Privacy Policy

1. About this policy

Zest Communities Inc. ("we", "us" and "our") is responsible for personal information collected through the Village After Dark website for St. Elizabeth Village in Hamilton, Ontario. Personal information means information about an identifiable individual.

This policy explains how we handle information when you visit this website, sign up for communications or contact us. It covers Village After Dark event updates and, when you have agreed to receive them, broader St. Elizabeth Village news, information and marketing offers.

Questions and privacy requests can be directed to marketing@zestcommunities.com or the mailing address below. This policy does not replace a separate privacy notice provided when you use another service, such as ticketing or donations.

2. Information we collect

You can read the event pages without signing up. If you join the event-updates list, we collect your email address and, if you choose to provide it, your first name. We also keep the following information with the signup:

• The consent wording and version presented to you, the date and time of signup, and a reference for the record.
• The page containing the form and your first landing page during the browser session.
• Campaign information available in the links used to reach the site, such as UTM campaign tags and Google, Meta or Microsoft advertising click identifiers.
• The status of the internal email notification sent to our team about your signup.

3. How we use information

We use contact and consent information to manage the communications you requested, answer enquiries, record your preferences and respond to privacy requests. When you have consented to broader St. Elizabeth Village marketing, communications may include community news, information about the Village and promotional offers.

If you contact us by email, we collect your contact details, message and any information you choose to include so that we can respond. Please avoid sending sensitive information that is not needed for your enquiry.

Campaign and landing-page information helps us understand which links and campaigns bring visitors to our signup form. Notification records help us manage signups and identify delivery problems. Campaign identifiers can be linked to your signup, so we do not treat them as anonymous.

We may also use information as needed to protect the website, investigate misuse and meet applicable legal obligations. Before using information for a new purpose that requires consent, we will explain that purpose and obtain the necessary consent.

4. Marketing consent and your choices

Marketing is optional. Visiting this website or reading this policy does not subscribe you or give permission for marketing. The signup form requires you to actively select a separate consent box.

The current signup form requests consent for Village After Dark event news and announcements. We will ask for additional consent before using an event-only subscription for broader St. Elizabeth Village marketing. An update to this policy does not expand an existing consent.

You may withdraw marketing consent at any time by emailing marketing@zestcommunities.com, or by using the unsubscribe option in a marketing email. Our commercial marketing emails will identify the sender and provide a simple way to unsubscribe. We will act on unsubscribe requests without delay and within 10 business days.

Please tell us whether your request concerns event updates, broader Village marketing or both. If you ask to stop all marketing, we will honour that request across the marketing lists we control. Withdrawal does not prevent us from responding to your enquiry or retaining limited records needed to respect your choice and meet legal obligations.

5. Browser storage and campaign information

This website uses session storage to remember your first landing page and available campaign tags or advertising click identifiers. This happens when you arrive, before you submit a form or select the marketing consent box. If you sign up, the stored details and any campaign details on the signup page are sent with your signup.

Session storage is kept in your browser for the browsing session, subject to your browser settings. You can use your browser controls to clear or block website storage. Clearing browser storage does not delete information that you have already submitted to us.

The current website does not include Google Analytics or Meta Pixel tracking code. Collecting a click identifier from a link is different from placing an advertising tracking pixel on this website. If we introduce new analytics or advertising tools, we will update the notice and provide any consent choices required before their use.

6. Sharing and service providers

Our website uses ChatGPT Sites for hosting and Cloudflare D1 to store signup records. The signup system is configured to use Resend to email internal signup notifications to our team at marketing@zestcommunities.com. These notifications include the submitted contact details, consent record, signup reference and time, landing page and available campaign information.

We use service providers to help operate the website, store information and deliver communications. They receive information needed for those services. We remain responsible for information transferred for processing and require appropriate protection and limits on its use. An internal signup notification does not itself enrol you in another mailing platform.

Service providers may process or store information outside Canada. Where that occurs, information may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction and lawful access by its authorities. You can contact us for information about our service-provider arrangements.

We may disclose information when you authorize us to do so, or where disclosure is required or permitted by applicable law. We do not treat agreement to receive our communications as permission for unrelated organizations to market to you.

7. How long we keep information

We will keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purposes explained in this policy and applicable legal requirements. In deciding how long to keep it, we consider whether a subscription is active, whether an enquiry or complaint remains unresolved, and whether records are needed to demonstrate consent or meet a legal obligation.

After you unsubscribe, we may retain a limited record of your consent and withdrawal, including your email address, to help prevent further marketing and demonstrate that we respected your choice. We will not use that record to resume marketing without an appropriate basis.

We will review campaign information and other records for continued need, and securely delete or irreversibly anonymize information when it is no longer required. These criteria apply to our database, notification emails and other retained copies. Unsubscribing does not necessarily require the immediate deletion of every record.

8. Protecting your information

We will use organizational, technical and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. These include limiting access to people who need it for their work and using appropriate protections when information is handled by service providers.

The signup form transmits information over HTTPS, and signup records are stored on the server rather than displayed on public pages. No website, transmission or storage method can be guaranteed completely secure. We will assess privacy incidents and provide notices or reports when required by applicable law.

9. Access, correction and concerns

You may ask about the personal information we hold about you, how it has been used or disclosed, and request access or correction. You may also ask us to delete information or explain why it must be retained, subject to applicable legal requirements and exceptions.

Email marketing@zestcommunities.com with your request and the email address associated with your signup. Do not send identity documents with your initial message. We may ask for limited information to verify your identity before providing access or changing a record.

We will respond within the time required by applicable law and explain any permitted refusal, limitation or extension. If you are concerned about our handling of your information, contact us so we can investigate and respond. You may also raise a concern with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada

10. Other websites and services

Links on this website may take you to separate St. Elizabeth Village, mapping, donation or ticketing services. Those services have their own privacy notices. Review them before providing information. Some outgoing links include campaign tags.

The separate St. Elizabeth Village website has a corporate privacy policy that describes practices including cookies, advertising and analytics. Those descriptions do not mean that the same tools are active on this Village After Dark website. This policy describes the collection and choices on this site.

Read the St. Elizabeth Village privacy policy

11. Updates to this policy

We may update this policy as our services, privacy practices or legal obligations change. The effective date and version will appear at the top of this page. For material changes, we will provide an appropriate notice and seek new consent where required before introducing the affected use of personal information.