Personal Information Protection Policy
Last updated: October 29, 2026
Mile Zero Tours Ltd. respects your privacy. We collect, use, and disclose personal information to arrange and deliver travel services, communicate with you, and support your safety while travelling. We limit our handling of personal information to purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate.
This policy describes our practices under British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA). We also comply with other applicable privacy legislation, including the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) where it applies to our activities.
1. What personal information we collect and why
Personal information means information about an identifiable individual. Depending on the services requested, we collect:
| Information | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Legal names | To make reservations, issue tickets, issue optional travel insurance policies, identify guests and provide travel and tour services. Names must match the identification required by the relevant travel supplier. |
| Preferred names | To address you in verbal and written communications and include your preferred name on the names-only list provided to fellow travellers on your tour, unless you ask to be excluded. |
| Addresses | To arrange home pick-ups and return transfers, mail tour documents, and send tour catalogues and other marketing materials where permitted by law. |
| Email addresses | To contact you about inquiries, bookings and travel arrangements, and send marketing communications with appropriate consent or other lawful authority. |
| Telephone numbers | To contact you about inquiries, bookings, travel arrangements, itinerary changes, home pick-ups and emergencies. |
| Dates of birth | To arrange travel services, including airline tickets, ferry reservations and travel insurance, and to meet relevant supplier requirements. |
| Food allergies | To advise relevant meal providers and tour personnel of your food allergies so they can plan for included meals. |
| Relevant medical information | For use in an emergency during your tour, including providing relevant information to medical responders to assist with your care. We request only information reasonably needed for this purpose. |
| Emergency contact details | To contact a person you designate only in an emergency when you are unable to contact them yourself. This may include their name, relationship to you and telephone number. |
We also maintain records of your inquiries, bookings, consent choices and communications with us to administer services and address questions or complaints.
We explain our purposes before or when collecting information, unless the purpose is obvious and you voluntarily provide the information for that purpose. If additional information is needed for a particular service, we will explain what is needed and why at that time.
2. Consent and your choices
We obtain consent to collect, use and disclose personal information unless the law permits or requires otherwise. Consent may be written, electronic or verbal, or may be implied where appropriate to the information and circumstances.
For sensitive information, including medical information and food allergies, we generally seek express consent and explain the intended uses and disclosures. Providing information for a booking does not authorize unrelated uses.
You may provide information through an authorized representative. If you supply information about another traveller or an emergency contact, please ensure you have their permission or other lawful authority to do so and make this policy available to them. We may verify a representative’s authority before sharing information or acting on instructions.
You may withhold or withdraw consent by contacting our Privacy Officer and giving reasonable notice, subject to restrictions permitted by applicable law. We will explain any consequences for the services we can provide. Some information is necessary to arrange or safely deliver a requested service; without it, we may be unable to provide that service. We do not require consent to unnecessary collection, use or disclosure as a condition of booking.
3. How we use and share information
We use personal information for the purposes explained when it is collected, including arranging and delivering services, administering bookings, responding to inquiries and complaints, and seeking feedback on our services. We obtain further consent for new purposes unless the law permits otherwise.
Where necessary for your arrangements and supported by consent or legal authority, we may share relevant information with:
- Airlines, rail and motorcoach operators, hotels, travel insurers, local tour operators and other suppliers providing your requested services.
- Our tour directors, employees and contractors who need the information to perform their duties.
- Technology and administrative service providers acting on our behalf.
- Medical responders who need relevant medical information in an emergency during your tour.
- Your designated emergency contact, only in an emergency when you are unable to contact them yourself.
We limit disclosures to the information reasonably required for the identified purpose. We share food-allergy information with relevant meal providers and tour personnel to help arrange included meals. Other medical information collected for on-tour emergencies is reserved for that purpose and may be provided to medical responders. Access by our staff and tour directors is limited to what is needed to hold the information securely and make it available for an emergency response. Any separate use or disclosure requires appropriate consent or legal authority.
To help guests get acquainted, we provide a list of guests’ preferred names to fellow travellers on the same tour. Please let us know before departure if you would prefer to be excluded. This list does not include contact details or other personal information. We do not provide guest contact lists to other travellers without consent. An emergency contact designation does not, by itself, authorize access to all of a guest’s booking or medical information.
We do not sell or rent client lists or personal information.
