Approved by: Board of Directors
Effective date: January 15, 2026
Last updated: March 30, 2026

The Breastfeeding Committee for Canada (“BCC”, “we”, “our”, or “us”) is subject to the requirements of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and to Canada’s anti-spam legislation (CASL). We are committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, accuracy and security of personal information that we collect, use, retain and disclose in the course of carrying out our activities and providing services. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal information when individuals interact with our website, become BCC members, use our data collection platform, or make donations.

By accessing our website, applying for membership, using our data collection platform, or making a donation you consent to the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. About the BCC

The Breastfeeding Committee for Canada is a Canadian registered non-profit organization dedicated to the protection, promotion and support of breastfeeding and the implementation of the Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) in Canada.

In pursuit of its mandate, BCC undertakes a range of activities that support breastfeeding and infant and young child feeding at the national level. These activities include, but are not limited to: maintaining and supporting a national membership; providing education, training, and professional development opportunities; organizing meetings, workshops, and conferences; supporting and disseminating research and evidence-informed practices; engaging in knowledge exchange and collaboration with partners; and administering and supporting BFI designation for healthcare organizations across Canada.

Collectively, these undertakings are referred to in this Privacy Policy as “BCC Activities.” The collection, use, and disclosure of personal information by BCC are carried out in connection with, and limited to what is necessary for, the conduct of BCC Activities.

2. Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to confidential and/or personal information collected by BCC including from the following:

Visitors to the BCC website (breastfeedingcanada.ca)
BCC members, individuals applying for membership or participation in BCC Activities
BFI Designation Participants
Donors who make financial contributions to BCC

This Policy does not apply to information that is aggregated or anonymized.

3. Collection and Use of Personal Information

A. Website Visitors

Information We Collect

When you visit breastfeedingcanada.ca, we may collect:

Device and usage information: IP address, browser type, operating system, pages viewed, referring website
Cookies and similar technologies: BCC’s website uses cookies and similar technologies, which are small text files stored on a user’s device when they visit a website. Cookies help ensure the website functions properly, allow BCC to understand how visitors use the site through basic analytics, and support improvements to website performance and user experience. Some cookies may be set by third-party service providers that support website analytics or functionality. Users can manage or disable cookies through their web browser settings; however, doing so may affect the functionality of certain parts of the website.
Information voluntarily provided through contact forms: name, email address, and any message content

How We Use This Information

To operate, maintain, and improve our website
To understand website usage trends
To respond to inquiries submitted through our contact form
To ensure website security and prevent misuse
For other purposes for which we have obtained consent to use personal information

We do not use website browsing data to identify individuals unless required for security or legal purposes.

B. BCC Membership and Activities Participants

When you apply for or maintain membership with BCC, or you apply to participate in BCC Activities, we collect personal information necessary to administer membership services and to enable and track participation in BCC Activities.

Information We Collect

Name
Email address
Mailing address (where provided)
Professional affiliation or role (e.g., affiliated organization information, area of expertise/interest)
Payment confirmation information (payment method, transaction ID from PayPal or e-transfer; we do not collect or store credit card or banking details)

This information is collected directly from individuals.

How We Use Membership and Participation Information

To process applications and maintain membership records
To process applications, manage and track participation in BCC Activities
To communicate with members and participants regarding BCC initiatives, meetings, conferences, and updates
To administer voting rights and organizational governance
To manage membership renewals and payment confirmations
To comply with legal or regulatory obligations for non-profit organizations

Membership and participation information is accessed only by authorized BCC personnel and contractors who require it to perform duties.

C. BFI Designation Participants and BFI-Related Information

BCC administers Baby-Friendly Initiative (BFI) designation and collects information from authorized individuals, healthcare providers, facilities, organizations, and patients/clients for the purposes of administering, evaluating, and supporting BFI designation. Information may be collected through BCC’s secure data collection platform (the BFI Platform) and, where appropriate, through other authorized means such as email, virtual collaboration tools (e.g., Microsoft Teams), or other secure communication channels.

BFI Platform User Account Information

To create and manage user accounts for authorized individuals (such as researchers, healthcare providers, or organizational representatives), BCC collects:

First name
Last name
Email address
Facility name
Role within facility

This information is used solely to create, manage, and secure access to BFI-related systems and communications.

BFI-Related Information Collected

As part of the BFI designation process, BCC collects information from healthcare providers, facilities, organizations, and patients/clients, including through surveys, chart audits, and interviews.

Chart audits completed by healthcare providers include:

Responses related to Baby-Friendly indicators as outlined in the BFI Implementation Guideline
Optional sociodemographic data, such as:
- Race or ethnicity
- Indigenous identity
- Postal code
- Household income

Surveys completed by patients/clients include:

Responses related to Baby-Friendly indicators as outlined in the BFI Implementation Guideline
Optional sociodemographic data, such as:
- Race or ethnicity
- Indigenous identity
- Postal code

Participation in sociodemographic questions is voluntary, and participants may choose whether or not to provide this information. Sociodemographic information is viewable only to the collecting facility and is not reported to the BCC.

