Website Privacy Policy
Rideau Dental on 4th Street
Rideau Dental on 4th Street (“we,” “us,” or “our”) is committed to protecting the privacy of visitors to our website and of the patients we serve. This Website Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard personal information that you provide through, or that is automatically collected by, our website at https://rideaudentalonfourth.ca (the “Site”).
We comply with Canadian privacy law, including the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), and — with respect to the health information of our patients — Alberta’s Health Information Act (HIA).
Important: This policy applies to information collected through our website. The collection, use, and disclosure of patient health information at our clinic is governed separately by Alberta’s Health Information Act (HIA) and is described in our HIA Notice provided in clinic. If you have a question about your personal health information, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details at the end of this policy.
Please read this policy carefully. By using the Site, you consent to the practices described below.
Contents
1. Information You Provide to Us
2. Information We Collect Automatically
3. How We Use Your Information
4. Cookies and Similar Technologies
5. How We Protect Your Information
6. When We Disclose Information to Third Parties
7. Service Providers and Cross-Border Transfers
8. Retention of Personal Information
9. Your Rights Under Canadian Privacy Law
10. Children and Minors
11. Email Marketing and CASL
12. SMS / Text Messages
13. Privacy Breaches
14. Third-Party Links
15. Updates to This Policy
16. Contacting Our Privacy Officer
1. Information You Provide to Us
When you interact with our Site, you may choose to provide personal information directly to us. The categories of information you may provide include:
- Identifying details such as your first and last name.
- Contact details such as your email address, phone number, and mailing address.
- Information about your reason for contacting us, such as the dental service you are interested in or details of an appointment request.
- Any other information you choose to include in a message, contact form submission, or newsletter subscription.
We typically collect this information when you submit a contact form, request an appointment, ask a question, subscribe to a newsletter, or otherwise reach out to us through the Site. You are not required to provide personal information to browse most of the Site.
2. Information We Collect Automatically
When you visit the Site, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, log files, and similar technologies. This may include:
- Your IP address and approximate location derived from it.
- Browser type, operating system, and device characteristics.
- The pages you view on our Site, the time and duration of your visit, and the page that referred you.
- Language preferences and other technical information about your device or session.
This information is used to operate and secure the Site, understand how visitors use it, and improve the user experience. It is generally analyzed in aggregate and is not used to identify you personally.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use the personal information you provide for the following purposes:
- To respond to your inquiries, appointment requests, and other communications.
- To provide and administer the dental services you request.
- To send you appointment confirmations, reminders, and follow-up messages where appropriate.
- To send newsletters or updates about our practice, where you have consented to receive them.
- To improve and personalize the Site and the services we offer.
- To meet our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations as a dental practice in Alberta.
We will not use your personal information for any purpose that is materially different from those described above without first obtaining your consent or as otherwise permitted or required by law.
4. Cookies and Similar Technologies
A cookie is a small text file that a website places on your device. We and our service providers use cookies and similar technologies to:
- Operate the Site and remember your preferences.
- Measure and analyze how the Site is used so that we can improve it.
- Support marketing activities, where you have consented to those activities.
Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies through your browser settings. If you disable cookies, some parts of the Site may not function as intended.
5. How We Protect Your Information
We take reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information against loss, theft, and unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These measures include:
- Limiting access to personal information to staff and service providers who need it to carry out their duties.
- Using passwords, access controls, and (where appropriate) encryption to protect electronic information.
- Storing paper records in secured areas of our clinic.
- Training our team on their privacy responsibilities under PIPEDA, PIPA, and the HIA.
No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.
6. When We Disclose Information to Third Parties
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We may disclose your personal information in the following limited circumstances:
- To service providers who perform services on our behalf (for example, website hosting, IT support, email or SMS delivery, appointment-management software). These providers are required by contract to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we authorize.
- To other health professionals or facilities involved in your dental or medical care, with your consent or as permitted by the HIA.
- To insurers, third-party benefit administrators, or government health programs, where you have asked us to submit a claim or as otherwise permitted by law.
- To regulatory bodies, professional colleges, or law enforcement when required or authorized by law (for example, in response to a court order, subpoena, or lawful demand).
- In connection with the sale, financing, or reorganization of our practice, in which case appropriate confidentiality protections will apply.
- In other circumstances where you have given us your consent.
7. Service Providers and Cross-Border Transfers
Some of our service providers may store or process information outside of Alberta, including in other Canadian provinces or in other countries such as the United States. When this occurs, your information may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions, which may permit access by foreign courts or government authorities. We take steps to ensure that any service provider handling personal information on our behalf provides a comparable level of protection to that required under Canadian privacy law.
If you would like more information about our use of service providers outside of Alberta, please contact our Privacy Officer.
8. Retention of Personal Information
We retain personal information only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and to meet our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations. Patient health records are retained in accordance with the requirements of the HIA and the standards of the College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta. When personal information is no longer required, we securely destroy, erase, or anonymize it.
9. Your Rights Under Canadian Privacy Law
Subject to certain limited exceptions in law, you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you and request a copy.
- Request correction of personal information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
- Withdraw your consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.
- Ask questions about our privacy practices or make a complaint.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact our Privacy Officer using the details below. We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request.
If you are not satisfied with our response to a privacy concern, you may also contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (https://www.oipc.ab.ca) or, with respect to matters governed by PIPEDA, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (https://www.priv.gc.ca).
10. Children and Minors
Our Site is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children through the Site without the consent of a parent or legal guardian. If you believe a child has provided personal information to us through the Site, please contact our Privacy Officer so we can take appropriate steps to remove it.
When a parent or legal guardian books a dental appointment for a minor, we collect the information needed to provide care to the child in accordance with the HIA.
11. Email Marketing and CASL
When we send commercial electronic messages to you, such as newsletters, promotions, or practice updates, we comply with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). This means we will:
- Only send commercial electronic messages to recipients who have given us express or implied consent.
- Clearly identify ourselves and provide accurate sender information.
- Include a working unsubscribe mechanism in every commercial electronic message.
- Honour unsubscribe requests promptly, and in any event within 10 business days.
You can unsubscribe at any time by using the link included in our marketing emails or by contacting us at info@rideaudentalonfourth.ca.
Transactional and service-related messages — such as appointment confirmations, reminders, and responses to inquiries you have submitted to us — are not commercial electronic messages and will continue even if you have unsubscribed from our marketing communications.
12. SMS / Text Messages
You are not required to consent to receive text messages from us in order to receive dental care. If you provide your mobile phone number and opt in, you consent to receive SMS messages from Rideau Dental on 4th Street relating to your inquiry, appointments, or our services.
Standard messaging disclosures
- Message frequency may vary depending on your interactions with us.
- Standard message and data rates from your mobile carrier may apply.
- You can opt out at any time by replying STOP to any message you receive from us.
- For assistance, reply HELP, email info@rideaudentalonfourth.ca, or call (403) 228-3966.
- Opting out may limit our ability to communicate with you about appointments and services, but will not affect your access to care.
Sharing of SMS information
We do not sell, rent, or share your mobile phone number or SMS consent with third parties for their marketing purposes. We may share information with service providers (for example, an SMS delivery platform) only as needed to send you the messages you have requested, and on terms consistent with this policy.
13. Privacy Breaches
We take privacy breaches seriously. If a breach involving your personal information occurs and there is a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and report the breach to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta as required by Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act. Where applicable, we will also comply with the breach-notification requirements of the Health Information Act and PIPEDA.
14. Third-Party Links
Our Site may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third parties. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any third-party site you visit before providing personal information.
15. Updates to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other reasons. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date at the bottom of this page and post the updated version on the Site. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.
16. Contacting Our Privacy Officer
If you have questions, concerns, or requests about this policy or our handling of your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer:
Privacy Officer
Rideau Dental on 4th Street
303, 1711 4th Street SW
Calgary, Alberta T2S 1V8
Canada
Phone: (403) 228-3966
Email: info@rideaudentalonfourth.ca
Website: https://rideaudentalonfourth.ca
Last updated: May 5, 2026