Small Business Privacy Information

Copyright/Permission to Reproduce

Materials on this Web site were produced and/or compiled by the Canada Business Service Centres (CBSCs) for the purpose of providing Canadians with direct access to information about the programs and services offered by the Government of Canada.

The material on this site is covered by the provisions of the Copyright Act, by Canadian laws, policies, regulations and international agreements. Such provisions serve to identify the information source and, in specific instances, to prohibit reproduction of materials without written permission.

The network of CBSCs encourages linking to our Web site. We ask only that:

  • users exercise due diligence in ensuring the accuracy of the materials reproduced;
  • the Canada Business Service Centres be identified as the source; and
  • the reproduction is not represented as an official version of the materials reproduced, nor as having been made in affiliation with or with the endorsement of the CBSCs.

See link policy for details.

Third-Party Materials

Some of the materials and graphical elements found on the CBSCs Web sites are subject to copyrights held by other organizations. This is particularly true of sites that are jointly operated by a Canada Business Service Centre and its partners, as part of a collaborative agreement. In such cases, some restrictions on the reproduction of materials or graphical elements may apply; it may be necessary to seek permission from the author or copyright holder prior to reproduction.

To obtain information concerning copyright ownership and restrictions on reproduction on this site, please contact the:

Small Business BC
82-601 West Cordova Street
Vancouver, BC
Fax: (604) 775-5520
E-Mail: comments@smallbusinessbc.ca

Small Business BC Privacy Statement

We are committed to providing our visitors with a Web site that respects their privacy. This page summarizes the privacy policy and practices of the Canada Business Service Centres.

  • The CBSCs do not automatically gather any personal information from you, such as your name, phone number, E-mail or street address during your visit to its Web sites. This information is only obtained if you supply it voluntarily, usually through contacting us via E-mail, feedback forms or verbally by telephone during a Talk to Us! session.
  • All personal information you do provide is protected under the federal Privacy Act.
  • Visitor information is not disclosed to anyone except the Canada Business Service Centres personnel who need the information to respond to a request. The information you give us will be shared with another government department ONLY if your inquiry relates to that department.
  • The Canada Business Service Centres use cookies to store a randomly generated identifier for the visit. The cookies do not collect or contain personal information about you. Here is the list of information that the CBSCs are collecting by using cookies:
    • your IP address - the CBSCs make no attempt to link this address with the identity of individuals visiting Canada Business Service Centres sites;
    • the length of each visit;
    • the number of requests per visit;
    • your type of operating system (Windows, MacIntosh, Unix, etc.);
    • your browser type (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc.).
  • By keeping this data, the CBSCs Web site administrators can fine-tune the sites based on user-activity trends.
  • Any personal information you do provide is protected under the federal Privacy Act. This means that you have a right to know when information is being collected, the purpose for which it is being collected and that you have a right to access the information (see listing in InfoSource).

For questions or comments regarding this policy or for additional information about the administration of the Privacy Act at the Canada Business Service Centres, contact us by E-mail.

For more information about privacy on the Internet, visit the privacy pages.

Disclaimer

Information on this site comes from many different federal departments and agencies, as well as external sources and other levels of government. Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy, currency and reliability of the content. Portions of the database are updated daily; however, at any time, some details may not yet reflect recent changes. If this occurs, please contact the Canada Business Service Centre in your province or territory using the toll-free lines and a business information officer will be pleased to help.

Official Languages

The Canada Business Service Centres are bound by the Official Languages Act and relevant Treasury Board policies. All federal programs, services and regulations are available in both French and English. However, users should be aware that some information from external sources is available only in the language in which it was provided.

Link Policy

Links from the CBSCs Web site are related to the mandate and objectives of the CBSCs site as a source of business information for Canadians or businesses operating in Canada. In general, the CBSCs may provide links to the following:

  • Canadian government sites providing business-related information, programs and services;
  • foreign government sites providing information to Canadian companies doing business abroad (i.e. customs, import procedures, tariffs, patents, copyright, trademark, industrial design);
  • commercial business databases, including company directories, available free of charge;
  • sites maintained by CBSCs partners;
  • Internet/Web search engines and directories.

Links to Commercial Organizations
We generally do not provide links to commercial sites. Under some circumstances, the CBSCs will provide links to a commercial organization to provide clients with free information or services useful to a business, where such information is not available from non-commercial sites. The decision will be at the discretion of the CBSC Webmaster.

Request for a Link from the CBSC Site
To request a link to be placed on the CBSC Web site, please contact the Webmaster by E-mail.

In your contact message, please explain how the proposed link relates to this policy and contributes to the objective and enhancement of the CBSCs. Ensure that a return contact name and E-mail address are included. If a proposed link meets the criteria stated in this policy, it may still be declined at the discretion of the CBSC Webmaster. If a link is approved, the administrators of the target site will be informed and the link established.

A reciprocal link back to the CBSC Web site is encouraged.

Guidelines when Linking to the CBSC Site
Webmasters are recommended to follow these steps when establishing external links from your Web site to the CBSC Web site:

  • in addition to linking to specific pages within the CBSC site, also provide a link to the CBSC homepage (http://www.cbsc.org);
  • periodically check the integrity of the links to the CBSC documents;
  • CBSC discourages the use of frames;
  • CBSC content may be used in a framed environment if the third party frame does not exceed 20% of the viewing area