Surveys completed by healthcare facility staff include:

Responses to knowledge-based questions related to breastfeeding and BFI

Interviews completed by patients/clients, healthcare providers, and facility personnel include:

Health-related responses related to infant feeding experiences and education received
Responses to knowledge-based questions related to breastfeeding and BFI

While BFI Platform users have identifiable accounts, names or other directly identifying information of individuals completing surveys or interviews are not collected. The BFI Platform automatically records the IP address from which responses are submitted. This information is not visible to survey administrators or other participants and is not linked to individual responses. It is collected solely to help detect and prevent fraudulent or duplicate submissions and to ensure the integrity of the survey results.

Additional BFI-Related Information

BCC may also collect additional information, which may include personal information, directly from healthcare facilities, organizations, or groups seeking BFI designation for the purposes of assessing compliance with BFI criteria, supporting the designation process, and providing feedback. This information may be submitted through the BFI Platform or through other authorized communication methods.

Use of BFI-related Information

BFI-related information is used by BCC for the following purposes:

Administration and oversight of BFI Recognition Program status and designation, including assessment, evaluation and feedback to participating facilities
Supporting facility-level quality improvement initiatives
Identifying trends and disparities in breastfeeding-related outcomes
Producing aggregate, anonymized reports

Individual-level patient or client information is not shared with BCC members or the public, and is accessible only to authorized platform users under strict confidentiality requirements. The BCC collects the minimum amount of data, particularly personal information, that is necessary to achieve the uses stated above.

D. Donor Information

BCC may collect personal information from individuals who make donations through our website or through third-party donation platforms.

Information We Collect

Depending on how a donation is made, we may collect:

Default Information: First name, last name, email address, province, and country
Transaction Details: Donation amount, date, and payment method
Custom Information: Additional information voluntarily provided through donation forms (e.g., phone number or responses to custom questions)
Tax Receipt Information: Mailing address and any other information required to issue official donation receipts

BCC does not collect or store full credit card or banking details. Payment processing is handled by secure third-party providers.

How We Use Donor Information

Donor information is used for the following purposes:

To process and acknowledge donations
To communicate with donors regarding their contributions
To maintain financial records and comply with legal and regulatory obligations
For other purposes for which consent has been obtained

Donor information is treated as personal information and is subject to all applicable protections described in this Privacy Policy.

4. Legal Basis for Collection and Use

We collect and use personal information based on:

Consent (explicit or implied)
Performance of membership administration or a contractual service
Legitimate purposes consistent with the operation of a non-profit organization
Compliance with legal obligations

Individuals may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal and contractual limitations.

5. Disclosure of Personal Information

BCC does not sell or trade personal information. We may disclose personal information to:

Service providers assisting with website hosting, email communication, donation processing (e.g., Zeffy), payment processing (e.g., PayPal), or data storage
Researchers or partners, but only after data has been anonymized or aggregated unless explicit consent is obtained
Regulatory bodies or authorities, if required by law, legal process, or to protect BCC rights and security

All service providers must adhere to confidentiality and security obligations consistent with Canadian privacy laws.

6. Data Storage and Security

BCC uses administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal and confidential information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These safeguards include:

Secure servers and encrypted data transmission
Restricted access to personal information, limited to individuals who require access for BCC Activities
Password-protected accounts for BCC members and users of the BFI Platform
Regular monitoring and auditing of our systems
Privacy and security training and education of BCC staff and contractors

Personal information may be stored and processed in Canada or, in some cases, in other jurisdictions, including through the use of third-party service providers. Where personal information is transferred outside of Canada, it may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions. BCC takes reasonable steps to ensure that personal information handled by third parties is protected through contractual or other appropiate safeguards.

While BCC strives to use commercially reasonable means to protect personal information, no method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure, and absolute security cannot be guaranteed.

7. Data Retention

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes described in this Policy or as required by law.

Membership information is retained for the duration of membership plus an appropriate archival period of seven (7) years.
Facility data will be retained for seven (7) years following achievement of BFI Recognition Program status or BFI designation.
Donation records are retained in accordance with applicable legal and financial record-keeping requirements.

When information is no longer required, it is securely destroyed.

8. Your Rights and Choices

Under Canadian privacy law, individuals have the right to:

Access their personal information
Request corrections of inaccurate or incomplete information
Withdraw consent to the use of their information (subject to legal and operational limitations)
Request information about BCC’s data-handling practices Requests may be submitted to our Board of Directors (contact below).

9. Third-Party Services

The BCC website may contain links to third-party websites. BCC is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of external sites. We encourage users to review the privacy policies of any website they visit.

BCC uses third-party service providers, including donation platforms such as Zeffy, to process donations. These providers may collect and process personal information on our behalf. Their handling of personal information is governed by their own privacy policies.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our website and services are not intended for children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from young children without appropriate consent.

11. Changes to This Policy

This policy will be reviewed by the BCC Board of Directors every three years. The “Last updated” date will reflect the most recent revision. Significant changes will be communicated on our website.

12. Contact Information

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact:

BCC Board of Directors (bccboard@breastfeedingcanada.ca) Website: breastfeedingcanada.ca

13. Questions, Concerns, and Complaints

We will respond to inquiries within 30 days of receipt of a written inquiry. If you have a concern or complaint, which is found to be justified, we will take appropriate measures to resolve it, including, if necessary, amending this Policy and its procedures.

If any complaint or inquiry is not handled to your complete satisfaction, you may contact:

Privacy Commissioner of Canada
112 Kent Stree
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1H3