4. Service providers and information outside B.C.
Travel arrangements may require information to be sent to suppliers outside British Columbia or Canada. Service providers may also process or store information in other jurisdictions. Information held there may be subject to local laws and lawful access by courts or authorities.
We remain responsible for information under our control and take reasonable steps, including appropriate contractual safeguards where applicable, to protect information handled on our behalf. Travel suppliers may also collect and handle information for their own services under their privacy policies. You may ask our Privacy Officer about relevant disclosures and service-provider practices.
5. Marketing communications
We may use your name and mailing address to send tour catalogues where permitted by applicable law. You may ask us to stop marketing mail at any time.
We send promotional emails only with valid express consent or another lawful basis, such as qualifying implied consent under Canada’s anti-spam legislation. Not opting out of this policy does not constitute express consent to promotional emails.
Our commercial electronic messages include required sender information and an unsubscribe mechanism. We process unsubscribe requests without delay and within 10 business days. You may also contact us to change your marketing preferences. We retain appropriate consent and unsubscribe records.
Unsubscribing from marketing does not prevent necessary communications about your existing booking.
6. Handling information without consent
We collect, use or disclose information without consent only where applicable law authorizes or requires it, and only when the conditions for that exception are met. Depending on the circumstances, this may include responding to a qualifying medical or safety emergency, complying with a court order, obtaining legal advice, collecting a debt, or conducting a legally permitted investigation.
Information being available online does not automatically authorize us to collect, use or disclose it without consent.
7. Accuracy and corrections
We make reasonable efforts to maintain accurate and complete information where it may affect a decision about you or be shared with another organization. Please tell us promptly about changes, especially to legal names, contact details, relevant medical needs and emergency contacts.
You may request a correction in writing to our Privacy Officer. Please identify the information and the correction requested. Where a correction is warranted, we make it as soon as reasonably possible and notify organizations that received the information during the preceding year as required by law. If we do not make the correction, we annotate the record with your requested correction.
8. Security and retention
We use reasonable administrative, physical and technical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. Access is limited to people who need it for authorized purposes. We review our safeguards and privacy practices periodically.
We retain information only while it serves the identified purposes or is needed for legal or legitimate business purposes. Information used to make a decision directly affecting you is retained for at least one year after that use, as required by PIPA. When retention is no longer required, we securely destroy the information or remove identifying details.
If a privacy incident occurs, we take steps to contain it, assess the risks, reduce potential harm and prevent recurrence. We notify affected individuals and regulators where legally required and consider notification in other cases based on the circumstances.
9. Access to your information
You may request access to personal information under our control, an explanation of how it has been and is being used, and the names of individuals and organizations to whom it has been disclosed, subject to legal exceptions.
Send your request in writing to our Privacy Officer with enough detail to identify you and the information sought. We may reasonably verify your identity or a representative’s authority and will assist you with your request.
We respond within 30 days, calculated as required by PIPA, unless a lawful extension or other statutory adjustment applies. Under PIPA, a day excludes Saturdays and holidays. An extension is available only on statutory grounds, such as insufficient detail, a large search that would unreasonably interfere with operations, or necessary consultation. We will provide written notice explaining the reason, expected response date and your right to complain to the Commissioner. Extensions exceeding the permitted additional 30 days require the Commissioner’s permission.
A minimal access fee may apply where permitted by law. We provide a written estimate before undertaking chargeable work and seek your instructions. We do not charge for correction requests.
If access is refused in whole or part, we provide the reasons and applicable legal provision, contact details for someone who can answer questions, and information about requesting an OIPC review, normally within 30 days of notification. We provide any portions that can lawfully be separated and disclosed.
10. Questions and complaints
Our Privacy Officer oversees compliance with this policy and applicable privacy law. Please direct questions, requests and complaints to:
Privacy Officer
Mile Zero Tours Ltd.
Email: privacy@milezerotours.com
Telephone: (250) 590-0811
Mailing address: 108-1175 Cook St, Victoria, BC V8V 4A1
We will review privacy complaints and respond within a reasonable time. You may also contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia at www.oipc.bc.ca. Where PIPEDA applies, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada may be the appropriate regulator: www.priv.gc.ca.
11. Policy updates
We review this policy periodically and make the current version available on request and on our website. A policy update does not, by itself, provide consent for a new use of personal information.