Privacy Policy

Effective Date: September 24, 2026
Last Updated: October 23, 2026

The St. Catharines and Regional Municipality of Niagara Twinning and Mundialization Association (“Twinning Association,” “we,” “our,” or “us”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information entrusted to us.

The St. Catharines Twinning Association is a non-profit organization responsible for facilitating and supporting the Twin City relationship between St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, and Port-of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, protect, and retain personal information through our website, twinning.ca, and through our activities, programs, memberships, events, and other interactions with the Association.

By interacting with the Twinning Association or providing personal information to us, you acknowledge the practices described in this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to operate the Twinning Association and provide services to our members, event attendees, supporters, and other individuals who interact with us.

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect information such as:

Your name;
Email address;
Telephone number;
Mailing or other contact address;
Membership information;
Event registration information;
Information related to purchases or transactions with the Association;
Communications and correspondence you send to us;
Information you voluntarily provide when participating in Association activities, programs, surveys, or other initiatives; and
Basic information used for website and communications analytics.

We generally collect personal information directly from you when you:

Become a member of the Twinning Association;
Register for an event;
Purchase a product, service, or other item from us;
Make a donation or other transaction;
Subscribe to our email communications;
Contact us through our website or other communication channels;
Participate in Association activities or programs; or
Otherwise voluntarily provide information to us.

2. Website Information, Cookies and Analytics

When you visit twinning.ca, certain technical information may be collected automatically by the website, its hosting provider, analytics services, or other technologies used to operate the website.

This information may include technical information such as your IP address, browser type, device type, operating system, referring website, pages visited, approximate geographic information, and information about how you interact with the website.

The Twinning Association may also use cookies or similar technologies where they are provided by our website platform, analytics services, or other third-party services.

We use basic website analytics to help us understand website usage and improve our website, communications, and services. We do not use website analytics to personally identify individual visitors or to make decisions about individuals.

Because some website functionality and third-party services may automatically collect technical information, the specific information collected may vary depending on the technologies and services operating on our website.

Where required, we will provide appropriate notice and obtain consent for non-essential cookies or similar technologies.

3. How We Use Personal Information

We collect and use personal information for purposes that are reasonably necessary to operate the Twinning Association and maintain our relationship with members, participants, supporters, and other individuals.

These purposes may include:

Processing and administering memberships;
Processing registrations for events and activities;
Processing purchases, donations, and other transactions;
Communicating with members, event attendees, and supporters;
Providing information about Association activities and initiatives;
Sending newsletters and other communications where permitted by law;
Administering and organizing events and programs;
Maintaining appropriate membership and transaction records;
Responding to questions, requests, and inquiries;
Understanding how our website and communications are used;
Improving our website, programs, events, and services;
Maintaining the security and integrity of our systems;
Complying with legal and regulatory requirements; and
Carrying out other purposes that are disclosed at the time information is collected or that are otherwise permitted by law.
We do not sell personal information to third parties.

4. Marketing Communications

The Twinning Association may send newsletters, announcements, invitations, updates, and other electronic communications to individuals who have provided consent or where another lawful basis for communication exists.

We comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), including requirements relating to consent, identification, and unsubscribe mechanisms.

Marketing emails will include an option to unsubscribe. You may withdraw your consent to receive marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe mechanism included in our emails or by contacting us.

Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not necessarily prevent us from sending administrative or transactional communications that are necessary to provide a service, administer a membership or registration, or complete a transaction.

5. Payment Information

The Twinning Association does not directly store payment card information on its own systems.

Payments may be processed through third-party payment processors such as Stripe, Square, Zeffy, or other payment providers used by the Association from time to time.

These providers process payment information using their own systems and security practices. The Twinning Association generally receives information necessary to confirm and administer a transaction, but does not retain payment card numbers or other complete payment credentials on our own systems.

Individuals using a third-party payment service should also review the privacy policy and terms of that service.

6. Third-Party Service Providers

The Twinning Association uses third-party service providers to help operate our organization, website, communications, events, transactions, and other activities.

