Last updated April 5, 2022

CERIC is committed to compliance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Law (CASL)

We share our Anti-Spam Policy to inform stakeholders of the accountable practices undertaken by CERIC when electronically communicating outside the organization; to inform stakeholders who to contact at CERIC for any concerns related to electronic communications, and to inform stakeholders of how they may unsubscribe to any commercial electronic communications from CERIC.

DEFINITIONS

  1. Commercial Activity means any transaction or any regular course of conduct that is of a commercial character, regardless of whether there is an expectation of profit or not
  2. Commercial Electronic Message (CEM) means an electronic message which has as one of its purposes to encourage participation in a commercial activity; even if the message is not sent with an expectation of garnering profit, it still qualifies as a CEM
  3. Electronic Address means an address for an account to which an electronic message is directed, such as email account, social networking account, or cell phone
  4. Electronic Message means any message sent by electronic media, and includes emails, texts, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and other social networking messages
  5. Express Consent means permission obtained when a recipient “opts in” to receive CEMs. Consent can be oral or written and is often a checkbox on a website. Express consent never expires unless the recipient chooses to unsubscribe
  6. Implied Consent means you send a CEM in the context of certain prescribed or non-business relationships, or if recipients publish or provide their electronic contact information without indicating they don’t want to receive communications
  7. Unsubscribe A withdrawal of consent to receive CEMs

POLICY GUIDELINES

All employees, volunteers, interns, contractors, vendors, partners and any other person sending CEMs on behalf of CERIC are required to adhere to the following policies:

  • Before the CEM is sent, the recipient has consented, either expressly or implied, to receiving it or an exemption to the consent requirement exists
  • The CEM includes information identifying the sender or the person on whose behalf the message is being sent, as well as certain contact information namely their mailing address and either a telephone number, email address or web address
  • The message includes an unsubscribe mechanism, i.e., a means for recipients to easily indicate that they no longer want to receive CEMs or a certain type of CEM
  • All senders must implement systems to track consents and act on requests to unsubscribe
  • All unsubscribe requests will be managed within 10 days of receipt. Any further communication by electronic means will not be sent to those who unsubscribe unless the person consents again or CERIC is otherwise allowed

CERIC ONLY SENDS CEMS IN THE FOLLOWING SCENARIOS:

  • You have explicitly informed us that you would like to receive such messages (e.g., you have subscribed to our publications or newsletters)
  • CERIC is responding to a request for information or other inquiry from you within the last six months
  • You have provided your e-mail address to us (e.g, you gave your business card to a CERIC employee at an event), or have published your e-mail address, without placing any restrictions on its use, and the content we are sending you is relevant to your professional role
  • You have purchased a product or service, registered for an event or undertaken a similar transaction with us within the last two years (e.g., you attended Cannexus or bought a book)
  • A third party who you have an existing relationship with has referred you to us
  • You have a personal relationship with a CERIC employee who contacted you, meaning that you have previously had a direct, voluntary, two-way communication and it would be reasonable to conclude that they have a personal relationship
  • Our organization has an existing business-to-business relationship with your organization
  • You have an existing non-business relationship with CERIC (e.g., you are a volunteer)
  • Due to a legal obligation (e.g., you have a payment owing)
  • Sending CEMs is otherwise permitted under CASL

Note: As a registered charity, any CERIC emails related primarily to fundraising activities are exempt from CASL. Additionally, CASL only applies to CEMs. Newsletters and purely informational items are exempt if they do not contain commercial material.

CERIC will use your email address and other personal information in compliance with our Privacy Policy.

IF YOU NO LONGER WISH TO RECEIVE ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS FROM CERIC:

You may unsubscribe at any time from receiving CEMs by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the CEM you received in order to manage your preferences, where you may also unsubscribe from CEMs on a list-by-list basis. Please note: in order for you to change your email address, you will need to unsubscribe the old address and enter your new address. You may also submit a verbal or written request to have your preferences or email address updated.

CHANGES TO THIS ANTI-SPAM POLICY

CERIC may amend this policy at any time by publishing a new version of it on this website.

CONTACT US

We are committed to ensuring that you do not receive unwanted e-mails from CERIC. In the unlikely event that you receive any messages from CERIC that may be considered spam or for any questions regarding our Anti-Spam Policy, please contact us at subscriptions@ceric.ca or 416-929-2510.