Our commitment

The Make-A-Wish Foundation®  of Canada (the “Foundation”) is committed to protecting the privacy of the personal information of its, members, customers, clients, donors, and other stakeholders. We value the trust of those we deal with, and of the public. We recognize that maintaining this trust requires that we be transparent and accountable in how we collect and treat the information shared with us.

During the course of our various projects, and activities, we frequently gather and use personal information. Anyone from whom we collect such information should expect that it will be carefully protected and that any use of, or other dealings with, this information is subject to consent. Our privacy practices are designed to achieve this.

Defining Personal Information

Personal information means information about an identifiable individual. This includes an individual’s name, home address and phone number, age, sex, marital or family status, an identifying number, financial and donation information, educational history etc.  All personal information will be treated as sensitive

Where an individual uses his or her home contact information as business contact information as well as personal, we consider that the contact information provided is business contact information, and is not therefore subject to protection as personal information.

Where we choose to have certain services, such as fundraising and processing services, provided by third party service providers, we select the service providers very carefully.  We take all reasonable precautions to ensure that the service provider protects your Personal Information.

Privacy Practices

Personal information as defined by our organization is kept in confidence. Our personnel are authorized to access personal information based solely on their need to deal with the information for the reason(s) for which it was obtained and consented to.  Safeguards are in place to ensure that the information is not disclosed or shared more widely than is necessary to achieve the purpose(s) for which it was gathered. We also take reasonable measures to ensure the integrity of this information is maintained and to prevent it being lost, stolen, destroyed, or damaged.

We collect, use and disclose personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in light of the original intent or consented use or reason(s) for collection.  These include but are not limited to; contact and correspondence with you, to provide you with information on our various campaigns and programs and as otherwise permitted or required by law. It is our goal to have all individuals to consent for the use and sharing of their personal information in our regular activities. In addition, we routinely offer individuals we deal with the opportunity to opt out of the collection and continued use of their information. On occasion we may expand the use of an individuals' personal information, in these circumstances individuals have the right to not have their information shared/used for purposes beyond those for which it was explicitly collected. For those individuals whose information was collected prior to the implementation of relevant privacy legislation we offer the opportunity for them to opt out of any collection and further use of their personal information.

Web site and Electronic Commerce

For each visitor to our Web site, our Web server automatically recognizes only the visitor's IP address (e-mail addresses are not automatically recognized by our server). We use your IP address to help diagnose problems with our server and to administer our Web site. Your IP address is used to gather broad demographic information and is then discarded. Occasionally, we may use cookies to improve content and provide easier access. This technology allows us to review which parts of the site are popular and which are not, allowing us to offer future improvements to the site. However, cookies that we generate contain no identifiable information about you, any children that may visit this site, or your computer.

Any information collected or used through this medium requires a user to provide such information voluntarily. Upon receiving such information through the registration for receiving a newsletter or request for further assistance from the organization, this information is then treated the same as other personal information collected through other activities or methods and treated as if the individual consented to its use and collection.

We use password protocols and encryption software to protect personal and other information we receive when a product, service, or donation is made or requested or paid for online. Our software is routinely updated to maximize protection of such information.

This site contains links to other sites. The Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Canada is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such Web sites. Please review their privacy policies for further information.

Retention, Accuracy and Storage of Personal Information

We retain personal information only for so long as is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it was collected and to meet our legal obligations. If personal information is no longer required it will be destroyed or rendered anonymous. Given the nature of our work, and the involvement of children some information is kept for a significant period as defined by best practice and legal requirements.

The Foundation maintains procedures to ensure that the information we collect and use is accurate, up-to-date, and as complete as possible. However we rely on individuals to disclose all relevant information and materials at the time of collection and when we request updates or changes. Individuals may, with proof of entitlement, request to access or that we correct information in our possession. Any updates, changes or deletion requests will be processed as soon as possible, please allow 30 days to process such requests.

Use of Service Providers Outside Canada

There are organizations providing services on our behalf that may process or store personal information outside of Canada.   These organizations process or store personal information for the following purposes; to support our online fundraising tool, email marketing, customer relationship management, and processing of funds.   Whenever we use third party service providers to process information outside Canada we use reliable service providers that use adequate safeguards to ensure the integrity of your information is maintained and to prevent it being lost, stolen, destroyed, or damaged.

Disclosure of Personal Information

Personal information is exchanged within the Foundation and affiliated chapters for the purposes of fulfilling our tasks, activities, and mandate. It is often necessary to disclose personal information in the process of determining eligibility, organizing and fulfilling a wish. We also may be required to disclose information where required by law.  All provincial Chapters of the Foundation are required to maintain and provide the same protections and controls regarding information as outlined in this document. Wherever possible personal information shared is rendered anonymous and will not include personal identifiers.

Contact Information, Access, and Inquiries

We are committed to being accessible and addressing your inquiries, comments, concerns, requests, and questions.

Make-A-Wish invites wish families and donors to contact our Privacy Officer at Make-A-Wish Canada National Office, 4211 Yonge St., Suite 301A, Toronto, Ontario, M2P 2A9 or via email at: privacy@makeawish.ca or telephone 1(888)-822-9474 (WISH) to obtain further information about our privacy program, management of personal information, and request access to, removal of, or correction to personal information. Please note some of your data may still be stored on third party sites. We cannot guarantee the security of email communications over the internet. If you choose to send us personal information by email, you do so at your own risk. 

Any inquiries or requests for access relating to personal information, or our organizations privacy policy on the treatment of personal information should be e-mailed to: privacy@makeawish.ca. We can also be contacted by phone at 1-888-822-9474 and by mail with requests, comments, or concerns. Any contacts regarding individual Chapters will be forwarded to the appropriate person.

Mailing Address:
Attn.: Privacy Officer
Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Canada
4211 Yonge Street, Suite 520
Toronto, Ontario
M2P 2A9

Phone: 416-224-9474
Fax: 416-224-8795
Toll Free: 1-888-822-9474
Email: info@makeawish.ca