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Privacy notice
The Government of Canada and the Parks Canada Agency (Parks Canada) are committed to providing websites that respect the privacy of visitors. This privacy notice summarizes the privacy practices for Parks Canada's online activities.
All personal information collected by this institution is governed by the
. This means that you will be informed of the purpose for which your personal information is being collected and how to exercise your right of access to that information.
Your privacy and the internet
The nature of the Internet is such that Web servers automatically collect certain information about a visit to a website, including the visitor's Internet Protocol (IP) address. IP addresses are unique numbers assigned by Internet Service Providers (ISP) to all devices used to access the Internet. Web servers automatically log the IP addresses of visitors to their sites. The IP address, on its own, does not identify an individual. However, in certain circumstances, such as with the co-operation of an ISP for example, it could be used to identify an individual using the site. For this reason, the Government of Canada considers the IP address to be personal information, particularly when combined with other data automatically collected when visitor requests a Web page such as the page or pages visited, date and time of the visit.
Unless otherwise noted, Parks Canada does not automatically gather any specific information from you, such as your name, telephone number or email address. Parks Canada would obtain this type of information only if you supply it to us, for example, by email or by filling in a contact form. In such cases, how your personal information is handled will be provided in a Personal Information Collection Statement.
In cases where services are provided by organizations outside of the Government of Canada, such as social media platforms or mobile applications, IP addresses may be recorded by the Web server of the third-party service provider.
Communicating with the Government of Canada
If you choose to send Parks Canada an email or complete a feedback form online, your personal information is used by Parks Canada in order to respond to your inquiry. The information you provide will only be shared with another government institution if your inquiry relates to that institution. Parks Canada does not use the information to create individual profiles nor does it disclose the information to anyone other than to those in the federal government who need to provide you with a response. Any disclosure of your personal information is in accordance with the
Privacy Act
.
Emails and other electronic methods used to communicate with the Government of Canada are not secure unless it is specifically stated on a Web page.
Therefore, it is recommended that you do not send sensitive personal information, such as your Social Insurance Number or your date of birth, through non-secure electronic means.
Personal information from emails or completed feedback forms is collected pursuant to the
Parks Canada Act
. Such information may be used for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes and is included in Personal Information Bank Public Communications (PSU 914) .
Third-party social media
Parks Canada's use of social media serves as an extension of its presence on the Web. Social media account(s) are public and are not hosted on Government of Canada servers. Users who choose to interact with us via social media should read the terms of service and privacy policies of these third-party service providers and those of any applications you use to access them. Parks Canada uses Facebook , Twitter , YouTube .
Personal information that you provide to the Government of Canada via social media account(s) is collected under the authority of the
Parks Canada Act
. This information is collected to capture conversations (e.g. questions and answers, comments, "likes", retweets) between you and Parks Canada. It may be used to respond to inquiries, or for statistical, evaluation and reporting purposes. Comments posted that violate Canadian law will be deleted and disclosed to law enforcement authorities. Comments that violate our rules of engagement will also be deleted. The personal information is included in Personal Information Bank Outreach Activities (PSU 938) .
Improving your experience on Government of Canada websites
Digital markers (including cookies)
A digital marker is a resource created by the visitors' browser in order to remember certain pieces of information for the Web server to reference during the same or subsequent visit to the website. Examples of digital markers are "cookies" or HTML 5 web storage. Some examples of what digital markers do are as follows:
They allow a website to recognize a previous visit each time the visitor accesses the site;
They track what information is viewed on a site which helps website administrators ensure visitors find what they are looking for.
Parks Canada uses sessional digital markers on some portions of its website. During your on-line visit, your browser exchanges data with Parks Canada's Web server. The digital markers used do not allow Parks Canada to identify individuals.
You may adjust your browser settings to reject digital markers, including cookies, if you so choose. However, it may affect your ability to interact with Parks Canada's website.
Web analytics
Web analytics is the collection, analysis, measurement, and reporting of data about Web traffic and visits for purposes of understanding and optimizing Web usage. Information in digital markers may be used for the purpose of web analytics to remember your online interactions with Parks Canada's website.
Parks Canada uses Google Analytics reporting service to improve its website. When your computer requests a Parks Canada web page, our institution collects certain types of information. For the purposes of the Privacy Act, this information is treated as personal information. The type of information collected includes, but is not limited to:
Network location and the Internet Protocol (IP) address of the computer you used to contact our Web site;
Name of the domain you used to access the Internet (.com, .org, .net, .ca, etc.);
Type of browser you used;
Type of operating system you used (Windows, Mac OS, etc.)
Date and time you accessed the site;
Pages you have accessed and the documents you have downloaded; and
Internet address of the Web site from which you linked directly to our site, if applicable.
Parks Canada carries out web analytics using services from the third-party service provider Google Inc. (Google Analytics). This service provider is based in the Unites States of America (USA), which means that the personal information collected is transmitted outside of Canada and may be subject to USA laws, including the USA Patriot Act. In addition, Google operate servers in other countries on which the web analytics data may be processed. Consequently, the data may be subject to the governing legislation of the country where it is processed. Personal information is set to expire after 14 months, this includes IP addresses and any other personal information including, but not limited to, information in digital markers used in relation to Web analytics.
To track visits to Pc.gc.ca for web analytics, Google Analytics requires the use of digital markers (“cookies”). If you wish, you may opt out of having your visit tracked by:
Changing your browser settings to refuse cookies, disabling JavaScript within your browser, or
Downloading and installing a browser add-on from Google that prevents your visit data from being used
For more information about the privacy policy of these Google services, please visit their website or use the following link:
Google Analytics Privacy & Terms
Google reCAPTCHA
Occasionally, the Parks Canada website may use Google reCAPTCHA . This security feature helps us protect our website from spam by trying to identify if a user is human or an automated program (also known as a “robot” or a “bot”).
Your interactions with reCAPTCHA will be disclosed to Google. This means that your IP address and other data collected by reCAPTCHA are sent to Google’s servers in the United States of America and processed there to determine how likely you are to be a human and not an automated program. Natural Resources Canada does not collect or have access to the information collected by reCAPTCHA and Google.
For more information, please visit Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service pages.
Protecting the security of Government of Canada websites
Parks Canada employs software programs to monitor network traffic to identify unauthorized attempts to upload or change information, or otherwise cause damage. This software receives and records the IP address of the computer that has contacted our website, the date and time of the visit and the pages visited. We make no attempt to link these addresses with the identity of individuals visiting our site unless an attempt to damage the site has been detected.
Financial Administration Act
. The information may be shared with appropriate law enforcement authorities if suspected criminal activities are detected. Such information may be used for network security related statistical purposes, audit, evaluation, research, planning and reporting and is included in Personal Information Bank Security Incidents (PSU 939) .
Inquiring about these practices
Any questions, comments, concerns or complaints you may have regarding the administration of the
Privacy Act
and privacy policies regarding Parks Canada's Web presence may be directed to our Access to Information and Privacy Coordinator:
E-mail: