Policies

Privacy Policy

Return & Refund Policy

Data Disclaimer & Privacy Statement

Editorial Policy

Social Media Policy

Travel Expense Policy

CWRA – Privacy Policy

Personal information collected by the Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) will be used for the purposes of CWRA. This information will include various contact information and such other information that is specifically required by CWRA in its requirements for reporting in other legally required documents.

  1. The CWRA member or web visitor (hereinafter referred to as “user”) acknowledges and agrees that Canadian Water Resources Association, (hereinafter referred to as “CWRA”) will, for the duration of the contractual relationship, process the user’s personal information acquired to the extent in which the information is offered voluntarily by the user during the registration as a member or at the conferences/workshops, or by any other direct or indirect contact with the user; in particular the information concerning the user’s first name, surname, e-mail address, and country of origin.
  2. The user agrees that CWRA will process the user’s personal data, acquired in connection with the contractual relationship above, for CWRA’s marketing and trade purposes including the delivery of commercial announcements, and, to that extent, CWRA may disclose such data to third parties/entities [contractually co-operating] with CWRA in the organization of marketing events. The agreement according to this Section may be withdrawn, at any time, by the user’s explicit statement delivered to CWRA. If the user withdraws its agreement with the personal data processing in accordance with this Section, CWRA will continue to be authorized, on the basis of the applicable legal regulations, to process the user’s personal data to the remaining extent not affected by such disagreement.
  3. In processing personal data, CWRA agrees to hold the user harmless regarding the user’s rights, and to take any reasonable available measures as may be needed to avoid any unauthorized or accidental access to the users’ personal data, its change, destruction or loss, unauthorized transfers, or its other unauthorized processing or other misuse. CWRA does not distribute its membership list to other organizations. CWRA may periodically utilize its own list to provide information to its members from other organizations. This will be when that information is relevant to the water resource community and CWRA would have provided that information in its normal publications. In the event that the user’s personal data is handed over to designated representatives of subsidiary organizations, for example branches, CWRA agrees to conclude an agreement on personal data processing with such subjects under which subsidiary organizations will give guarantees concerning the technical and organizational provision of personal data protection within the authority.
  4. The user acknowledges that the requirement to provide personal data to CWRA does not arise from the aforementioned Act; however, without the provision thereof, CWRA cannot provide some specific services to the user.
  5. The user shall have the right to receive information about the user’s personal data processed by CWRA, under the conditions set forth by the applicable legal regulations. If, in the processing of the user’s personal data, any legal regulation is breached, the user shall have the right to seek remediation in a manner set forth therein. Individuals may contact CWRA toinformation is retained on CWRA files regarding themselves.
  6. The agreement of the personal data processing is given for the period of duration of the membership, or visit, but has a minimal extended duration of no less than 10 years. The user’s agreement with the processing of the personal data may be withdrawn at any time by a statement of the user in writing delivered to CWRA. Personal information will be retained, as long as it is required by CWRA for historical record purposes. It will not be released, except as required by law. CWRA will endeavor to securely maintain personal information that is as accurate and complete and up-to-date as possible within reasonable circumstances. CWRA does not collect credit information except in the normal course of sales. Detailed credit card information is deleted from our files, on completion of the transaction through the secure service of our server. Historical transaction records are maintained for membership relationship.
  7. The user hereby states that he/she is fully able to take legal action and the user grants freely and solemnly, definitely and comprehensibly its agreement with the personal data processing, including his/her consent to the delivery of trade notices. This clause takes effect upon registration with CWRA.
  8. CWRA and the user each acknowledge and agree that their mutual legal relationship shall be governed by the rule of law of the province of Alberta, Canada.
  9. CWRA, the association duly organized and registered in accordance with Canadian law, maintains an updated database of the CWRA members containing the personal data of the users. Such data is processed by CWRA in accordance with the applicable legal regulations, for the purposes of providing the services that are the subject of CWRA’s activity, and for the purpose of CWRA’s marketing and trade activities. Some data is also maintained as part of legal requirements.
  10. Should anyone believe that CWRA is not following the above principles, they may contact the Executive Director, who is a compliance officer for PIPEDA, and/or the President of the CWRA to request a review. The individual must provide, at minimum, an example of where the organization is failing in its commitment.

Data Disclaimer and Privacy Statement

April 13, 2017 CWRA

  1. Main Page Statement: The CWRA recognizes the importance of the security of personal information posted to the CWRA website and believes that the responsible use of personal information collected on its website is critical to the Association’s objectives and reputation. The extent and type of information we receive on our external websites depends on the information provided to us. As part of our commitment to privacy, we have adopted an Online Privacy Statement Click the link below for details.
  2. Secondary Link for further information: The Canadian Water Resources Association (CWRA) is a not-for-profit, private and registered professional association that promotes effective water management in Canada. Other organizations or corporations who link to the CWRA website are deemed to be legally distinct and separate entities. The information contained and accessed on the CWRA website (the “Site”) is provided by the CWRA for information and guidance and is not intended to serve as a substitute for any advisory or other professional advice, consultation or service.

Depending on specific facts or circumstances, the application of laws and regulations may vary among Provinces and Territories. Based on the fundamental universal conditions of electronic communication processes, the CWRA does not guarantee or warrant the Site will be uninterrupted, without delay, error-free, omission-free, or virus-free. Therefore, the information is provided “as is” without expressed or implied warranties of any kind including accuracy, timeliness and completeness. In no event shall the CWRA, its branches or affiliates, managing directors, executive, agents or employees be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, punitive, consequential damages (including but not limited to, liability for loss of use, data or profits), without regard to the form of any action, including but not limited to, contract, negligence or other tortious actions arising out of or in connection with the Site or any content on or accessed by use of the Site. Third-party links are provided as a convenience to our users. CWRA does not control and is not responsible or liable for the content or activities on these third-party sites. You may want to read the privacy policy of each web site you visit to determine what information is collected. CWRA is obligated to protect its reputation and trademarks and reserves the right to request removal of any link to the Site.

The CWRA and related Affiliate logos are a trademark of the CWRA.

  • Also the CSHS and CANCID, Project Wet
  • The following Web link activities are explicitly prohibited by the CWRA and may present trademark and copyright infringement issues:
  • Links that involve unauthorized use of our logo
  • Framing, inline links or metatags
  • Hyperlinks or a form of link that disguises the URL and bypasses the homepage CWRA

Online Privacy Statement

We only use your personally identifiable information to respond to your requests and to provide you with information about the CWRA. For example, if you send us an email message requesting information about the CWRA, we will use your email address and other information you supplied to respond to your request. No personally identifiable information is collected, and we do not sell or trade personally identifiable information. Our personnel with access to this data have been trained and are committed to maintain the confidentiality of information that may be posted on the CWRA website. When you browse our web site, the following information is collected:

  • the IP (internet protocol) address of your internet service provider;
  • the web browser you use;
  • the pages you viewed; and
  • your country

The CWRA recognizes its responsibility for protecting the personal information and online privacy of all Site users. If you have questions or comments about our administration of your personal information or this privacy policy, please contact us at info@cwra.org. Since this email address is being protected from spambots, JavaScript must be enabled to view it. You may also use this address to communicate any concerns you may have regarding compliance with our Online Privacy Policy.

What do we do with the information we collect?

We use the collected information to analyze the use and improve the performance of the CWRA website using Google Analytics and other tools. We do not use the collected information to identify web site users.

Does the CWRA Site use cookies?

This website uses Google Analytics to help analyze how the Site is used. The tool uses “cookies”, which are text files placed on your computer to collect standard Internet log information and visitor behavior information in an anonymous form. The information generated by the cookie about your use of the website (including IP address) is transmitted to Google. This information is then used to evaluate visitors’ use of the web site and to compile statistical reports on website activity.

