Don Valley West for Environmental Action ("DVW4EA," "we," "us," or "our") is a community advocacy group based in Ward 15, Toronto. This Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We comply with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).
1. Who we are
Don Valley West for Environmental Action
77 Abbeywood Trail, Toronto, ON M3B 3B6, Canada
Email: [email protected]
2. Information we collect
We collect information you provide directly to us, including:
- Contact information — name, email address, and phone number, when you sign up through our website, our Meta (Facebook/Instagram) lead forms, our email list, or our photo contest.
- Photo submissions — photographs and accompanying details (location, optional caption) you submit to our community photo map and contests.
- Event attendance — RSVPs and details you share when registering for our events.
- Correspondence — messages you send to us by email, text, or web form.
We also collect limited technical information automatically when you visit our websites, including pages viewed, referring URLs, device type, approximate location, and similar analytics — see "Cookies and analytics" below.
3. How we use your information
We use the information we collect to:
- Administer the Spring 2026 Photo Contest and other contests, including notifying winners and displaying approved submissions on our public community map;
- Send you contest reminders, event invitations, and advocacy updates by email and by SMS (text message);
- Respond to your inquiries and engage with you on community matters;
- Improve our website, communications, and programs;
- Comply with legal obligations and maintain records of consent and unsubscribe requests.
When you provide your phone number through our Meta lead forms or sign-up forms, you consent to receive contest, event, and advocacy messages from DVW4EA by both email and SMS. You can opt out at any time (see "Your choices" below).
4. Who we share your information with
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share it only with the service providers we use to operate our programs, and only to the extent necessary to deliver them on our behalf:
- Mailgun (Sinch) — sends our email communications.
- Telnyx — sends our SMS communications.
- Meta (Facebook/Instagram) — collects leads from our Meta lead forms and provides ad performance reporting (see "Cookies and analytics").
- Google — provides analytics (Google Analytics 4) and hosts our website.
- Firebase / Cloud Run (Google Cloud) — hosts our community photo map and the application servers that process submissions.
These service providers are bound by their own privacy commitments and are only permitted to process your information to deliver the service we have engaged them for. We may also disclose information if required by law, by valid legal process, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of DVW4EA or others.
5. Photo contest submissions
By submitting a photograph to our community map or photo contest, you confirm that you took the photo (or have the right to submit it) and you grant DVW4EA a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display and share the photo on our websites, community map, social media channels, and in our advocacy materials. Approved submissions and the submitter's first name (if you opt to display it) may be visible publicly on our community map. Email addresses are never displayed publicly. You can request removal of your submission at any time by emailing us.
6. Cookies and analytics
Our websites use cookies and similar technologies for analytics and ad measurement, including Google Analytics 4 and the Meta Pixel. These tools help us understand how visitors find and use our sites and how our ads are performing. They may set cookies on your device and report aggregate, pseudonymous data back to Google and Meta. You can opt out of analytics by using your browser's privacy settings or extensions such as Google's "Analytics Opt-out" add-on.
7. How long we keep your information
We retain your contact information for as long as you remain subscribed plus a reasonable period afterward for compliance recordkeeping (typically 24 months), so we can demonstrate that you opted out and we honoured your request. Photo submissions are retained for as long as they are featured publicly, plus a reasonable archive period. You can ask us to delete your information sooner — see "Your choices" below.
8. Your choices
- Email — every email we send includes an unsubscribe link. You can also reply to any email and ask to be removed.
- SMS — reply STOP to any text message we send and we will not text you again.
- Access, correction, deletion — under PIPEDA you can ask us what information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Contact [email protected].
- Photo removal — email us if you want a submitted photo removed from our community map.
We will respond to your request within 30 days. If we cannot resolve a concern to your satisfaction, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at priv.gc.ca.
9. Security
We use industry-standard practices to protect your information, including encryption in transit (HTTPS), secured cloud infrastructure, and limited access to authorized volunteers. No system is perfectly secure, but we work to safeguard your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, or loss.
10. Children
Our programs are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with information, please contact us and we will delete it.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects when it was last revised. Material changes will be announced through our usual communication channels.
12. Contact
Questions or requests about this policy or your personal information:
[email protected]