Who We Are
The Doula Services Association of BC is a nonprofit, member-led organization rooted in collective care, equity, and connection. We advocate for birth justice, support doulas throughout their work, and foster community across British Columbia. We know that when birth workers are supported, families are better supported — and that’s at the heart of everything we do. Our website address is: https://wearebcdoulas.ca.

What Information We Collect and Why
To provide our services, support our community, and run our organization, we collect and use personal information in the following ways:

• Membership and Registration: When you apply to become a member or register for events, workshops, or training, we collect your name, contact details, and any other information needed to manage your membership and participation.

• Website Use and Comments: If you leave comments on our site or contact us through forms, we collect the information you provide, as well as your IP address and browser details for security and spam protection.

• User Accounts: If you create a user account on our site, we store your profile information to personalize your experience and manage your membership benefits.

• Communications: When you sign up for our newsletter or mailing lists, we collect your email address to share updates and important information.

How We Use Cookies
We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. For example:

• To remember your login details and screen preferences.

• To help with comment forms by saving your name and email (if you choose to).

• To verify if your browser accepts cookies during login.

Cookies do not contain personal data beyond what you provide and can be managed or deleted via your browser settings.

Embedded Content and Third-Party Services
Our website may include embedded content such as videos, images, or feeds from other sites. When you interact with these, those third-party sites may collect data about your visit.

We also use third-party services to support our operations, including but not limited to:

• Email Marketing: Mailchimp (https://mailchimp.com/legal/privacy/) to send newsletters and announcements.

• Event Management: Eventbrite (https://www.eventbrite.com/privacy-policy) for event registrations and ticketing.

• Payment Processors: Stripe (https://stripe.com/privacy), PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/us/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full) for membership dues and donations.

• Website Plugins: Restrict Content Pro (https://restrictcontentpro.com/privacy/), Elementor (https://elementor.com/privacy-policy/) for member access and site functionality.

Each third-party service has its own privacy practices, which we encourage you to review.

How We Protect Your Information
We take reasonable steps to protect your personal data from unauthorized access, disclosure, or misuse, including secure storage and limiting access to trusted team members only.

How Long We Keep Your Data

• Membership and registration information is retained for as long as you are an active member and for a reasonable period afterward to comply with legal, financial, or administrative requirements.

• Comments and their metadata are kept indefinitely to help with moderation and community engagement.

• Email subscription data is kept until you unsubscribe or request deletion.

• Account information is stored as long as your account is active.

Your Rights Regarding Your Data
You have the right to:

• Request access to the personal data we hold about you.

• Request correction or deletion of your personal data, except where we are legally required to retain it.

• Withdraw consent for marketing communications at any time by unsubscribing.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at hello@wearebcdoulas.ca.

Children’s Privacy
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such data, please contact us so we can remove it promptly.

Comments and Spam Protection
If you leave a comment, we collect the data in the comment form along with your IP address and browser user agent to help detect spam. An anonymized hash of your email may be sent to Gravatar to display your profile picture.

Where Your Data Is Sent
Visitor comments may be checked through an automated spam detection service. Other data may be shared with trusted third-party providers as outlined above, only to the extent necessary for them to provide services to us.

For Our Visitors from the European Union (EU)

If you are visiting us from the EU, the Doula Services Association of BC complies with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to protect your personal data and privacy.

Legal Basis for Processing Your Data
We process your personal information based on one or more of the following: your consent, fulfilling a contract (such as membership or event registration), complying with legal obligations, or our legitimate interests in operating and improving our organization and services.

Your Rights Under GDPR
You have the right to:

• Access the personal data we hold about you.

• Request correction or deletion of your personal data, where applicable.

• Object to or restrict certain data processing activities.

• Withdraw consent at any time, without affecting the lawfulness of processing based on consent before its withdrawal.

• Receive your data in a portable format.

• Lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority in your country.

To exercise these rights, please contact us at privacy@wearebcdoulas.ca.

International Data Transfers
Your personal data may be transferred to, stored, and processed in Canada or other countries outside the EU. Where this happens, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place to protect your information in accordance with GDPR requirements.

Automated Decision-Making
We do not use automated decision-making or profiling processes that would significantly affect you.

Last updated August 2025