You are able to choose whether to accept cookies by changing the settings of your browser. Please note some features of the Site may be limited if you choose not to accept cookies.

Return & Refund Policy

A member may withdraw from membership in the Association by notifying membership services in writing of the members desire to withdraw from membership. Upon receipt of such notice the person’s name will be removed from the appropriate membership roster and the withdrawn member will not be entitled to any refund whatsoever.

A member may be removed from membership in the Corporation by a resolution passed by at least three quarters of the directors present at a Board meeting and the removed member will not be entitled to any membership fee refund.

Editorial Policy

The journal Editors treat submitted manuscripts and all communications with the authors as confidential between themselves and the peer-reviewers (who also undertake to keep these matters confidential). Similarly, authors must treat communication with the journal as confidential: correspondence with the journal, reviewers’ reports and other confidential material must not be posted on a website or otherwise publicized without prior permission from the Editors, whether or not the submission is eventually published.

Peer Review

All contributions are sent to an Associate Editor who will select two or more independent reviewers to consider the article. Authors are welcome to suggest suitable or unsuitable independent reviewers, but these suggestions may not be followed. The journal sympathetically considers exclusion requests and usually honours them, but the Editor’s decision on the choice of peer-reviewers is final.

Authorship Policy

Submission to the CWRJ is taken to mean that all the listed authors have agreed to the contents. The corresponding (submitting) author is responsible for having ensured that this agreement has been reached, and for managing all communication between the journal and all co-authors. Any changes to the author list after submission, such as a change in the order of the authors, or the deletion or addition of authors, requires the signed consent of every author. Authors are strongly encouraged to include a statement in the acknowledgements to specify the actual contribution of each co-author to the completed work.

Policy on Duplicate Publication

Manuscripts submitted for publication must be accompanied by a statement that they have not been published in a refereed journal or proceedings, or submitted for possible publication elsewhere. Authors submitting a contribution who have related material under consideration or in press elsewhere should provide the Editors with a clearly marked copy at the time of submission, and draw the Editors’ attention to it in their cover letter. Authors must disclose any such information while their contributions are under consideration – for example, if they submit a related manuscript elsewhere that was not written at the time of the original journal submission.

Competing Financial Interest Policy

In the interests of transparency and to help readers to form their own judgment of potential bias, we require authors to declare any competing financial interests in relation to the work described. A form will be sent to the author to complete and sign before publication of the article. A shortened form of the declaration is published as part of the acknowledgements of the article. Authors may use the form to decline to disclose their financial interests, but the journal will publish the fact that they have declined to provide this information.

Definition

For the purposes of this statement, competing interests are defined as those of a financial nature that, through their potential influence on behaviour or content or from perception of such potential influences, could undermine the objectivity, integrity or perceived value of a publication. They can include any of the following:

  • Funding: Research support (including salaries, equipment, supplies, reimbursement for attending symposia, and other expenses) by organizations that may gain or lose financially through this publication.
  • Employment: Recent (while engaged in the research project), present or anticipated employment by any organization that may gain or lose financially through this publication.
  • Personal financial interests: Stocks or shares in companies that may gain or lose financially through publication; consultation fees or other forms of remuneration from organizations that may gain or lose financially; patents or patent applications whose value may be affected by publication.

It is difficult to specify a threshold at which a financial interest becomes significant, but we offer as one possible practical guideline: “Any undeclared competing financial interests that could embarrass you were they to become publicly known after your work was published.”

Application to Authors

Unless/until the article is published, authors’ declarations will be considered confidential, and will not be disclosed to peer-reviewers. The published article indicates the authors’ response using one of the following standard wordings:

  • The authors declare competing financial interests.
  • The authors declare no competing financial interests.
  • The authors decline to provide information about competing financial interests.

For publications with more than one author, the corresponding author should provide a declaration on behalf of all authors. We recognize that some authors may be bound by confidentiality agreements. In such cases the authors may use the following standard wording as an alternative to itemized disclosure: “The authors declare that they are bound by confidentiality agreements that prevent them from disclosing their financial interests in this work.” We do not require authors to state the monetary value of their financial interests.

