Website Privacy Statement
Last updated: 7 March 2023
Who we are and why we may collect your information
Located on the east coast of Canada, Invest Nova Scotia is the Province of Nova Scotia’s business development agency. Our objectives include working with businesses locally and internationally to deliver programs and services to encourage, sustain, improve or enable economic growth and community economic development in the Province by:
- attracting investment to the Province of Nova Scotia;
- connecting businesses in the Province with export markets and opportunities outside the Province;
- providing early stage venture capital for innovative Nova Scotia start-ups;
- giving entrepreneurs access to world-class incubation facilities, expert advice, and other support.
From time to time, we may collect and use your contact information to reach out in relation to our objectives either directly by our employees or through digital automation and website services, and email campaigns. You will always be given an opportunity to opt-out of our email marketing campaigns.
The Government of Nova Scotia’s privacy information practices for websites and online services applies to Invest Nova Scotia. By using our websites and online services, you accept the terms of the Invest Nova Scotia Privacy statement and the privacy statement on the Government website.
Invest Nova Scotia has a legal duty to protect your personal information, whether you are browsing for information or conducting business with us through electronic channels. Our handling of personal information is governed by legislation, including the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIPOP) Act as well as regulation and policies, including: the Personal Information International Disclosure Protection Act (PIIDPA), and the Canada Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).
Where personal information is being collected using a web-based tool, secure connections are used, and the purpose for the collection will be stated. Learn more about how we protect the information we collect.
Please note our website provides links to other sites that are not covered by our privacy policy or this statement.
ADDITIONAL Invest Nova Scotia WEBSITE PRIVACY RELATED INFORMATION
Beyond the Government of Nova Scotia Website Privacy Statement, the following information is unique to your interaction with Invest Nova Scotia websites and outlines the control and processing of the information we collect.
Where is your information stored?
Our websites and digital services use both Government of Nova Scotia servers and cloud-based service provider servers, in Canada and sometimes internationally, to store website content and information collected through online forms. Learn more about how we protect the information we collect.
What information do we collect?
We may collect personal information through online forms (or links to forms) or fillable PDFs available on our website or through a service provider. These forms collect information related to our objectives and may include: Name, title, company name, phone number, email, dietary requirements, and other related information required to deliver and administer our programs and services, process contact requests, send surveys, email marketing campaigns, digital automation, trend analysis, and event registrations.
Beyond the website, we may also collect and store your information through interactions with our employees over the phone, in-person or through email and other online, social media connections.
Will my information be shared with any third parties?
Information we collect may be shared with service providers for processing purposes and third parties or partners responsible for the applicable business opportunity or industry sector, and to enable Invest Nova Scotia to analyze trends. Our service providers are required to comply with Government of Nova Scotia privacy laws in providing services to us. (See below for a list of current third-party website applications and processors used to deliver our digital services and store data collected.)
How long will the information be stored?
Our retention periods depend on the purpose for which the information is collected. Generally, this will be 1-7 years after the end of any business transaction or program delivery, indefinitely where required by law, or until you request to have your information removed.
Your rights
You have the right to be informed of how your information will be used, the right to access your information and rectify it, and the right to erase your information from our systems at any time. You also have the right to restrict our processing of your data, object to its use and restrict profiling in relation to automated decision making. Learn more about how we protect the information we collect and how you can contact us with any questions or concerns. If you are a natural resident of the EU, please contact us by email at gdpr@investnovascotia.ca to request access to your information and submit requests related to your rights.
Cookies
Invest Nova Scotia websites use cookies, which are small pieces of data that web pages place on computers to assist in tracking activity on our websites. This information helps us identify what visitors are interested in, so that we may continually work towards providing useful and relevant content. It is possible to change the settings on a web browser to deny cookies or to warn when cookies will be deposited.
Our cookies pop-up notice will appear at the bottom of our site the first time you visit, and you will be prompted to review our privacy statement and cookies notice. By clicking the “X” and / or continuing to use the website you will indicate your consent to accept our cookies. For more information on the types of cookies we use, review our Cookies Notice.
