Effective Date: January 1, 2025
1. Introduction
Lakeside Culinary Classes ("we," "our," or "us") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting your personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) of British Columbia and other applicable Canadian privacy laws. This privacy policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information when you visit our website or inquire about our in-person culinary classes.
2. Information We Collect
2.1 Personal Information You Provide
We collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:
- Contact information (name, email address, phone number)
- Dietary restrictions, food allergies, and health information relevant to class participation
- Class preferences and culinary interests
- Emergency contact information (for class participants)
- Payment information (when registering for classes)
- Any other information you provide in contact forms or communications
2.2 Information We Collect Automatically
When you visit our website, we automatically collect certain technical information:
- Website usage data, analytics, and interaction patterns
- IP address, general location information (city/province level)
- Device information (browser type, operating system, device type)
- Pages visited, time spent on website, and navigation paths
- Referral sources and search terms used to find our website
3. Purposes for Collection and Use
We collect and use your personal information for the following purposes:
- To respond to inquiries about our culinary classes and services
- To process class registrations and send confirmations
- To communicate class schedules, updates, and important information
- To accommodate dietary restrictions and ensure participant safety
- To process payments and maintain billing records
- To send newsletters and information about upcoming classes (with consent)
- To improve our website performance and user experience
- To comply with legal obligations and protect our legitimate business interests
- To contact emergency contacts if necessary during classes
4. Consent and Legal Basis
We obtain your consent before collecting, using, or disclosing your personal information, except where permitted or required by law. You may provide consent:
- Expressly (such as when you complete contact forms or register for classes)
- Impliedly (such as when you provide information for an obvious purpose)
- Through your use of our website
You can withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions. Withdrawal may limit our ability to provide certain services, such as class participation if we cannot accommodate dietary restrictions without the necessary information.
5. Disclosure of Personal Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose your personal information in the following circumstances:
- To instructors and staff who need the information to safely conduct classes
- To payment processors who assist with transaction processing
- To service providers who assist in operating our website and delivering our services, under strict confidentiality agreements
- When required or permitted by law, court order, or government authority
- To protect our rights, property, or safety, or that of our participants and staff
- To emergency contacts in the event of a medical emergency during class
- With your explicit consent for specific purposes
6. Data Security and Safeguards
We implement appropriate administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification:
- Secure handling of dietary and allergy information
- Access controls and role-based permissions for staff
- Secure payment processing through reputable processors
- Employee training on privacy and data protection practices
- Secure disposal of personal information when no longer needed
- Physical security measures at our class locations
7. Your Privacy Rights
Under PIPA and other applicable laws, you have the following rights:
- Access: Request access to your personal information in our custody or control
- Correction: Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete personal information
- Withdrawal of Consent: Withdraw consent for future collection, use, or disclosure
- Complaint: File a complaint with us or the Privacy Commissioner if you believe your privacy rights have been violated
- Information: Receive information about our privacy practices and policies
To exercise these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 12. We will respond to your requests within 30 days as required by law.
8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
We use cookies and similar tracking technologies to enhance your browsing experience, analyze website performance, and understand user behavior. For detailed information about our use of cookies, please see our Cookie Policy.
You can control cookie preferences through your browser settings or our cookie banner. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect website functionality.
9. Retention of Personal Information
We retain your personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or as required by applicable law. Our general retention periods are:
- Class registration and participant information: 7 years for liability and legal purposes
- Dietary restrictions and allergy information: Until class completion plus 2 years
- Communication records and correspondence: 7 years
- Website analytics and usage data: 2 years
- Marketing consent records: Until consent is withdrawn plus 1 year
- Payment and billing records: As required by Canadian tax and business laws
Personal information is securely destroyed or anonymized when no longer needed.
10. Health and Safety Information
Given the nature of our culinary classes, we collect and use health-related information (allergies, dietary restrictions, medical conditions) solely to ensure participant safety. This information is:
- Treated with the highest level of confidentiality
- Shared only with instructors and staff who need to know
- Used only for the purpose of safe class operation
- Stored securely and destroyed after the retention period
11. Third-Party Service Providers
We may use third-party service providers for:
- Payment processing (credit card transactions, online payments)
- Email communications and newsletters
- Website hosting and analytics
- Class scheduling and registration systems
We ensure that third-party service providers have appropriate privacy protections and data processing agreements in place. Your personal information may be processed by service providers located outside of Canada, including in the United States, with appropriate safeguards in accordance with Canadian privacy laws.
12. Children's Privacy
Our culinary classes may be attended by minors accompanied by a parent or guardian. When minors participate in our classes:
- We collect only necessary information from the parent or guardian
- Health and allergy information is treated with special care
- Emergency contact information is required
- We obtain parental consent for any collection or use of a minor's information
13. Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. We will provide notice of material changes by posting the updated policy on our website with a new effective date. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
14. Contact Information
If you have any questions about this privacy policy, our privacy practices, or wish to exercise your privacy rights, please contact us:
Lakeside Culinary Classes
Email: lakesideculinaryclasses@gmail.com
Please mark correspondence "Attention: Privacy Officer"
If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concerns, you may contact:
Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia
Website: www.oipc.bc.ca
Phone: 1-800-663-7867