Privacy Policy

Welcome to Vet Alliance, part of IVC Evidensia Group. This notice explains how we collect, use, and protect information about you, who we may share it with, and the rights that you have. This notice covers most of the ways in which you will interact with us, through the website, on social media, or on our education platform.

If we need to use your personal data in different ways, or for reasons not covered by this notice, we will let you know. We will also update this notice from time to time.

What is included in this policy?

  1. Who we are
  2. The personal data we collect and how we use it
  3. Who we share your personal data with
  4. International transfers
  5. Keeping your personal data secure
  6. Data retention
  7. Being in control of your own information

1. Important information and who we are

Vet Alliance is the Data Controller for the purposes of data protection law. Vet Alliance is part of the IVC Evidensia Group, who own our company and also VetStrategy and Groupe Vétérinaire Daubigny as well as other companies and brands.

When necessary, personal data processed by any company within the group will also be made available to other Group companies - for example, to provide or support our services to you, where we are under a legal obligation, or if you have given us your consent.

IVC Evidensia has appointed a Data Protection Officer. If you have any questions about this notice, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact them:

  • By post - FAO: Data Protection Officer, Vet Alliance, 7000 Pine Valley Drive, Suite 201, Woodbridge, ON L4L 4Y8
  • By email - privacy@vetalliance.ca

Other Controllers

Where you use our websites and click on external links, or visit our social media pages, your personal data may also be processed by the providers of those services – for example Meta (Facebook) or Twitter. Those sites will collect further information about you for their own purposes, separately from IVC Evidensia Group.

Where use of the data they collect, IVC Evidensia Group might also be jointly responsible with the other company for determining how and why your personal data is used, and making sure that it is protected.

2. The personal data we collect and how we use it

Most of the personal data we collect is directly from you, as you use or request services from us, or get in touch. Technical information will be generated where you use our website, apps, or other online services.

Data that we collect may include:

  • Contact details such as your name and address, including email and social media account information if you contact us that way, and location information where we are referring you to local services;
  • Information about services you have used or requested, customer service information such as compliments or complaints, opinions and survey responses, contact preferences, and information which our employees might record as they provide services to you. This may also include recording calls you make to some of our services;
  • Financial information, including payments made, account and credit status;
  • Information about how you use our websites and online services including social media pages, including technical identifiers such as cookies;

We will collect these data so that:​

  • We can provide the services you are using or have requested, and manage payment for them as part of our contract with you;
  • We can improve our services to you and other customers, including gathering feedback from you via surveys, as part of our legitimate business interests;
  • We can manage our online and other services effectively and securely, as part of our legitimate business interests and legal obligations to you;
  • We can meet regulatory obligations, to prevent or detect crime, or in the public interest;
  • With your consent, so that we can provide you information about products and services that may be of interest.

If you do not want us to use some of your personal data, we may not be able to provide services to you, for example payment data or contact details.

We do not normally collect or use datasets such as religion, sexuality, or health data.

3. Who we share your personal data with

As well as using service providers to support our business, we might share information with other separate organisations who are also Controllers. This may include:

  • Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada and where appropriate Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta, Office of Information and Privacy Commissioner of British Columbia or Commission d’accès à l’Information du Québec
  • Insurance and other professional and legal advisors
  • Debt recovery agencies
  • Law enforcement, fraud prevention agencies and other public authorities
  • Companies approved by you (such as social media sites)

Where any part of our business is outsourced, sold, or merged, and where permitted by law, we will share your data with the new provider so that services can continue to be provided to you. They may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this policy. We will of course inform you of any such change and give you an opportunity to opt out of your data being shared with a new provider.

4. International Transfers

IVC Evidensia Group is a multinational company, and some of our business processes may take place outside of your own country. We ensure that your data continues to be protected to the same standards by:

  • Ensuring that the country has been agreed, by data protection regulators, to provide an adequate level of protection;
  • Making sure that regulator-approved contracts are in place to protect your data and rights.

Vet Alliance, as part of VetStrategy Canada and the IVC Evidensia Group currently uses service providers in the following countries/regions:

  • The United Kingdom (UK)
  • The European Union (EU) / European Economic Area (EEA)
  • The United States of America (USA)
  • India

5. Keeping your personal data secure

We have security and other measures in place to help protect your data and limit how it can be access or used, and to identify and handle suspected breaches of personal data and other security threats.

We limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors, and service providers who have a need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions, and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality and other contractual terms to protect your data.

6. Data retention

We will retain your data for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes we collected it for, including for the purposes of satisfying any legal, regulatory, tax or reporting requirements.

7. Being in control of your own information

Under the Canadian federal data protection law you have some important rights available to you. In summary, these include: 

  • To access personally identifiable information that we hold about you;
  • To ask for a correction or completion of personally identifiable information;
  • To with withdraw consent, where consent was required, to the processing of your personally identifiable information;
  • To lodge a complaint about the processing of your personally identifiable information.

Additionally, under the provincial, Commission d’accès à l’Information du Québec, there is extra rights:

  • To request the deletion of personally identifiable information that we hold.

Some of these rights may be limited in some circumstances, or subject to exemptions.  If you want to exercise your rights, or to make a complaint, please complete a Rights Request Form or contact us at privacy@vetalliance.ca.

If we cannot resolve a complaint as you would wish, you may also make a complaint to: