Cookies Policy
Cookies Policy
You should be aware that when you use our websites and apps we may collect information using cookies or similar technologies. When you visit our pages on social media or other websites, the social media site or other website may also use cookies in line with their own cookies policies.
What are cookies and how do they work?
Cookies are small files that are downloaded to your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. Your browser sends these cookies back to the website every time you visit the site again, so it can recognize you. This allows websites to tailor what you see on the screen.
Do you use other technologies which are similar to cookies?
Our websites, apps and emails often contain small invisible images known as ‘web beacons’ or ‘tracking pixels’. These are used in a way similar to cookies, to understand when a particular part of a webpage, email or app is viewed. Our apps often use device identifiers in the same way as cookies as used on web browsers. A device identifier is a unique number on your device which allows us to remember your device. We use these similar technologies on websites, emails and apps, for the same purposes and in much the same way as we use cookies on websites. We will use “cookies” and “websites” below as shorthand for “cookies and similar technologies” on “websites, emails and in apps”.
What do you use cookies for?
Cookies are an important part of the internet. They make using websites much smoother and affect lots of the useful features of websites. There are many different uses for cookies, but they fall into four main groups:
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Cookies that are needed to provide the service you have asked for
Some cookies are essential so you can move around our websites and use their features. Without these cookies, services you’ve asked for can’t be provided. These cookies don’t gather information about you that could be used for marketing or remembering your browsing history. For example:
- Keeping you logged in during your visit; without cookies you might have to log in on every page you go to
- When you add something to the online shopping basket, cookies make sure it’s still there when you get to the checkout
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Cookies used to improve your browsing experience
These cookies allow our websites to remember choices you make, such as your language or region and they provide improved features. For example:
- Remembering your preferences and settings, including marketing preferences
- Remembering whether you’ve filled in a survey, so you’re not asked to do it again
- Showing you information that’s relevant to our products that you have
- Showing ‘related content’ links that are relevant to the page you’re looking at
- Remembering a location you’ve provided us with to provide tailored content
- Linking your browsing history collected by analytics cookies to your registration details to provide you with recommended content and marketing
- Restricting the number of times you’re shown a particular advertisement. This is sometimes called ‘frequency capping’
Cookies are also used to enable social media components on our websites, including embedded content from social media sites such as LinkedIn or YouTube, share buttons and videos. The cookies are set by the relevant social media provider. For more information about these cookies, including how to set your preferences for these cookies, please refer to the relevant social media provider’s website for more information. -
Cookies used to understand how people use our products and services (Analytics)
We like to keep track of what pages, links and sections of our apps are popular and which ones don’t get used as much to help us keep our sites relevant and up to date. It’s also useful to be able to identify trends of how people navigate (find their way through) our sites and if they get ‘error messages’ from web pages. We may use analytics tools that capture how our readers interact with our page content and click/touch, movement, scroll, and keystroke activity.
We use cookies, which are often called ‘analytics cookies’, to gather this information. These cookies don’t store you contact details (such as your name, address and email address). We may, however, combine information collected by analytics cookies with other information that you provide to us. For instance, if you have registered for an account with us, we may combine your contact details and other information you provide to us with the browsing history from your device collected by analytics cookies (including data collected from before you registered and when you are signed-out). We use this information to provide you with personalized content recommendations and marketing communications. We may also use this combined information to improve our products and services. For instance, we may analyze this information in aggregate to improve our advertising systems. -
Cookies used to show advertising that is relevant to you
Some advertising, known as “online behavioral advertising” or “OBA” is tailored to you and uses information collected by first party and third-party cookies. Please see our Privacy Policy above for further information about how we use online behavioral advertising.
We also use may cookies in order to know how many advertisements we serve, how many times these are clicked or hovered over with a mouse cursor, how many advertisements we show to a given user and how many customer actions these generate.
To protect our advertisers’ brands, we often use a technology that scans the page to ascertain that it is safe from profane, sensitive & potentially brand-negative topics, before serving an ad there. This process is called “ad verification”.
We and our advertisers may use information from within our webpages to determine whether you have an ad-blocker enabled. This information may be stored or associated with your device (including through the use of cookies) to re-insert advertisements on our websites and to understand how our customers use ad-blockers. The advertisements that are re-inserted may include those from ad-blockers’ “white lists” or that promote our own products and services.
Our websites do not respond to “Do Not Track” (DNT) browser settings.
Your cookie choices
Please note that our websites, apps and other products and services may not work correctly (or at all) if you change your preferences. For example, you may not be able to purchase products via our websites. However, you may still be able to place an order via our telephone order line. Please consult our websites for more details.
You can usually prevent the operation of web-beacons by changing your web browser cookie settings and your ad choices, or for those in emails, by switching off images in your email client or viewing emails using only the “text” display (rather than “HTML” display”). See the “Help” section of your email client for instructions. Where you use our apps, similar technologies to cookies are used for analytics. Is it not currently possible to opt out of these similar technologies. If you are not happy to be included in our analytics or analysis, please do not use our apps.
Your ad choices
When using a mobile device, you can opt out of receiving online behavioral advertising by selecting ‘Limit Ad Tracking’ in the Settings of your Apple iPhone or iPad, or the “Opt out of interest-based ads” in the Settings on your Android device. You may also be able to reset your unique identifier used for online behavioral advertising (referred to as an “Advertising ID”) in the Settings on your Apple or Android device.
Please note that you will continue to receive advertising, however, it may not be tailored to your likely interests using information collected from cookies and similar technologies on your device.
You may change your social media advertising preferences within the social media site.
Contacting us and accessing your personal information
If you have any queries or comments about this Privacy & Cookies Policy please contact us at [email protected]
If you wish to review or receive a copy of the personal information we hold about you, or further information about how we handle your information, please write to us at:
Data Controller
6940 Mumford Rd Suite 504, Halifax, NS, B3L0B7 – Canada
Email: [email protected]
Where permitted by law, we may charge a small administration fee (not exceeding the maximum permitted) in relation to fulfilling a request for access to personal information.
Complaints
If you are concerned that we have breached a privacy law please send an email to [email protected]. We aim to respond in a reasonable time (normally 30 days). Our Data Protection Officer will manage your complaint and will give you additional information about how it will be handled.
Changes to this Privacy & Cookies Policy
We reserve the right to make changes to our Privacy & Cookies Policy at any time. Where changes are made, we will post the revised Policy here with an updated effective date. Your continued use of our websites, apps, or other products or services will signify your acceptance of these changes.