Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

This Privacy Policy outlines the personal information that Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury through Research (“SOAR”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, how we use it, and the steps we take to protect it. By using our services, you agree to the collection and use of your information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

2. Who We Are

We are a registered charity that works with researchers to explore the intersection of intimate partner violence and brain injury, encourage related education and awareness, and support those who experience it.

3. Giving and Withdrawing Your Consent

Please read this Privacy Policy carefully. By using our website, you acknowledge and understand the notices in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must refrain from using our website.

We collect, use, and disclose your personal information with your consent and as permitted by the British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Depending on the information we collect and the purposes for which the personal information will be used, your consent may be express or implied. When you voluntarily provide personal information to us, we will imply your consent to use and disclose that information in accordance with this Privacy Policy. For sensitive information, we will obtain your express consent through an explicit opt-in mechanism.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting our Privacy Officer at the information listed below. Upon withdrawal of consent, we will cease processing your personal information for the purposes you have withdrawn consent from, unless we are required to retain certain data by law. We may keep a record of your withdrawal of consent.

You should be aware that withdrawing consent may affect your ability to use certain features of our services that rely on processing of your personal information or may otherwise impact your use of our website.

Collection of your personal information may be done without your consent in rare circumstances as permitted by law.

4. What Information We Collect

We collect the following personal information:

  • If you sign up for our newsletter or send us an email inquiry, we will collect your first and last name, as well as your email address via Mailchimp. The content of any message sent to us will also be retained.
  • If you provide a donation to us, financial information is processed securely through CanadaHelps; SOAR does not store your credit card details.
  • We use Google Analytics to help us understand how visitors interact with our website and to improve your experience. Google Analytics collects information such as your IP address, browser type, referring/exit pages, and other usage data. This information is used for statistical analysis, website optimization, and to enhance our services. To protect your privacy, we utilize IP masking/anonymization, which removes a portion of your IP address prior to storage.
  • We use cookies to understand site traffic. Cookies are small data files stored on your device that allow us to recognize your browser and capture certain information. You may choose to disable cookies through your browser settings without losing access to our site

    • 5. How We Collect Your Informationn

    We collect personal information through various methods, including:

  • Website Forms: Personal information is collected when you fill out forms on our website, such as contact forms or donation forms.
  • Email Communications: We collected information from email communications you send to us, including email inquiries.

    • 6. Where We Store Your Information

    We may use third party service providers that are located outside of Canada, and your personal information may be stored, accessed or used in the United States, and may be subject to the laws and access by government or regulatory organizations in the United States.  The privacy and data protection laws of the United States or other countries may not be as comprehensive or equivalent to those in Canada.

    SOAR is not responsible for any errors, omissions, or outcomes related to the use of Website content.

    7. How We Use Your Information

    Collected information is used to respond to email inquiries, send newsletters and marketing communications, to improve website functionality, and to compile aggregate data for internal website user analysis, such as demographic analysis.

    We collect personal information for various purposes, as permitted by law. These purposes may be clear to you at the time of collection, or may be reasonable in the circumstances. You will be notified if your personal information becomes used for any additional purposes in the future.

    We may disclose your information where necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect against legal liability, protect and defend the rights and property of SOA, or to protect the personal safety of users or of the public.

    8. How We Protect Your Information

    We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information.  We use administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect against unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, and disposal, in a manner appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. Access to data is restricted to authorized SOAR team members who are trained in confidentiality and trauma-informed data handling. In line with our commitment to accessibility, we provide this policy in plain language and can provide it in alternative formats upon request.

    Under some circumstances, we may anonymize or aggregate your personal information 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 purpose in furtherance of SOAR’s objectives without further notice to you or your consent.

    9. Our Data Retention Policy

    Personal information is retained only as long as necessary to fulfill the stated purposes or for a legally required time period (such as financial records for donation receipts).

    Typically, data is reviewed annually to determine if it should be retained or securely destroyed. Personal information is securely destroyed upon customer request, unless that data must legally be retained for a period.

    10. Third Party Service Providers

    In addition to our own data collection practices, certain third-party service providers collect information through our website, as mentioned above. These third parties include Google Analytics, Mailchimp, CanadaHelps, and RedMill Creative. Each of these providers may collect data such as your IP address, browser information, and usage patterns for their own purposes. The collection and use of your information by these third parties are governed by their respective privacy policies, which we encourage you to review on their websites. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of these third-party services.

    11. Your Rights Regarding Your Personal Information

    You have the right to access your personal information, request corrections or updates to your personal information, and demand deletion of your personal information where applicable. You can also object to certain processing activities and request restrictions on your personal information’s use, however, this may impact your use of the website. You can exercise these rights by contacting our Privacy Officer at the information listed below.

    12. How We Handle Privacy-Related Complaints

    Privacy-related complaints can be submitted via email to our Privacy Officer at the contact information below. All complaints are reviewed by our Privacy Officer within 30 days. You will be provided with updates or resolutions as applicable.

    13. Contacting Our Privacy Officer

    If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our handling of your personal information, or if you would like to make a request relating to your personal data, you can contact our Privacy Officer at info@soarproject.ca.

    14. How We Notify You of Changes to Our Privacy Policy

    We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time and post any changes to our website.  If you use our website, you acknowledge notice of the most up-to-date version of the Privacy Policy posted at that time. Our collection, use, disclosure, and retention of your personal information will be governed by the version of the Privacy Policy currently in effect.  As a result, we encourage you to periodically review our Privacy Policy for the latest information on our privacy practices and to contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

    This Privacy Policy was last updated on May 26, 2026.