Clear about what we collect—and why.

The short version

Information you choose to provide

Depending on how you use the site, ABS may collect:

• Contact and contribution forms: your name, email address, message, route information, story or knowledge contribution, volunteer interests, route issue details and related information you choose to submit.
• ABS Updates: your email address, optional first name, the date and time you subscribed, the page where you subscribed, the version of the consent language you accepted, and your subscription or unsubscribe status.
• Correspondence: information contained in follow-up email or other communication with ABS.

How ABS uses this information

ABS uses personal information for purposes connected to the reason it was provided, including:

• reviewing and responding to route submissions, route issues and other contributions;
• communicating with prospective Route Stewards, volunteers and contributors;
• responding to general questions, partnerships or other contact requests;
• maintaining route and stewardship records;
• sending ABS Updates to people who deliberately subscribe; and
• protecting and operating the website and its submission systems.

ABS does not automatically add form submitters or contributors to the updates list.

ABS Updates

ABS Updates is an opt-in email list for occasional non-commercial Society communications such as new routes, Field Notes, stewardship updates and Society news. Entering your email address and selecting Join ABS Updates is the affirmative action that records your subscription.

We keep a record of the date, time, source page, consent wording and consent version associated with the signup. You can unsubscribe at any time using the unsubscribe mechanism provided with ABS Updates or by contacting ABS.

If ABS later wants to use the list for commercial electronic messages, ABS will update the consent process and obtain consent appropriate to that broader use, while also applying the sender-identification, contact-information and unsubscribe requirements that apply to those messages.

Service providers and technical information

ABS uses Cloudflare to host the website, provide security services and store website submissions in Cloudflare D1. Cloudflare Turnstile is used on contribution and contact forms to reduce automated abuse. These services may process technical information such as IP address, browser or device information as part of providing security and infrastructure.

Some route pages embed or link to third-party services such as Ride with GPS, and the site links to external sources such as Government of Alberta pages. Those services operate under their own privacy practices.

Depending on the infrastructure service being used, personal information may be processed or stored outside Alberta or Canada. ABS does not currently use advertising cookies, behavioural advertising pixels or third-party advertising networks.

How long information is kept

Contribution and contact records are kept for as long as they remain useful to the operational, stewardship or correspondence purpose for which they were submitted.

ABS Updates consent records are retained while a person remains subscribed. If someone unsubscribes, ABS may retain a minimal record of the unsubscribe and consent history where reasonably useful to honour that preference and maintain an accurate consent record.

Information may be deleted earlier when it is no longer needed or when an appropriate deletion request is received.

Access, correction and deletion

If you want to know what personal information ABS has about you, correct information you previously submitted, or request deletion, contact us using the address below. We may need enough information to verify that the request relates to you.

Privacy contact

Privacy approach

ABS is being established as an Alberta non-profit society. Alberta notes that the application of the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) to non-profits depends in part on how the organization is incorporated and whether information is connected to commercial activity. Whether or not a particular ABS activity is legally subject to PIPA, ABS intends to use PIPA’s consent, reasonable-purpose and data-care principles as its operating baseline.