Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

The Canadian Institute for International Law Expertise ("the Institute", "we", "us") is committed to handling personal information responsibly and in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial legislation in Ontario.

This Privacy Policy describes what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and what rights you have as an individual. It applies to information collected through our website at cznadianzins.click, through program registration, and through any other direct contact with the Institute.

If you have questions about how we handle your information, please contact us at [email protected].

2. Data Controller

The data controller responsible for your personal information is:

• Organisation: Canadian Institute for International Law Expertise
• Address: 2 Bloor Street West, Unit 700, Toronto, ON M4W 3E2, Canada
• Phone: +1 416-849-6990
• Privacy contact: [email protected]

The Institute does not have a formally designated Data Protection Officer at this time. Privacy inquiries are handled by the Institute's administrative team and are generally responded to within five business days.

3. Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information in the following situations:

• Contact form submissions: Name, email address, and telephone number (telephone is optional).
• Program enquiries and registrations: Name, institutional affiliation, email address, and program or session preferences.
• Website usage data: IP address, browser type, pages visited, and session duration, collected through analytics tools where consent has been obtained.
• Cookie data: Consent preferences stored in your browser's local storage. See Section 7 for details.

We do not collect sensitive personal information such as financial data, health records, or government identification numbers.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under PIPEDA, we collect and use personal information only with your knowledge and consent, except where the law permits otherwise. The legal bases we rely on include:

• Consent: You give us permission when you complete a contact form, register for a program, or accept analytics cookies.
• Contractual necessity: Where we need your information to deliver a program you have registered for or to respond to a specific enquiry.
• Legitimate interests: For operational purposes such as maintaining records of program participants, subject to appropriate safeguards.

You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting [email protected], though withdrawal may affect our ability to provide certain services.

5. How We Use Your Information

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

• Responding to enquiries submitted through our contact form.
• Processing program registrations and communicating program logistics.
• Sending reading lists, session summaries, and materials to registered participants.
• Maintaining administrative records required to operate our programs.
• Analysing aggregate website usage data to improve the site (where consent has been given).
• Complying with applicable legal obligations.

We do not use your information for automated decision-making or profiling. We do not sell personal information to third parties. We do not send unsolicited marketing communications.

6. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We share personal information only in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: We may share information with third-party vendors who assist with website hosting, email delivery, or analytics, strictly for those purposes and under contractual data processing agreements.
• Analytics platforms: Where you have consented to analytics cookies, usage data may be processed by a third-party analytics service. This data is aggregate and does not identify you individually.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required to do so by law or in response to a valid legal process.

Any third parties we engage are required to handle personal information in a manner consistent with PIPEDA and are not permitted to use it for their own purposes.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Our website uses cookies and browser local storage. We use the following categories:

• Essential cookies: Necessary for the website to function. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies: Collect aggregate data about how visitors use the site. Used only with your consent.
• Preference cookies: Remember choices you have made, such as cookie consent status.

You can manage your cookie preferences at any time through our Cookie Policy page, which includes functional controls for each category.

8. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this policy:

• Contact form submissions: Up to 24 months from the date of receipt, unless you become a registered participant.
• Program participant records: Up to 5 years from the end of the program cycle, for administrative and audit purposes.
• Analytics data: Aggregated and anonymised within 26 months of collection.

After these periods, personal information is securely deleted or anonymised.

9. Data Protection Measures

We take reasonable technical and organisational steps to protect personal information against unauthorised access, disclosure, or loss. These include:

• Encrypted data transmission (TLS/HTTPS) on all Institute web pages.
• Access controls limiting who within the Institute can view personal data.
• Regular review of data handling practices by Institute administration.
• Contractual data processing requirements placed on third-party service providers.

In the event of a data breach that poses a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected individuals and the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada as required under PIPEDA.

10. Your Rights

Under PIPEDA and applicable Ontario legislation, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information held by the Institute:

• Right of access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
• Right to correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
• Right to withdraw consent: Withdraw consent to processing at any time, subject to legal or contractual obligations.
• Right to erasure: Request deletion of personal information we no longer have a lawful basis to retain.
• Right to complain: Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca.

To exercise any of these rights, please write to [email protected] or by post to our address above. We will respond within 30 days.

11. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites, including journal databases, institutional repositories, or academic platforms. These external sites operate under their own privacy policies, and we are not responsible for how they handle personal information. We encourage you to review the privacy notices of any third-party sites you visit.

12. Age Restrictions

Our programs are designed for graduate researchers, academic professionals, and institutional staff. We do not knowingly collect personal information from persons under the age of 18. If you become aware that a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us at [email protected] so we can take appropriate steps.

13. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this document. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Continued use of our website or programs after an update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

14. Contact for Privacy Matters

For any questions, requests, or concerns related to this policy or to our handling of your personal information, please contact us:

• Email: [email protected]
• Post: Canadian Institute for International Law Expertise, 2 Bloor Street West, Unit 700, Toronto, ON M4W 3E2, Canada
• Phone: +1 416-849-6990 (Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM–5:30 PM ET)

The supervisory authority for data protection matters in Canada is the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, reachable at www.priv.gc.ca or 1-800-282-1376.