These providers may include services such as:

Website hosting and website management providers;
Analytics providers;
Meta platforms;
Mailchimp;
Stripe;
Square;
Eventbrite;
Zeffy; and
Other service providers reasonably required to operate the Association.
Depending on the service, these providers may process personal information on our behalf or may collect information directly when you use their services.

We seek to use reputable service providers and take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information shared with service providers is handled appropriately and protected by suitable safeguards.

Some third-party service providers may store or process information outside Canada. Where this occurs, the information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which the service provider or its systems are located.

7. Disclosure of Personal Information

We do not sell or rent your personal information.

We may disclose personal information to third parties when reasonably necessary to:

Provide a service you have requested;
Process a transaction;
Register you for or administer an event;
Send communications you have requested or consented to receive;
Operate and maintain our website and technology;
Obtain professional, technical, or administrative services;
Comply with legal requirements or respond to lawful requests; or
Protect the rights, property, safety, or security of the Twinning Association, our members, participants, or others.
We limit disclosure of personal information to what is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose.

8. Consent

Where required by applicable privacy law, we will obtain meaningful consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal information.

Consent may be express or implied depending on the circumstances, the nature of the information, the purpose of the collection, and applicable legal requirements.

When we collect personal information, we will make reasonable efforts to explain why the information is being collected and how it will be used.

You may withdraw consent to certain uses of your personal information, subject to legal, contractual, or other reasonable restrictions. Withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide certain services or administer an existing membership, registration, transaction, or other relationship.

9. Safeguarding Personal Information

The Twinning Association takes reasonable administrative, technical, and physical measures to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, use, disclosure, copying, modification, or destruction.

These measures may include:

Limiting access to personal information to individuals who require it for Association purposes;
Using passwords and account security measures;
Using reputable third-party service providers;
Taking reasonable measures to secure physical and electronic records; and
Reviewing our practices as appropriate to address changing technology and risks.
No method of transmitting or storing information can be guaranteed to be completely secure. While we take reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

10. Retention of Personal Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, administer our relationship with you, meet legal or accounting requirements, resolve disputes, maintain appropriate organizational records, or otherwise comply with applicable law.

When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy, or anonymize it.

Different types of information may be retained for different periods depending on their purpose and applicable requirements.

11. Accessing and Correcting Your Personal Information

You may request access to personal information that the Twinning Association holds about you and may request that inaccurate or incomplete information be corrected.

Requests should be made through our website's Contact page.

When processing an access request, we may need to verify your identity before providing access to personal information.

There may be circumstances where we cannot provide access to particular information where permitted or required by law. If access is refused, we will provide an explanation where appropriate.

12. Privacy Concerns and Complaints

If you have a question, concern, or complaint about how the Twinning Association collects, uses, discloses, or protects personal information, please contact us through the Contact page on twinning.ca.

We will make reasonable efforts to review and respond to privacy concerns in a timely manner.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to bring your concern to the appropriate privacy regulatory authority, including the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, where applicable.

13. Children's Privacy

Our website and activities are generally intended for a general audience. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children for purposes unrelated to the operation of our programs and activities.

Where personal information is collected from a minor in connection with an Association activity or program, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that the collection and use of the information is appropriate in the circumstances and complies with applicable law.

14. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by third parties.

The Twinning Association is not responsible for the privacy practices, security, content, or policies of third-party websites. When you follow a link to another website, we encourage you to review that organization's privacy policy before providing personal information.

15. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to our practices, technology, services, or applicable legal requirements.

When we make changes, we will update the Last Updated date at the top of this policy. Where required by law, we will provide additional notice or obtain consent for material changes to how personal information is collected, used, or disclosed.

16. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to request access to or correction of your personal information, or have a privacy concern, please contact the St. Catharines Twinning Association through the Contact page on our website:

Website: twinning.ca

St. Catharines Twinning Association
St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

We will respond to privacy inquiries in accordance with applicable privacy requirements.