Last updated: November 11, 2026
Island Magazine, Parksville, British Columbia (“Island Magazine,” “we,” “us”) is a digital community magazine for Vancouver Island. This policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect personal information when you visit islandmagazine.ca, subscribe to our newsletter, submit a form, claim or update a directory listing, or otherwise deal with us.
We follow Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).
What we collect
We may collect:
- Contact details you give us, such as your name, email address, phone number, business name and town, when you write to us, subscribe, submit an event, ask to claim or remove a listing, or enquire about advertising.
- Messages and submissions, including event details, letters, photos, story pitches and the information in our contact and claim forms.
- Newsletter subscription information, such as your email address and the dates you subscribed or unsubscribed.
- Advertising and directory records, such as the business details associated with an ad, coupon or listing, and records of impressions and clicks on our own ads.
- Technical and usage information, including your IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, referring site and approximate location. We use tools such as Google Site Kit to help us understand how the site is used.
- Cookies and similar technologies, described below.
- Payment information, when we begin accepting payments (for example through Stripe). Payment card details are processed by the payment provider. We do not store full card numbers.
You do not need an account to read the magazine.
Cookies
We use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Operate the site, for example by remembering which edition you chose
- Understand traffic and how stories and pages are used
- Measure impressions and clicks on our own advertisements
You can control cookies through your browser. Blocking some cookies may affect features such as remembering your edition.
Why we collect it
We use personal information to:
- Publish and operate the magazine, events calendar and business directory
- Respond to enquiries, claim or removal requests, correction requests and contributor submissions
- Send the newsletter to people who have signed up, and manage unsubscribes
- Administer advertising, coupons, featured listings and, when available, payments
- Understand how the site is used and improve it
- Meet legal obligations, prevent abuse and protect our rights
We do not sell your personal information.
Consent and withdrawal
We collect, use and disclose personal information with your consent, or as otherwise allowed or required by law. Consent may be express (for example, signing up for the newsletter) or implied (for example, when you email us and we reply).
You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions. To stop newsletter emails, use the unsubscribe link in any message or email us. Withdrawing consent may mean we cannot provide a related service, such as a claimed listing or a paid advertisement.
How long we keep it
We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes above, or as required by law. For example:
- Newsletter addresses are kept until you unsubscribe. We may then retain an email on a suppression list so we do not write to you again by mistake.
- Form submissions and correspondence are kept long enough to handle your request and for a reasonable period afterwards.
- If you ask us to remove a business listing, we keep enough information on an internal do-not-list so we do not add that business again.
- Analytics and ad logs are kept for a reasonable period for reporting and security.
When information is no longer needed, we destroy or de-identify it in a reasonable way.
Third parties
We use service providers who may process personal information on our behalf, including:
- The company that hosts this website
- Google, for site analytics and related measurement through tools such as Google Site Kit (see Google’s privacy policy)
- An email service, when we send newsletters or transactional messages
- Stripe, when we begin accepting payments (see Stripe’s privacy policy)
These providers may be located in Canada or in other countries, including the United States. When information is processed outside Canada, it may be subject to the laws of that country, including lawful access by foreign authorities.
We may also disclose information if we are required by law, or if it is necessary to protect the safety of our readers, our contributors or the public.
Links on our site may take you to third-party websites, such as an event organizer or a business we have listed. Their privacy practices are their own.
Access and correction
You may ask us for access to the personal information we hold about you, or ask us to correct it. Send your request to info@islandmagazine.ca. We may need to verify your identity. We will respond within 30 days, or let you know if we need more time, as allowed by law. If we cannot fulfil a request, we will explain why, subject to any limits in applicable law.
Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. No method of transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure.
Children
Island Magazine is intended for a general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.
Contact us about privacy
Questions, access requests or privacy complaints should go first to:
Island Magazine, Parksville, British Columbia
Email: info@islandmagazine.ca
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia. The Commissioner generally expects you to write to us first and give us time to reply (usually at least 30 business days) before filing a complaint.
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia
PO Box 9038, Stn. Prov. Govt.
Victoria, BC V8W 9A4
Telephone: 250-387-5629
Website: oipc.bc.ca
For matters that fall under federal privacy law, you may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Changes
We may update this policy from time to time. The “Last updated” date at the top will change when we do. The current version will always be posted on this page.
This page is general information, not legal advice.