Privacy Policy

Privacy Policy

Last Updated: April 7, 2026

Effective Date: April 7, 2026

The Northern Writ (“we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Site”) is an independently owned and operated Canadian news publication accessible at northernwrit.com. We are committed to protecting the privacy and personal information of our readers and visitors in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), and applicable provincial privacy legislation.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect your personal information when you visit our website, subscribe to our newsletter, or otherwise interact with our services. By accessing or using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Privacy Policy.

1. Information We Collect

1.1 Information You Provide Directly

We may collect personal information that you voluntarily provide to us, including:

• Email Newsletter Subscriptions: When you subscribe to The Northern Writ Daily Briefing or any other newsletter, we collect your email address and, if provided, your name. Subscriptions are processed through Buttondown, our third-party email service provider.
• Contact Form Submissions: When you contact us through our website’s contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the content of your message.
• Comments or Correspondence: Any information you voluntarily include in emails, comments, or other communications directed to us.

1.2 Information Collected Automatically

When you visit the Site, certain information is collected automatically through cookies, analytics tools, and similar technologies, including:

• Device and Browser Information: Browser type and version, operating system, device type, screen resolution, and language preferences.
• Usage Data: Pages visited, time spent on pages, referring URLs, click patterns, scroll depth, and navigation paths.
• Network Information: Internet Protocol (IP) address (which may be anonymized), approximate geographic location derived from IP address, and Internet service provider.
• Cookies and Similar Technologies: Data collected through cookies, web beacons, pixels, and local storage as described in Section 3 below.

1.3 Information from Third-Party Sources

We do not purchase or acquire personal information from third-party data brokers. However, our third-party service providers (identified in Section 4) may share aggregated or anonymized analytics data with us in the course of providing their services.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

1. To deliver our email newsletter and daily briefing to subscribers who have provided express consent;
2. To respond to inquiries and correspondence submitted through our contact form;
3. To analyze website traffic and usage patterns in order to improve our content and user experience;
4. To maintain the security and integrity of the Site;
5. To comply with applicable laws, regulations, and legal obligations;
6. To enforce our Terms of Service; and
7. To detect, prevent, and address technical issues, fraud, or abuse.

We do not sell, rent, lease, or trade your personal information to any third party for marketing or commercial purposes.

3. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

3.1 What Are Cookies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your web browser when you visit a website. They serve various functions, including remembering your preferences, enabling analytics, and facilitating certain site features.

3.2 Cookies We Use

The Site uses the following categories of cookies:

• Strictly Necessary Cookies: Required for the basic operation of the Site, including session management and security features.
• Analytics Cookies: Used by Google Analytics to collect anonymized usage data. See Section 3.3 for details.

3.3 Google Analytics

We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with the Site. Google Analytics uses cookies to collect information including:

• Pages visited and time spent on each page;
• Traffic sources and referral paths;
• Approximate geographic location (city/region level);
• Device type, browser, and operating system;
• User engagement metrics (scroll depth, clicks, session duration).

Google Analytics data is processed by Google LLC in accordance with Google’s Privacy Policy. We have enabled IP anonymization where available. We do not use Google Analytics to collect personally identifiable information, and we do not merge Google Analytics data with other personal information we hold.

You may opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on or by adjusting your browser’s cookie settings.

3.4 Managing Cookies

You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or be notified when a cookie is set. Please note that disabling cookies may affect the functionality of certain features of the Site.

4. Third-Party Services

We use the following third-party services in connection with the operation of the Site. Each service provider has its own privacy policy governing the handling of data processed through its platform:

1. Buttondown — Email newsletter delivery and subscriber management. When you subscribe to our newsletter, your email address is transmitted to and stored by Buttondown. Buttondown’s privacy policy is available at buttondown.com/legal/privacy.
2. Google Analytics — Website analytics and traffic measurement. See Section 3.3 above for details. Google’s privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy.

We do not control the privacy practices of these third-party services, and we encourage you to review their respective privacy policies. We are not responsible for the data collection, use, or security practices of any third-party service provider.

5. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as is reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. Our general retention practices are as follows:

• Newsletter Subscriber Data: Retained for as long as your subscription remains active. Upon unsubscribing, your email address will be removed from our active mailing list. Buttondown may retain certain records in accordance with its own data retention policies and legal obligations.
• Contact Form Submissions: Retained for up to twenty-four (24) months from the date of submission, unless a longer retention period is required for legal or administrative purposes.
• Analytics Data: Google Analytics data is retained in accordance with our configured data retention settings and Google’s data retention policies. We have set data retention to the minimum period necessary for our analytical purposes.
• Server Logs: Automatically generated server logs may be retained for up to twelve (12) months for security and diagnostic purposes.

6. PIPEDA Compliance

We comply with the ten fair information principles set out in Schedule 1 of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (S.C. 2000, c. 5), including:

1. Accountability: We are responsible for personal information under our control and have designated a privacy contact person (see Section 11).
2. Identifying Purposes: We identify the purposes for which personal information is collected at or before the time of collection.
3. Consent: We obtain meaningful consent for the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information, except where exempted by law.
4. Limiting Collection: We limit the collection of personal information to that which is necessary for the identified purposes.
5. Limiting Use, Disclosure, and Retention: Personal information is not used or disclosed for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with consent or as required by law.
6. Accuracy: We make reasonable efforts to ensure personal information is accurate, complete, and up to date.
7. Safeguards: We protect personal information with security safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.
8. Openness: This Privacy Policy serves as our public statement of our information-handling practices.
9. Individual Access: Upon verifiable request, individuals may access their personal information held by us (see Section 9).
10. Challenging Compliance: Individuals may challenge our compliance with these principles by contacting us at the address in Section 11.

7. CASL Compliance

We comply with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (S.C. 2010, c. 23) in all electronic communications. Specifically:

1. We only send commercial electronic messages (CEMs), including newsletters, to individuals who have provided express opt-in consent.
2. Every CEM we send includes clear identification of the sender (The Northern Writ), our contact information, and a functional unsubscribe mechanism.
3. Unsubscribe requests are processed within ten (10) business days, as required by CASL, though we endeavour to process them promptly.
4. We maintain records of consent, including the date, time, and manner in which consent was obtained.
5. We do not send CEMs to harvested or purchased email lists.

8. Children’s Privacy

The Site is not directed at individuals under the age of sixteen (16), and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of sixteen. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a child under sixteen, we will take reasonable steps to delete such information promptly. If you believe that a child under sixteen has provided us with personal information, please contact us at the address provided in Section 11.

9. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law and certain exceptions, you have the following rights with respect to your personal information:

1. Right of Access: You may request access to the personal information we hold about you.
2. Right of Correction: You may request that we correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
3. Right of Deletion: You may request that we delete your personal information, subject to our legal obligations and legitimate interests in retaining certain data.
4. Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw your consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and upon reasonable notice. Withdrawal of consent may affect our ability to provide certain services to you.
5. Right to Unsubscribe: You may unsubscribe from our newsletter at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link included in every newsletter email or by contacting us directly.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the information provided in Section 11. We will respond to all verifiable requests within thirty (30) days, as required by PIPEDA.

10. Data Security

We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, destruction, or loss. These measures include, but are not limited to, the use of encrypted connections (HTTPS/TLS), secure hosting infrastructure, access controls, and regular review of our security practices.

However, no method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. While we strive to use commercially reasonable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. You acknowledge that you provide personal information at your own risk.

11. Contact Information

For privacy-related inquiries, requests to exercise your rights under this policy, or complaints regarding our handling of your personal information, please use our contact form.

If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concern, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

12. International Data Transfers

Some of our third-party service providers (including Google and Buttondown) may process or store data on servers located outside of Canada, including in the United States. When your personal information is transferred outside of Canada, it may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is processed or stored. We take reasonable steps to ensure that our service providers maintain appropriate safeguards for the protection of personal information, but we cannot guarantee that foreign jurisdictions will provide the same level of privacy protection as Canadian law.

13. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to modify or update this Privacy Policy at any time. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We may, but are not obligated to, notify subscribers of material changes via email or a notice on the Site. Your continued use of the Site or our services following the posting of any changes constitutes your acceptance of those changes. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

14. Governing Law

This Privacy Policy shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with this Privacy Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario.