Our Commitment

Praxis Spinal Cord Institute (Praxis) is committed to safeguarding the personal information we collect and hold about individuals in accordance with applicable privacy laws and regulatory requirements. We value your trust and are committed to being transparent and accountable in how we collect, use, disclose, and otherwise process your personal information.

In fulfilling our mission, Praxis may collect, use, and disclose personal information in accordance with the British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (BC PIPA) and other applicable privacy laws.

This policy describes the types of personal information we collect, the purposes for which we collect it, how we use and disclose it, how we protect it, and the rights available to individuals in relation to their personal information.

What is Personal Information?

Personal information is information about an identifiable individual. This includes employee personal information but does not include business contact information or work product information, as defined under BC PIPA.

Examples of personal information may include a person’s name, date of birth, home address or phone number, personal email address, social insurance or passport number, gender, education, or income.

Personal information may also include personal health information, which is personal information that is related to an individual’s health or the provision of health services to that individual.

Why We Collect and Use Personal Information

Praxis collects, uses and discloses personal information for purposes necessary to fulfill its mission and to comply with applicable laws and legal requirements. These purposes include the following:

• To communicate information about Praxis and its programs, and to provide updates, newsletters, and information regarding our research, activities, and initiatives.
• To track and issue tax receipts for donations received in accordance with Canada Revenue Agency requirements.
• To establish, build, and maintain relationships; manage communications and engagement; and respond to your inquiries and requests.
• To administer and manage Praxis programs, research, events and related activities, including the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information for program participation and engagement, data analysis, reporting, and evaluation purposes.
• To meet legal, regulatory, insurance, audit, security or contractual requirements, such as providing information about program participation and outcomes to our funding partners.
• To maintain and manage personal information in our internal databases and record systems for the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy.
• To process financial transactions, including donations. Docusign Envelope ID: DC3C0E28-99BC-4BC9-9170-A459967E75FE
• QA-POL-001-Supplement 1, V-006 (Effective Date: 07 January 2026) Page 3 of 7
• To determine the eligibility of an individual or institution to receive a grant and/or to issue grants.
• To use photographs and videos taken at events in Praxis communications, including newsletters, our website, or other publications.
• To determine an individual’s eligibility for employment at Praxis.
• To share stories of individuals in relation to Praxis and spinal cord injury (SCI) in general.
• To enhance our programs and services in accordance with our mission.
• To comply with applicable laws and lawful requests to the extent required by law.
• To audit and monitor Praxis’ internal processes for compliance with applicable laws, contractual obligations, and internal policies.
• To prevent, detect, and investigate fraudulent, harmful, unauthorized, or illegal activity, including cyberattacks and identity theft.
• To carry out activities to further our charitable purpose.

If we require personal information for a purpose not previously identified in this policy, we will inform you of the new purpose at or before the time of collection, or, if the information has already been collected, before we use or disclose it for that new purpose. In some cases, these purposes may be communicated through documents such as consent forms, program enrollment forms, project-specific notices, or privacy statements.

To achieve these purposes, Praxis may collect the following types of information, as applicable:

• Contact information, such as a person’s full name, mailing address, phone number, or email address;
• Demographic information, such as age, date of birth, or self-identified gender;
• Financial information, as required to process donations;
• Health-related information, including information related to spinal cord injury, only to the extent reasonably necessary for the purpose, with your consent where required;
• Photographs and videos, collected during Praxis programs, events, or activities for use in Praxis communications, including newsletters, our website, or other publications, with your consent where required;
• Job applicant data, such as employment history, educational background, professional qualifications, references, and related information;
• Personal stories or experiences that you voluntarily choose to share with us; and
• Other information that you choose to provide to us.

Limits on Collection, Use and Disclosure

Praxis collects personal information only where it is necessary to fulfill identified purposes and to comply with applicable laws. The amount and type of personal information collected is limited to the minimum reasonably required to achieve those purposes.

Praxis uses and discloses personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected and for which consent was obtained where required, unless the use or disclosure is otherwise authorized or required by applicable privacy laws.

How We Obtain Consent to Collect, Use and Disclose Personal Information 

When Praxis collects, uses or discloses personal information, we generally obtain an individual’s consent, except where the collection, use, or disclosure is authorized or required by applicable privacy laws.
The form of consent we rely on depends on the nature, sensitivity, and the purpose of the personal information involved. Consent may be express or implicit, as permitted by law.

You may withdraw your consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information at any time by providing us with reasonable notice, subject to legal or contractual restrictions that may limit our ability to do so.

Where Praxis collects photographs or video recordings at events, we will provide notice (for example, through signage or other communications) that photography or recording may occur, explain how the images may be used (such as in Praxis communications), and provide information on how to raise concerns or request that we limit or not use an image, where feasible.

How We Disclose Personal Information

Praxis may disclose personal information to third parties only to the extent necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as otherwise required or authorized by appliable law. When we disclose personal information, we take reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place to protect the privacy and security of that information.

Personal information may be disclosed to third-party service providers who are contracted by Praxis to perform services on our behalf. These may include, for example, human resources support, customer relationship management systems, data hosting and storage, information technology support, data analysis and processing, research and grant administration, communications, auditing, legal services, and other administrative or operational functions necessary to support our mission.

We may also disclose personal information where required to comply with applicable laws or legal processes, or where necessary to protect the rights, property, privacy, or safety of Praxis or individuals.
Praxis may rely on service providers located in Canada, the United States or other countries. As a result, personal information may be stored or processed outside Canada and may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions.

Where third parties process personal information on Praxis’ behalf, we require them to be subject to contractual obligations that include confidentiality and privacy protections appropriate to the sensitivity of the information and consistent with applicable privacy laws.

Praxis does not sell, rent, or trade personal information to third parties.

Retention of Personal Information

Praxis retains personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or to meet the requirements of applicable laws, regulations and contractual obligations.

Where personal information is used to make a decision that directly affects individuals, Praxis retains that information for at least one year after the decision is made, as required by applicable privacy laws.

If you unsubscribe from our communications, we may retain a limited record of your request, as necessary, to ensure your preferences are respected going forward.

Once personal information is no longer required, it is securely destroyed or de-identified in accordance with Praxis’ data retention and destruction practices.

Safeguards

Praxis maintains reasonable security measures and safeguards to protect personal information from unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction.

These safeguards include organizational, technical, and physical measures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, such as restricting access to personal information on a need-to-know basis, using security controls (for example passwords and encryption where appropriate), requiring confidentiality obligations, and providing privacy and security training to personnel.

Use of “Cookies” 

Just like many other websites, Praxis uses a standard technology called a “cookie”. Cookies are small pieces of information that a website may place on a visitor’s device for statistical purposes and to support website functionality and analytics.

Our cookies may collect limited technical information such as the number of visitors to different sections of the website, visitors’ browser types, time and length of visits, pages accessed, places of origin, and visitors’ Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. Cookies do not collect other personal information unless you choose to provide it through our website or unless permitted by applicable law.

Most web browsers automatically accept cookies. Users can manage or disable cookies through their browser settings.

Use of Internet Protocol (IP) Addresses

Praxis may use IP addresses to assist in diagnosing server problems. We may perform statistical analyses of user behavior and characteristics, to measure interest in and user traffic patterns to the various sections of our website, to help us improve design, layout and navigation.

Links to Other Websites

Praxis’ website may contain links to other websites, services, and applications, that are not owned or controlled by Praxis. These third parties may have their own privacy practices, and Praxis is not responsible for the privacy practices or content of these third-party sites. You should consult the privacy policies of these sites before providing any personal information.

Policy Updates and Changes

We review our privacy practices regularly and at least once every two years. From time to time, we may update this policy, as indicated by a new revision date at the top of this document. The most current version of this policy can be accessed on our website or by contacting Praxis’s Privacy Officer.

Links to Other Websites

Praxis’ website contains links to other websites that may be of interest to the visitor to our site. By providing these linkages, Praxis is not responsible for the privacy practices, content, transactions, and functioning of the linkages of these sites. Users submitting information to these third party websites should review the privacy statements of these sites before providing them with personally identifiable information.

Accuracy of Information

Praxis takes reasonable steps to ensure that personal information in its custody or control is accurate and up to date. In most instances, Praxis relies on individuals to notify us of any changes to their personal information.

You may request correction of your personal information by contacting Praxis’ Privacy Officer.

Accuracy of Information

You may request access to the personal information that Praxis holds about you by contacting Praxis’ Privacy Officer. Praxis strives to provide access to personal information in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

Before granting you access to personal information, Praxis may require verification of the individual’s identity and, where applicable, written authorization.

Praxis may charge reasonable costs (e.g. photocopying, mail charges) to the individual making the request, as permitted by law.

Praxis will provide information from its records in a form that is easy to understand and will also endeavor, where practicable, to provide explanations for any abbreviations or codes used.
Where reasonably possible, Praxis will provide information about the organizations to which the personal information may have been disclosed.

Please note there may be limited circumstances, as permitted by law, in which Praxis is unable to grant access to your personal information. In such cases, Praxis will inform you and provide you with a reason why we cannot fulfill your request.

Contacting the Privacy Officer

You may submit questions, concerns or complaints about Praxis’ personal information handling practices to the Privacy Officer using the contact information provided below:

Privacy Officer
Praxis Spinal Cord Institute
6th Floor, Blusson Spinal Cord Centre
6200 – 818 W 10th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1M9
privacy@praxisinstitute.org

Praxis investigates privacy complaints and responds within the timelines required by applicable privacy laws. Individuals may be required to verify their identity before discussing any complaint or request that involves their personal information.

If an individual is not satisfied with Praxis’ response to their privacy concern or compliant, they may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia for assistance.