Application to Referees

We invite peer-reviewers to exclude themselves in cases where there is a significant conflict of interest, financial or otherwise. However, just as financial interests need not invalidate the conclusions of an article, nor do they automatically disqualify an individual from evaluating it. We ask peer-reviewers to inform the Editors of any related interests, including financial interests as defined above, that might be perceived as relevant. Editors will consider these statements when weighing reviewers’ recommendations.

Application to Editors

The Editors are required to declare to the Board of CWRA any interests—financial or otherwise – that might influence, or be perceived to influence, their editorial practices.

Application to Publishing Policy

Journals depend upon their independence. The strict policy is that editorial independence, decisions and content should not be compromised by commercial or financial interests, or by any specific arrangements with advertising clients or sponsors. Our policy is to disclose such arrangements where there is any risk of a perception of compromise.

Social Media Policy

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The development of CWRA’s Social Media Policy is being led by the CWRA Communications Committee (Committee) to guide the Association in its use of social media. The policy applies to CWRA’s:
● Employees;
● National Executive and Board of Directors;
● Branch and Affiliate Executive and Boards of Directors;
● Members, including Student and Young Professionals, when they are communicating with the intention of representing CWRA.
● Volunteers who are not members but are actively engaged at CWRA activities and are communicating with the intention of representing CWRA.
The policy is a requested code of conduct, outlining that care must be taken when using social media on behalf of CWRA, or if you could be construed as representing CWRA. The purpose of the policy is to convey expectations that CWRA holds for achieving professional social media communication on
matters supporting CWRA’s mandate of effective water management. The policy guides us to ask the question “What would my peers at CWRA think of this social media post, and how does my post advance CWRA’s mission and purpose?”
This document augments and is meant to align with other policies and guidelines established by CWRA, such as CWRA’s Bylaws, Code of Ethics, Advocacy Policy, Communication Plan and Media Guide, etc.
These other documents are posted on CWRA’s Google Drive and can also be accessed through the CWRA website at https://cwra.org.

In summary, CWRA’s Social Media Policy guides us to be:
● Transparent;
● Clear, Concise, and Consistent;
● Truthful and Accurate;
● Ethical and Fair; and
● Science‐based
The first four points above are standard to many organizations’ social media policies, with the last one being more CWRA‐focussed. All points are expanded upon in detail in Section G.
Social media is a relatively new form of communication, with conversation‐like qualities. Posts made on behalf of CWRA, or ones that make reference to it, need to be consistent with CWRA’s communication goals as expressed in the most recent Communication Plan. Individual posts not meant to be construed
as representing CWRA should make that clear. Individuals must also be cognizant that any offensive posts, i.e., ones that clearly and grossly violate the spirit of principles outlined above, may result in further action by CWRA as described in later portions of this policy document.
This Policy document has been developed as a stable, long term, first principle document, while the social media content strategies and implementation plans may be more operational and change over time, assisting the CWRA to  respond to new social media platforms.

Download the entire document above.

Travel Reimbursement Policy

Preamble

This policy covers two types of travel:

● Canada Revenue Agency’s (CRA) ruling on travel expenses for volunteers with respect to a charitable donation.

● Travel expenses that are directly reimbursed by CWRA. This includes Staff, SYP, etc, for travel that is required by CWRA.

The travel policy is specifically related for travel to conduct CWRA National Board Business.

Travel for CWRA workshops, conferences, and other activities not related to Board business, may be governed by other approval/payment processes, but should follow the general intent of this policy.

Download the entire document above.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) Statement

CWRA is a diverse, inclusive, and equitable organization where all employees, contract staff, and volunteers, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or disability, feel valued and respected. We are committed to a non-discriminatory approach and provide equal opportunity for employment and advancement in all of our boards, committees, programs, and work sites. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and ensure that all voices are valued and heard.

Download the entire document above.