Third-party web applications
Invest Nova Scotia websites use a variety of web applications, including, Google Analytics, Google Maps, Youtube, Vimeo, Infogram, and AddThis to provide visitors with relevant information and enhance the online experience. Through these applications, IP addresses and other system and browser information may be shared through a cookie. You can decline providing the information by refusing cookies in your browser. However, this may prevent personalized services from being provided and you may not be able to take full advantage of all the features available.
Further information on Google applications and Google’s policies on the protection of personal information, can be found through Google's Privacy FAQ. Refer also to the Vimeo, Infogram, and AddThis Privacy Policy to learn more about their commitment to privacy.
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to collect site usage data in aggregate to monitor the user experience and measure visitation patterns. Our instance of Google Analytics uses Google's IP anonymization/masking feature through Google Tag Manager which takes place as soon as data is received by Google's Analytics Collection Network, and before any storage or processing takes place. This means your complete IP address is not processed or stored by Google nor shared with us. We have also enabled relevant GDPR-related compliance features offered by Google and no personal information is collected through our use of Google Analytics.
Google Remarketing
Google uses these cookies to show relevant adverts to users who have previously visited our website, as they browse other websites. To opt-out from Google's remarketing program, please edit your Google Ad Settings.
Google Translate
For the convenience of our non-english-speaking visitors, Invest Nova Scotia uses Google Translate to provide language translations of its content. Google Translate is a free, automated service that relies on data and technology to provide its translations directly and dynamically. We have no direct control over the translated content as it appears when using the tool. Therefore, the Google Translate tool is provided for informational purposes only. Translations cannot be guaranteed as exact or without incorrect or inappropriate language. In all contexts, the English content, as directly provided and approved by Invest Nova Scotia, is the official version.
Visitors to our site may choose to use similar tools for their translation needs such as browser add-ins. Any individuals or parties that use our content in translated form, whether by Google Translate or by any other translation services, do so at their own risk. Invest Nova Scotia is not responsible for any damages or issues arising from translated content not officially provided and approved by Invest Nova Scotia. Our Google Translate tool uses the free GTranslate module for Drupal. No personal information is collected or stored through the use of this service.
Facebook
Cookies and pixels are used to understand and deliver ads and make them more relevant to you. We may also use a cookie to learn whether someone who saw an ad on Facebook later visited our website.
Email Campaigns
Invest Nova Scotia uses third-party email campaign providers to send relevant business news to interested groups. Some of these groups are created through opt-in lists when you sign-up on our website, for example: Business Insider and Trade Mission Bulletins. Others are generated from our current database(s) of clients and leads. Each email provides an opportunity for recipients to opt-out, unsubscribe and in some cases, update their information. Our current provider is Mailchimp with data stored on US servers.
Salesforce
Salesforce is our customer relationship management platform. Information collected through our online forms, applications, registrations, and through interaction with Invest Nova Scotia employees may be stored in Salesforce on servers within Canada and made available to our employees and our providers and partners for the purpose for which it was collected. Please review the Salesforce privacy policy and terms of service for more information. Data collection for Salesforce may use 3rd party integrated online form and event registration tools by FormTitan and Fonteva. All submissions are encrypted when collected and saved directly to our Salesforce platform with data residency in Canadian data centres. By default, your information is not stored on FormTitan or Fonteva servers.
Form Assembly
Form Assembly is another third-party data collection and storage service we sometimes use to collect data and submissions from our online forms. The information is collected and stored on Form Assembly servers in Canada and securely passed to Salesforce. Please review the Form Assembly privacy policy and terms of service for information on how data is collected and secured.
Microsoft Office
Information collected through our website and collaborative interaction may be processed and stored using Microsoft Office technologies, using both on-premises and cloud-based Azure web services in Canada. We have implemented a variety of security measures to ensure that your personal information is not lost, misused, altered, or unintentionally destroyed.
PayPal
We use PayPal to collect registration fees for programs and events. Your Credit Card Information will be provided directly to PayPal and will not be stored or disclosed to Invest Nova Scotia at any time. More information is available in our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Statement available through the event registration process.
Videoconferencing
For virtual meetings and events, we use Microsoft Teams which stores data within Microsoft's Canadian data centres. We also use Zoom Video Communications with storage in Canadian and international data centres.