Privacy Policy

Effective Date: June 09, 2025

This privacy policy applies to the Canadian Obstetric Survey System (CanOSS) initiative, that includes the www.CanOSS.ca website. CanOSS is based at McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, which serves as the legal entity responsible for any data collected through its activities. The CanOSS Principal Investigators, Dr. Rohan D’Souza, Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Health, Evidence, and Impact at McMaster University is accountable for the management of these data in accordance with McMaster University's privacy governance.

At CanOSS we are committed to protecting your privacy and ensuring the security of your personal information. All staff affiliated with CanOSS are required to complete Personal Health Information (PHI) compliance training and must adhere to applicable privacy legislation.

This Notice of Collection, Use, and Disclosure of Data Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information in compliance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and other applicable Canadian and provincial privacy laws, including the Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA) This policy applies to all data collected through CanOSS Hamilton and the CanOSS website.

This policy operates in alignment and compliance with the privacy frameworks of our partner institutions. For more information, please refer to:

1. Limiting Collection of Personal Information

We collect personal information directly from you for the following purposes:

To communicate with you, including responding to inquiries and sending promotional materials (if you have provided consent for the same).
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations.
To analyze website usage and enhance user experience.
To facilitate recruitment, employment, education, or academic coordination (where applicable).
To send informational emails, newsletters, or other promotional materials (if you have requested these)

We collect only the personal information necessary for the purposes identified. The types of personal information we may collect include, but are not limited to:

Contact Information: Name and email address,
Usage Data: IP address, browser type, and website interaction data (collected via cookies or analytics tools).
Survey Data: If a survey is completed on our website, we may ask you for sociodemographic information and data related to the survey, to help understand who is using our website and social media.

We use and disclose your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected, unless you consent otherwise or as required by law. No Personal Health Information (PHI) will be used for this purpose. We may share your information with:

Healthcare institutions or Academic Collaborators: Where relevant, with your consent and with appropriate safeguards.

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfil the identified purposes or as required by law. When no longer needed, we securely destroy or anonymize the information.

We do not sell personal information.

2. Consent

By using the CanOSS website you may provide consent expressly (e.g., by checking an “I Agree” box) or implicitly (e.g., by providing information voluntarily).

You may withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us at info@canoss.ca subject to legal or contractual restrictions.

Please note: CanOSS does not collect personal health information (PHI) directly through its website. If you wish to withdraw consent for the use of your personal health information related to care or clinical data used in research, you must contact your health care provider or the institution where you received care. CanOSS is not authorized to make changes to clinical records or institutional data.

3. Safeguards

We implement reasonable physical, technical, and organizational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, or theft. These include:

Secure servers and encryption for data transmission;
Restricted access to personal information by authorized personnel only;
Regular privacy audits and breach monitoring;
Conducting privacy impact assessments when using third-party vendors.

4. Openness

We make this Privacy Policy readily available on our website and provide clear information about our privacy practices. We are happy to explain our data practices upon request. You can contact our Privacy Officer for further details.

5.Cookies and Analytics

Our website uses cookies to enhance user experience and analyze site traffic. Cookies are small data files stored on your device. You can disable cookies through your browser settings, but this may affect website functionality. We use third-party analytics services (e.g., Google Analytics), which may collect your IP address and browsing behaviour.

We do not use cookies to collect personal health information (PHI), nor do we use cookies for targeted advertising.

You can manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings at any time. By continuing to use the CanOSS website, you are providing implied consent to the use of necessary cookies and, where applicable, to performance and functionality cookies unless you choose to disable them.

6.Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies.

7.Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically for changes.

8. Contact Information

For questions, access to requests, or complaints about this Privacy Policy, please contact our Privacy Officer.

Privacy Officer:

Andrea Thyret-Kidd (Privacy Officer of McMaster University

Email: privacy@mcmaster.ca

Address: McMaster University

1280 Main Street West

Hamilton, Ontario

L8S 4L8

Phone: 905-525-9140 x 23080

Primary Contact:

McMaster University Secretariat
Website: https://secretariat.mcmaster.ca
Email: privacy@mcmaster.ca

Secondary Contacts:

Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario – www.ipc.on.ca
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada – www.priv.gc.ca

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of Canada and the Province of Ontario.

Privacy Policy

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