- Introduction
Norgate Animal Hospital (“we,” “our,” or “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy of individuals who visit our website, contact us, or use our services. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, with whom we share it, and your rights regarding that information.
This policy applies to information collected through our website at norgateanimalhospital.ca, our telephone and SMS communications, our online booking and client management platforms, and any other interactions you have with us.
By using our website or services, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy. We are subject to Canada’s federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). Where applicable, we also comply with all applicable US state consumer privacy laws for individuals in those jurisdictions.
- Information We Collect
2.1 Information You Provide Directly
We collect information you provide when you:
- Complete a contact, appointment request, or registration form on our website
- Contact us by telephone, email, or SMS
- Create a client account or register a new patient
- Submit inquiries through our website chatbot or automated phone attendant
- Place an order through our linked online store
The types of information collected may include:
- Your name and the name of your pet
- Mailing address, email address, and telephone number
- Pet species, breed, age, and general health information relevant to providing services
- Billing and payment information processed through third-party payment providers
- Communications and correspondence you send to us
2.2 Information Collected Automatically
When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically through analytics and tag management tools, including:
- Your IP address and approximate geographic location (city/region level)
- Browser type and version, operating system, and device type
- Pages viewed, time spent on pages, and navigation paths
- Referring URLs and search terms used to find our website
- Date and time of your visit
This information is collected through website analytics platforms and tag management tools that we use to understand how our website is used and to improve its performance. It does not identify you personally.
2.3 Communication Platforms
We use third-party communication and scheduling platforms to manage appointments, send reminders, and communicate with clients by SMS, email, and automated telephone messages. These platforms may collect and process contact information, communication preferences, appointment details, and interaction history on our behalf as service providers.
- How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect for the following purposes:
- To schedule and confirm appointments and provide veterinary care
- To communicate with you about your pet’s care, appointments, and follow-up
- To send appointment reminders, wellness notifications, and service updates via SMS, email, or telephone
- To respond to your inquiries and provide customer support
- To process online store orders and product refill requests
- To operate, maintain, and improve our website and digital services
- To analyze website traffic and user behavior to improve our online presence
- To display relevant advertising to individuals who have previously visited our website
- To comply with applicable legal and regulatory obligations
- To protect the security and integrity of our systems and data
We do not use your personal information for purposes that are incompatible with those listed above without first obtaining your consent or as otherwise permitted by applicable law.
- SMS and Text Message Communications
By providing your mobile telephone number and opting in to SMS communications, you consent to receive text messages from Norgate Animal Hospital, including appointment reminders, confirmation messages, and general communications related to your pet’s care.
Message frequency varies. Standard message and data rates may apply depending on your mobile carrier and plan.
To opt out of SMS communications at any time, reply STOP to any message you receive from us. To request help or information about our SMS program, reply HELP. You may also opt out by contacting us directly by telephone, email, or any other reasonable method. Opt-out requests will be processed within ten business days.
Opting out of SMS communications does not affect your ability to receive veterinary care or other services from us.
- Cookies and Tracking Technologies
5.1 Types of Cookies We Use
Our website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies. We use three categories of cookies:
- Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off. They are typically set in response to actions you take, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.
- Statistics Cookies: These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our website. All information collected by these cookies is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies, we will not know when you have visited our website.
- Marketing Cookies: These cookies are set through our website by our advertising partners. They may be used by those partners to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other websites. They do not store directly personal information but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device.
5.2 Cookie Consent
When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent notice that allows you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You may change your cookie preferences at any time by accessing the cookie settings on our website. Essential cookies cannot be disabled as they are required for the website to function.
Our cookie consent infrastructure is configured and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc. on our behalf.
5.3 Global Privacy Control and Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms
Our website recognizes the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal and Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms (UOOM). If your browser or browser extension sends a GPC signal indicating that you do not wish to have your personal information sold or shared, we will treat that signal as a valid opt-out request for the purposes of applicable privacy law. This applies to the browser and device from which the signal is sent.
5.4 Online Advertising and Remarketing
We use online advertising services to display advertisements to individuals who have previously visited our website. This practice is known as remarketing or retargeting. As part of this activity, advertising cookies may be placed on your device when you visit our website, and those cookies may be used to show you relevant advertisements when you visit other websites.
