and disclosure of his or her personal information and to provide access to that information.

Cottage Life Media will make all reasonable efforts to provide this information to the consumer upon request. The procedure for responding to consumers’ requests for access is available from the Chief Privacy Officer. When a consumer asks, Cottage Life Media will make these procedures known to the consumer.

The consumer must recognize that they are required to provide Cottage Life Media with sufficient personal information that will allow us to determine whether we do hold a personal information file pertaining to them. The provision of this information shall not be used for any other purpose.

Cottage Life Media will respond to a consumer’s request within a reasonable time and at minimal or no cost to the individual. In some cases, where Cottage Life Media may have to incur significant and unreasonable costs to fulfill a consumer’s request, the consumer will be advised of this cost. Agreement will be obtained for payment by the consumer prior to Cottage Life Media undertaking the work if the consumer is still interested in pursuing his or her request.

If Cottage Life Media denies a consumer’s request for access to personal information, we will tell the consumer why. The consumer may then opt to challenge Cottage Life Media decision (see Principle 10).

10. Challenging Compliance

Consumers may challenge Cottage Life Media. compliance with its own privacy code. Cottage Life Media has policies and procedures in place to receive, investigate, and respond to consumers’ complaints and inquiries. Information regarding these procedures and the complaint escalation process is available through Cottage Life Media Chief Privacy Officer.