Privacy Policy

The Society of St. Vincent de Paul – Halifax (“we”, “our”, or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of both donors and individuals seeking assistance. We collect only the information necessary to fulfill our charitable mission and operate in accordance with applicable laws and regulations in Nova Scotia.

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What We Collect

We collect two types of information:

1. Personal Information

• Donors: When you make a donation or contact us, we may collect your name, email address, mailing address, phone number, and payment details.
   

• Assistance Recipients: When requesting help, we collect limited personal information—such as name and address—only as required to coordinate support through our volunteers. We do not collect sensitive identifiers such as Social Insurance Numbers (SIN), health card numbers, or financial information.
   

Please note that express consent is obtained at the time of collection—such as through donation forms or assistance request processes—for the collection, use, and retention of personal information as outlined in this policy.

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2. Technical Information

When you visit our website, we automatically collect technical data such as your IP address, browser type, and usage patterns. This information helps us maintain site security, enhance user experience, and improve website performance.

 

Disclosure of Information

Information collected is held internally and used solely for the purposes for which it was obtained. It is not shared with third parties. We do not sell or rent your personal information under any circumstance.

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Why We Collect It

We collect your information to:

• Process donations and issue tax receipts
   

• Communicate donor updates, newsletters, and event notices
   

• Improve website functionality and analyze traffic
   

• Detect and prevent fraud or unauthorized activity
   

Who We Share It With

We may share your information only with:

• Payment processors (e.g., Stripe or DonorPerfect), solely for secure transaction processing
   

• Trusted service providers (e.g., web hosting, email delivery) under strict confidentiality agreements.
   

These parties are required to handle your data in a secure and lawful manner.

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How We Protect It

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information, including:

• The use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) to monitor and filter traffic to our web services
   

• SSL/TLS encryption (TLS 1.2 or higher) to secure data in transit
   

• AES-256 encryption, a recognized industry standard, to protect data at rest
   

• Access controls that restrict sensitive data to authorized personnel only, limited to those who need it to provide support or process donations and receipts
   

Your Privacy Rights

You have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
   

• Request corrections or updates to your information.
   

• Request deletion of your information, subject to legal and operational requirements.
   

To exercise these rights, contact us at execdirector-hpc@ssvp.ca. 

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page, with the updated effective date noted below.

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Last Updated: June 30, 2025