Privacy Policy

Information We Collect

When you submit an issue through Surrey Speaks, we may collect your name, street address, postal code, whether you can vote in Surrey’s local elections (self-reported), email address, phone number, and the issue, concern or idea you choose to submit.

When you request help through Surrey Speaks, we may collect your name, street address, city, postal code, phone number, email address, preferred language, whether you can vote in Surrey’s local elections (self-reported), the type of help you need, a short description of your request, and your preferred contact method and time. Please do not submit passport numbers, identity documents or copies of documents through our website.

How We Use Your Information

Information submitted through Surrey Speaks is used to understand community concerns and priorities, identify issues affecting residents and neighbourhoods, review trends in community feedback, and contact you about your submission when necessary.

Information submitted through a help request is used only to contact you and assist you with your request. It is not used for any other purpose, is not shared with political parties or campaigns, and is not added to any mailing or contact list without your permission. With your written consent (using our Resident Consent Form), Surrey Speaks may keep copies of documents and records of the help we provide, as needed to assist you and to maintain our records as a society. These records are stored securely offline with restricted access and are not stored on our website. We do not ask for identity documents through this website. If you ask for help with Canadian immigration, your request will be shared with a licensed volunteer immigration consultant or lawyer so they can contact you; they will handle your file under their own professional rules.

Some requests — such as family, tenancy or wellbeing matters — may be sensitive. We ask for as little detail as possible online. Sensitive information is shared only with the volunteer professional assigned to help you, and is never shared with anyone else without your permission, unless required by law or needed to protect someone’s safety.

Your answer about whether you can vote is self-reported. We use it only to count how many local voters share each concern or ask us for help, and we do not check voter lists.

Public Display and Community Findings

Your name, street address, postal code, email address and phone number will not be publicly displayed or included in public summaries without your permission.

We may publish or share aggregated or anonymized themes, statistics and summaries of community concerns with the public, community organizations and elected officials. These summaries will not identify individual participants.

Sharing of Personal Information

Surrey Speaks does not sell or rent personal information.

Personal information may be processed or stored by service providers used to operate the website, email and submission system. Information may also be disclosed where required or permitted by law.

Storage and Security

Reasonable safeguards are used to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, modification or loss. Access to individual submissions is limited to people who require access for the purposes described in this policy.

Retention

Personal information will be retained only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and for any applicable legal or administrative requirements.

Information that is no longer reasonably required will be securely deleted or anonymized where appropriate.

Access, Correction and Complaints

Seeing or correcting your information

You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, how we have used it and who we have shared it with, or ask us to correct it. Email our Privacy Officer at hello@surreyspeaks.ca. We may ask you to confirm who you are. We will reply within 30 days, and there is no fee.

Privacy concerns and complaints

If you have a concern about how we handled your information, email our Privacy Officer at hello@surreyspeaks.ca. We will look into it and reply in writing within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia at oipc.bc.ca.

Privacy Contact

Privacy Officer – Surrey Speaks Society
Email: hello@surreyspeaks.ca

Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated from time to time to reflect changes to Surrey Speaks, its services or applicable privacy requirements. The current version will be posted on this page.