Privacy Policy & Intellectual Property

Last Updated: July 23, 2025

Ontario Virtual School Inc. (“OVS”, “we”, “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy, confidentiality, and security of our students, clients, associates, and website visitors. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

By using our site or registering for services, you consent to the terms of this policy.

1. What Information We Collect

Personal Identification Information

We may collect personal information from users in a variety of ways, including when users:

Visit our website
Register for courses
Submit a form
Complete payments
Contact us for support

Information collected may include:

Name
Email address
Mailing address
Phone number
Date of birth
Academic records
Payment details

We only collect personal information that is voluntarily submitted, and users can choose not to supply it, although this may limit access to certain services.

Non-Personal Identification Information

We may also collect information such as:

Browser type and version
IP address
Device type and operating system
Usage patterns on our website

2. Web Cookies & Analytics

Our website may use cookies to improve user experience. These cookies help remember user preferences and track anonymized web analytics via Google Analytics. This tool collects usage data (e.g., browser, IP, pages visited), but does not personally identify users.

Users can disable cookies in their browser settings or install Google’s Analytics Opt-Out Tool.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect to:

Operate and maintain our website and LMS
Process course registrations and payments
Deliver online learning services and academic records
Provide customer support
Communicate updates, schedules, and service notifications
Processing payments
Meeting legal and/or regulatory education requirements
Improve our services and content

4. Children’s Privacy

We accept students under the age of 13. In such cases, parental or guardian consent is required to register and participate. We collect only the information necessary to deliver educational services and take extra care to protect the privacy of minors.

Parents/guardians may contact us at any time to access, correct, or request deletion of their child’s information.

5. How We Protect Your Information

We implement strong administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect your data, including:

SSL encryption for all data transmissions
Role-based access control and 2FA for staff
Encrypted storage on secure Canadian and U.S.-based servers
Regular security audits and backups

6. Where Your Data Is Stored

Your information may be stored in:

Canada – Primary servers and internal systems
United States – Limited use of third-party tools or backups

We only use service providers that meet high standards of data security and confidentiality.

7. Third-Party Services

We may share limited personal information with trusted third-party vendors solely for the purpose of delivering our services. These may include:

PayPal – Secure payment processing
Google Analytics – Anonymized website usage tracking
Cloud and backup providers – Secure hosting and storage
Internal OVS LMS – Course delivery and student records

All third-party providers are contractually obligated to protect your information and comply with applicable privacy laws.

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information.

8. Retention of Personal Information

We retain academic records and payment history as required by provincial regulations, typically:

Academic records: 7 years
Inactive accounts: up to 2 years
Communications and support requests: as needed for service delivery

Information is securely deleted or anonymized once it is no longer required.

9. Access, Correction & Consent Withdrawal

Under PIPEDA, you have the right to:

Request access to your personal data
Correct inaccurate or outdated information
Withdraw consent (where applicable)

To make such requests, please contact: [email protected]

10. Breach Notification

In the event of a data breach involving your personal information, OVS will:

Promptly notify affected individuals
Report to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, if legally required
Take corrective action to prevent recurrence

11. Newsletters and Promotions

If you opt in, we may send you occasional updates, newsletters, or promotional information. You may unsubscribe at any time via the link in the email or by contacting us directly.

12. Location Data

If you use features such as our registration form, we may ask you to confirm your location (e.g., to calculate local fees). This information is used only for service delivery and internal analysis.

13. Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage users to review third-party policies when visiting external links.

14. Changes to this Policy

OVS may update this Privacy Policy periodically. When we do, we will post the revised version with the updated date. For active students, we may also send a notification via email or LMS.

We encourage users to review this page regularly to stay informed about how we protect your data.

15. Contacting Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact:

Email: [email protected]

Subject: Privacy Inquiry

Intellectual Property

Ontario Virtual School Inc. owns the intellectual property rights to all underlying text, media, and content on this site unless otherwise stated. Use of this content is governed by the following conditions:

Limited License

View and display content for personal, non-commercial use
Print or download content with the copyright notice intact

You may not:

Modify or reuse content for commercial purposes
Copy, distribute, or reverse-engineer our source code

Third-Party Links

Links to external websites are provided for convenience. We are not responsible for their content and do not endorse or guarantee their accuracy.