Privacy Policy

The collection, use, and disclosure of personal information for uOttawa operations, programming and activities are governed by University of Ottawa’s Notice of Collection of Personal Information. As an approved third-party service provider, Boreal Education (“we”) must adhere to uOttawa’s Notice of Collection of Personal Information, the University of Ottawa Act, and in accordance with sections 39, 41 and 42 of Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This Privacy Policy applies to personal information we collect from you on behalf of uOttawa when you access or use online.uottawa.ca (the "Platform") or through our interactions with you. We use your information to assist you with uOttawa’s application and enrolment process, provide you with information about programs and courses that may be of interest to you, and facilitate online learning.

We will only collect information that is voluntarily provided to us by you or through uOttawa. If you do not wish to provide us with your personal information, you may not be able to access our services related to uOttawa’s programs.

What Information Do We Collect?

Under Canadian privacy laws, "personal information" is information about an individual that can be used to identify, contact, or locate an individual (either on its own or combined with other information).

We collect and use several types of information, including:

• Personal information (“PI”), such as your name, mailing address, e-mail address, telephone number, Internet protocol (IP) address, or other similar identifier, and any other identifier we may use to contact you.
• Non-personal information, that does not directly or indirectly reveal your identity or directly relate to an identifiable individual, such as demographic, statistical or aggregated information. We may derive non-personal statistical or aggregated data from PI.
• Technical information, including browser type and version, time zone setting, browser plug-ins, operating system and platform, and usage details.
• Non-personal details about your Platform interactions, including the full Uniform Resource Locators (URLs), clickstream to, through and from the Platform (including date and time), pages you viewed or searched for, page response times, download errors, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information (such as scrolling, clicks, and mouse-overs), and methods used to browse away from the page.

Collection and Use of Personal Information

In accordance with uOttawa’s Notice of Collection of Personal Information, we are required to collect, use, disclose and dispose of any PI in a manner that is accurate, confidential, and secure, and strictly in connection to uOttawa’s provision of educational programs, including:

• To provide you with information and services you have requested or that may be of interest to you based on your indicated preferences.
• To assist you with the application and enrolment process for uOttawa’s educational programs and other recruitment activities.
• To respond to your inquiries regarding enrollment in educational programs or other student success and support activities.

We use different methods to collect your information, including through:

• Direct interactions with you when you provide it to us, for example, by submitting a request to receive information about courses and programs, or corresponding with us by phone, e-mail, or otherwise.
• Automated technologies or interactions, as you navigate through the Platform. Information collected automatically may include usage details, IP addresses, and information collected through cookies, web beacons, and other tracking technologies.

We use information that we collect about you or that you provide to us, including any personal information:

• To present the Platform and its contents to you.
• To provide you with information, programs, or services that you request from us.
• To fulfill the purposes for which you provided the information or that were described when it was collected, or any other purpose for which you provide it.
• To carry out our obligations and enforce our rights arising from any contracts with you, including for billing and collection or to comply with legal requirements.
• In any other way we may describe when you provide the information, or for any other purpose with your consent.

We will only use your PI in accordance with this policy unless otherwise required by applicable law. We take steps to ensure that the PI we collect about you is adequate, relevant, not excessive, and used for the limited purposes described above.

We do not control third parties' collection or use of your information. However, these third parties may provide you with ways to choose not to have your information collected or used. You can also access these third-party websites to learn more about online behavioural advertising and how to stop websites from placing cookies on your device. Opting out of a network does not mean you will no longer receive online advertising. It does mean that the network from which you opted out will no longer deliver ads tailored to your web preferences and usage patterns.

Communication, Activity and Marketing Information

As outlined in this Privacy Policy, your personal information may be used to provide you with marketing and promotional materials related to uOttawa’s educational programs. These communications may be delivered through various channels, including mail, e-mail, telephone, instant messaging applications, text (SMS) messages, or any other relevant or available methods.

By providing your phone number, you are giving express consent to receive calls and/or text messages from Boreal Education or uOttawa at the number provided. These calls may be generated using automated technology, such as auto-dialer and click-to-dial systems, and may be recorded for quality assurance and training purposes.

You may withdraw your consent at any time. Promotional communications sent electronically will include a simple means for you to opt out of future messages such as an "unsubscribe" link in emails or an email address where you can submit an opt-out request.

We provide an opportunity for any user to unsubscribe from our communications or opt out of contact for marketing purposes on an ongoing basis by e-mailing support@online.uottawa.ca.

Please be aware that, regardless of your marketing preferences, you may still be contacted for administrative, academic, or legal purposes related to your enrollment at uOttawa. However, you will not receive promotional communications if you have opted out of receiving them.

We may disclose PI that we collect or you provide as described in this privacy policy:

• To fulfill the purpose for which you provide it.
• To uOttawa, in accordance with University of Ottawa’s Notice of Collection of Personal Information, the University of Ottawa Act, Ontario’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, and any other applicable privacy laws.
• To our subsidiaries and affiliates.
• To comply with any court order, law, or legal process, including to respond to any government or regulatory request, in accordance with applicable law.
• If we believe disclosure is necessary or appropriate to protect the rights, property, or safety of uOttawa, Boreal Education, our students and employees, or others.
• For any other purpose disclosed by us when you provide the information, or with your consent.

We may transfer PI that we collect or that you provide as described in this policy to contractors, service providers, and other third parties we use to support our business and who are contractually obligated to keep PI confidential, use it only for the purposes for which we disclose it to them, and to process the PI with the same standards set out in this policy.

By submitting your PI, engaging with us, or using the Platform, you consent to this transfer, storage, or processing.

Data Security and Retention

We use physical, electronic, and administrative measures designed to secure your PI from accidental loss and from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and disclosure. Although we do our best to protect your PI, we cannot guarantee the security of your PI transmitted over the internet. Any transmission of PI is at your own risk.

Except as otherwise permitted or required by applicable law or regulation, we will only retain your PI for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. Under some circumstances we may anonymize your PI so that it can no longer be associated with you. We reserve the right to use such anonymous and de-identified data for any legitimate business purpose without further notice to you or your consent.

Correction and Contact Information

It is important that the PI we hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep us informed if your PI changes. You have the right to request access to and to correct your PI. If we make material changes to how we treat PI, we will notify you through a notice on the Platform.

If you do not agree with the terms of this Privacy Policy and would prefer that we not collect, use, or disclose your information as described above, you should not use the Platform or provide us with any information. Please note that if you withdraw your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your information, we may not be able to provide you with a particular service or access to the Platform.

For more information, or if you have questions or concerns about privacy or the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information at University of Ottawa or would like to withdraw your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your PI, consult the Access to Information and Privacy Office by e-mail at aipo@uottawa.ca, by phone at 613-562-5800, extension 1851, or by mail at Tabaret Hall, 550 Cumberland Street, Room M407, Ottawa, ON, K1N 6N5.