The advertising services we use may combine information about your visits to our website with information from other websites to improve the relevance of advertisements shown to you. This constitutes sharing your personal information with advertising platforms for targeted advertising purposes. You may opt out of personalized advertising at any time.
To opt out of personalized advertising, please visit:
- Google Ads Settings: https://www.google.com/settings/ads
- Network Advertising Initiative opt-out: https://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp
Opting out does not mean you will stop seeing advertisements. It means that advertisements you see will no longer be personalized based on your browsing history.
Note on Meta / Facebook: Our website uses tracking tools provided by the Meta Platforms advertising network, including Meta Pixel technology. This enables us to measure the effectiveness of our advertising and to reach individuals who have previously interacted with our website through Meta’s advertising products. Meta’s data practices are governed by Meta’s own Privacy Policy, available at https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy. We are not responsible for Meta’s privacy practices. If you do not wish to be tracked by Meta tools on our website, you may adjust your preferences through the cookie consent notice on our website or through your Meta account settings.
- Third-Party Services
We use third-party service providers to operate our business and deliver services to you. These providers process information on our behalf as service providers and are not permitted to use your information for their own purposes. We work with providers in the following functional categories:
- Online form and appointment request providers: Platforms used to collect, transmit, and manage form submissions and appointment requests through our website. Form submissions are delivered to us by email and are not stored in an internal website database.
- Communication and scheduling platforms: Services used to manage client communications, appointment reminders, SMS messaging, automated telephone attendant, and related client engagement functions.
- Website analytics platforms: Tools used to collect and analyze data about how visitors interact with our website, including page views, session duration, traffic sources, and user behavior patterns.
- Website hosting providers: The infrastructure and server environments on which our website is hosted and operated.
- Online store providers: Third-party platforms that host and operate our linked online store, process product orders, and manage inventory and fulfillment. The online store is operated at a separate domain and is subject to its own terms and privacy practices.
- Advertising platforms: Services through which we deliver and measure online advertising, including remarketing to previous website visitors.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. Where applicable laws require disclosure of sharing for purposes that constitute “sale” or “sharing” under those laws, we disclose that information to our advertising platforms in the manner described in Section 5.4. You have the right to opt out of this sharing as described in Sections 5.3 and 5.4.
- AI-Assisted Tools
7.1 No Medical Decisions by AI
No AI-assisted tool used by Norgate Animal Hospital makes or influences medical decisions. All clinical decisions are made exclusively by licensed veterinary professionals. AI tools described in this section are limited to administrative and communication functions.
7.2 Call Recording
Calls to and from our practice may be recorded for quality assurance, training, and communication management purposes. Under applicable Canadian law, a party to a private communication may consent to its interception. By calling our practice, you acknowledge that your call may be recorded. If you do not wish your call to be recorded, please inform our team at the start of the call.
7.3 Automated Communications
We use automated tools to send appointment reminders, follow-up messages, and care notifications. These communications may be initiated and personalized by automated systems based on your appointment history and communication preferences. You may opt out of automated communications at any time by contacting us or using the opt-out mechanism provided in any such communication.
7.4 AI Interaction Disclosure
Our website and telephone systems may use AI-assisted tools including a website chatbot and an automated telephone attendant. These tools are designed to help you with common inquiries such as booking requests, service information, and contact details. Where required by applicable law, interactions with these tools are disclosed as automated. Any personal information you provide through these tools is handled in accordance with this Privacy Policy.
7.5 Your Rights Regarding AI
Where applicable law provides rights in connection with automated decision-making, you may exercise those rights by contacting us using the information in Section 16. We will respond to such requests in compliance with applicable law. We do not make decisions that significantly affect you based solely on automated processing without human review.
- Data Protection and Security
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, or destruction. These measures include SSL/TLS encryption for data transmitted through our website, access controls limiting who within our organization can access personal information, and selection of service providers who maintain appropriate security standards.
No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we take reasonable steps to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8.1 Data Breach Notification
In the event of a breach of security involving personal information, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by applicable law.
- Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your jurisdiction, you may have the following rights with respect to your personal information:
- Right of access: You may request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you and request a copy of that information.
- Right to correction: You may request that we correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
- Right to withdrawal of consent: Where we process your information on the basis of consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing before the withdrawal.
- Right to deletion: You may request that we delete personal information we hold about you, subject to our legal and regulatory retention obligations.
- Right to restrict processing: In certain circumstances, you may request that we limit how we use your personal information.
- Right to opt out of sale or sharing: Where applicable law treats the disclosure of personal information to advertising platforms as a sale or sharing, you have the right to opt out of that activity as described in Sections 5.3 and 5.4.
- Right to data portability: Where required by applicable law, you may request a copy of certain personal information in a portable, machine-readable format.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information in Section 16. We will respond within the timeframe required by the applicable statute. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your privacy rights.
A “Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information” link is available in the footer of our website for individuals who wish to exercise opt-out rights in connection with targeted advertising.
- Sharing of Information
We do not sell your personal information. We share personal information only in the following circumstances:
- With service providers acting on our behalf, as described in Section 6, who are bound by contractual obligations to protect your information and use it only for the purposes for which we have engaged them.
- With advertising platforms for the purpose of remarketing and targeted advertising, as described in Section 5.4, in a manner that may constitute sharing under applicable privacy law.
- When required by law, court order, or lawful government authority.
- To protect the rights, property, or safety of Norgate Animal Hospital, our clients, or the public, where permitted by law.
- In connection with a business transaction such as a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, in which case we will notify affected individuals as required by applicable law.
All personal information we share with third-party service providers remains subject to this Privacy Policy and is protected by appropriate contractual safeguards.
- Children’s Privacy
Our website and services are not directed to children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without verifiable parental or guardian consent. If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under 13, please contact us immediately using the information in Section 16 and we will take prompt steps to delete that information.
- Links to External Websites
Our website contains links to third-party websites, including our linked online store, pet adoption organizations, licensing authorities, and other resources. These external websites are not operated by us and are not governed by this Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external websites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party websites you visit.
Our website links to social media platforms including Facebook and Instagram. Any interaction you have with those platforms, including viewing our pages, liking posts, or sending messages, is subject to the respective platform’s own privacy policy and terms of service. We are not responsible for the data practices of social media platforms. Our presence on those platforms does not constitute endorsement of their data practices.
- Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, to comply with our legal and regulatory obligations, and to resolve any disputes. The specific retention period for any given category of information depends on the purpose for which it was collected and the legal requirements that apply to it.
When personal information is no longer required, we delete or de-identify it in a secure manner. Note that some information may be retained in backup systems for a period after deletion from active systems.
- Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, applicable law, or the services we offer. When we make material changes, we will update the Effective Date at the top of this policy. We encourage you to review this policy periodically. Your continued use of our website or services after any update constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.
- Website Design and Management
This website is designed, developed, and maintained by VSA Vet Media Inc., a veterinary-focused digital marketing agency based in Vancouver, British Columbia. VSA Vet Media Inc. acts as a service provider to Norgate Animal Hospital for the purpose of website development and maintenance.
In this capacity, VSA Vet Media Inc.:
- Builds and maintains the website on behalf of Norgate Animal Hospital
- Configures the website’s cookie consent infrastructure
- Installs and manages analytics and tag management tools on behalf of the practice
- Does not use personal information collected through this website for its own commercial purposes
- Processes personal information only as directed by Norgate Animal Hospital and in accordance with applicable privacy law
VSA Vet Media Inc. is identified as a service provider or processor for the purposes of applicable Canadian and US privacy legislation. Personal information is shared with VSA Vet Media Inc. only to the extent necessary to provide the agreed services.
- Contact Information
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to exercise your privacy rights, or have a concern about how we handle your personal information, please contact us:
Norgate Animal Hospital
1435 Marine Dr
North Vancouver, BC V7P 1T5
Canada
Telephone: (604) 980-2222
Email: norgateanimalhospital@gmail.com
Website: norgateanimalhospital.ca
We take privacy inquiries seriously and will respond promptly. If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC BC) at https://www.oipc.bc.ca, or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at https://www.priv.gc.ca.