Privacy

What this policy covers

This policy describes how Birch & Harbour handles personal information collected through birchandharbour.com and through enquiries made by email or telephone. It applies to this website and to the correspondence that follows from a question sent through it. Where a separate document governs a booking or an evening at the tables, that document applies to that arrangement.

This website is intended for adults. Entry to the venue follows an 18+ rule set by the house, and the site is written for visitors who meet it. Information is handled in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy law, and this page sets out the practice in plain terms rather than in legal shorthand.

Information you provide directly

Birch & Harbour receives personal information when someone writes to [email protected], calls +1 (604) 498-6160, or sends an enquiry through a form on this site. That information generally consists of a name, an email address, a telephone number and whatever else the sender chooses to include about the evening being asked about, such as a preferred date or the size of a group.

The venue asks only for what is needed to answer the question or hold an arrangement. Details volunteered beyond that — dietary notes, accessibility requirements, a preferred arrival time — are read for the purpose they were sent for and nothing else. Please do not send payment card numbers, identity documents or other sensitive records by email or through a web form.

Information recorded automatically

Like most websites, this one keeps standard server logs when a page is requested. Those logs record the page requested, the date and time, the browser and operating system identified by the request, and an approximate network location derived from the connecting address. They are used to keep the site available, to diagnose faults and to understand in aggregate which pages visitors find useful.

Cookies and similar local storage are used for a limited set of purposes, including remembering that a visitor has already confirmed the 18+ notice so that it is not shown on every page. The separate Cookies page sets out the categories used and how a visitor can clear or block them in a browser.

How the information is used

Enquiry details are used to respond to the question asked, to check whether a requested date or table is available, and to keep a record of what was agreed. Correspondence may be kept so that a later message can be answered with the earlier context in hand, rather than asking the sender to repeat it.

Aggregated site data is used to keep the website working and to decide which pages need attention. Personal information is not used to build advertising profiles, and it is not sold, rented or traded.

When information is shared

Information is disclosed to the service providers that keep the website and its email running — the web host and the email host — and only to the extent needed to provide those functions. Those providers act on instruction and are not permitted to use the information for their own purposes.

Beyond that, information is disclosed where the law requires it, where a valid legal request is received, or where disclosure is necessary to protect the safety of visitors and the integrity of the premises. Notice is given to the person concerned where the law allows it.

Retention and security

Enquiry correspondence is kept only for as long as it serves the purpose it was collected for, and is then deleted or anonymised. Records connected to a completed arrangement are kept for the period the venue needs them for accounting and operational purposes, after which they are removed.

Access to stored information is limited to those who need it to answer the enquiry. Reasonable technical and organizational safeguards are applied, but no method of transmission over the internet is completely secure, which is why sensitive documents should not be sent by email.

Your access, correction and consent choices

You may ask what personal information Birch & Harbour holds about you, request a correction where something is inaccurate, or withdraw consent to further contact. A request can be made by email or telephone using the details below, and it will be answered within a reasonable period.

Withdrawing consent does not affect anything already done on the basis of that consent, and it may mean that a pending enquiry can no longer be answered. Where information has been kept only because a visitor asked for a reply, deletion is normally straightforward.

Where to send a privacy question

Questions about this policy, requests for access or correction, and complaints about how information has been handled can go to [email protected] or to +1 (604) 498-6160. A short description of the request is enough to start; the venue may ask for confirmation of identity before releasing or changing stored information.

This policy is reviewed when practices change, and the current version is the one published on this page. If a change affects how existing information is used, that will be noted here rather than applied silently.