PRIVACY NOTICE
Version 2.0 — August 2026
Nutritional Cove collects and holds personal information from clients who use our services. This Privacy Notice explains what information we collect, how it is used, with whom it may be shared, how long it is retained, and how it is protected. The purpose of this notice is to provide a clear, practical overview of our privacy practices.
For additional information or clarification, you may contact us at info@nutritionalcove.ca. We review this Privacy Notice regularly.
This notice applies to personal information collected through our nutritional therapy services, website forms, communications, booking systems, payment processing, and other related professional activities.
Contents
At a Glance
We collect personal and health information necessary to provide nutritional therapy services, manage client care, process payments, and meet legal and professional obligations.
Information may be collected through forms, consultations, communications, booking and payment systems, website tools, and functional testing providers.
Information is used and shared only where appropriate, including with service providers, testing or supplement providers, healthcare providers (with your consent), professional bodies, or authorities as required.
Your information is protected by reasonable safeguards, restricted access, secure systems, encrypted devices and backups, and confidentiality requirements.
Client records are generally retained for at least 8 years from the last consultation, and financial records for at least 6 years, unless a longer retention period is required. After that, personal information is securely destroyed.
You may request access or correction, withdraw consent where permitted, and file a privacy complaint.
Privacy breaches and cross-border transfers are managed in accordance with applicable privacy laws and safeguards.
Privacy questions or requests may be sent to info@nutritionalcove.ca.
2. Legal and Professional Privacy Framework
We are based in Canada and manage personal information in accordance with PIPEDA and applicable provincial and territorial privacy legislation. As we serve clients across Canada, specific privacy requirements may vary by the client's province or territory of residence and by the nature of the information involved.
We also adhere to relevant professional confidentiality and record-keeping standards for BANT membership and for CNHC registration.
If we provide services to clients outside Canada, additional privacy laws may apply depending on the client's country of residence. For example, services provided to clients in the UK may be subject to UK data protection requirements.
3. Our Services
We provide nutritional therapy services to help clients improve their health through diet and lifestyle interventions. We focus on preventative healthcare, optimizing physical and mental health, and supporting clients with chronic health conditions. Through consultations, dietary and lifestyle analysis, and functional laboratory testing (when applicable), we aim to identify factors that may contribute to clients' health concerns and address them through personalised nutrition and lifestyle programs, supplement guidance, and lifestyle advice.
4. What Personal Information We Collect and How We Collect It
Information Provided by Clients
Clients provide personal information in the following ways:
By completing a nutritional therapy health questionnaire.
By signing the Client Agreement & Informed Consent.
During a nutritional therapy consultation.
Through email, secure messaging, or by telephone.
By making online payments.
This may include the following information:
Basic details such as name, address, contact information, and emergency contact.
Details of contact with us, such as referrals and appointment requests.
Health information including previous medical history, dietary, lifestyle, supplement and medication details, functional test results, clinical notes, and personalised programs.
Contact information for healthcare providers, where provided by the client.
Payment information, processed securely through our booking platform. We do not store full credit card details.
We use this information to provide nutritional therapy services and related care. We collect, use, and disclose personal information only when an appropriate legal, professional, or consent-based basis exists under applicable privacy laws. This may include collecting and using information to provide nutritional therapy services, manage the client agreement, comply with legal and professional obligations, protect health or safety where required, and communicate with clients about their care.
Health information is sensitive personal information. We treat it with heightened confidentiality and safeguards, and use it only where necessary to provide nutritional therapy services, where the client has consented, or where permitted or required by applicable law.
After care is complete, we retain personal information as needed to process any complaint and to meet applicable professional and legal record-keeping obligations. Specific retention periods are set out in Section 9, How Long We Keep Your Information.
Information Received from Other Sources
We may obtain sensitive health information, such as test results, from functional laboratory testing companies. We use this information to provide nutritional therapy services and related care. It is held and processed only where an appropriate legal, professional, or consent-based basis exists under applicable Canadian privacy legislation and, where relevant, any additional privacy laws that apply to clients outside Canada.
Sensitive information may also be obtained from other healthcare providers, but only with the client's express consent. If this consent is not provided, we will be unable to coordinate care with other providers, which may reduce the effectiveness of the nutritional therapy program.
5. How We Use Your Personal Information
We are responsible for personal information in our custody or control, including information collected and used to provide nutritional therapy services. We may use trusted third-party service providers, such as practice management, secure messaging, booking, and payment platforms, to help deliver these services.
When we receive information from third parties, such as functional testing companies or other healthcare providers, we remain responsible for personal information in our custody or control and process it in accordance with this Privacy Notice and applicable privacy laws.
We are committed to protecting personal information, including health and contact information. We do so in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy legislation, any additional privacy laws that apply to clients outside Canada, professional confidentiality obligations, and the privacy standards associated with BANT membership and CNHC registration.
Limiting collection: We limit the collection of personal information to what is reasonably necessary to provide nutritional therapy services, fulfil legal and professional obligations, and communicate with clients. If personal information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was collected, we will securely dispose of it in accordance with the retention periods set out in Section 7.
We may use or disclose personal information where there is an overriding public interest, such as to safeguard an individual or to prevent a serious crime. We may also use or disclose personal information when required by law, for example, in response to a court order.
We may use personal information to send newsletters, updates, promotional materials, or similar electronic communications, but only with your express consent or as permitted by applicable law. You may withdraw consent or unsubscribe at any time.
7. What Are Your Rights?
Under PIPEDA and applicable provincial and territorial privacy legislation, you have rights regarding your personal information, including the following rights:
Right of access: You may request access to the personal information we hold about you. You do not need to provide a reason for your request.
Right to correction: You may ask us to correct or update your personal information if it is inaccurate or incomplete.
Right to withdraw consent: You may withdraw consent to the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information at any time, subject to any applicable legal or contractual restrictions.
Right to complain: You may lodge a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.
Where privacy laws outside Canada apply, you may have additional rights, subject to any applicable conditions or exemptions.
To request access to personal information, please submit a written request to info@nutritionalcove.ca. We will respond within 30 days of receipt, in accordance with PIPEDA.
Under special circumstances, some information may be withheld where permitted by law.
Our response will include the following:
The personal information we hold about you.
The sources from which we obtained the information.
The purposes for which the information is processed.
The persons or entities to whom the information has been shared.
Automated decision-making and profiling: We do not rely solely on automated decision-making or profiling to make decisions about you or your care. All clinical and professional decisions are made by the practitioner, guided by professional judgement.
To exercise any of the above rights, please contact the Privacy Contact at info@nutritionalcove.ca.
8. How We Protect Your Information
We collect, use, and disclose personal information only when there is an appropriate legal, professional, or consent-based basis. We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, or theft.
We treat identifiable health information shared in confidence as confidential. We use and share this information only as needed to provide nutritional therapy services, to coordinate care with the client's consent, to meet legal or professional obligations, or when disclosure is permitted or required by law.
Specific security measures include:
Client records are stored in Practice Better, a secure, encrypted practice management platform that uses robust security measures to protect personal information.
Access to information is limited to authorized personnel who provide or support our services.
Devices used to access client data are both password-protected and encrypted.
Encrypted backups are performed monthly and stored on an encrypted external drive, which is kept separate from primary devices.
External data processors, such as Practice Better, are contractually required to maintain appropriate security safeguards.
9. How Long We Keep Your Information
We retain client records for at least 8 years from the last consultation date, in accordance with applicable professional record-keeping requirements. If provincial or territorial legislation requires a longer retention period, we will retain records for that longer period. We retain financial transaction records for at least 6 years for tax and accounting purposes. Once the applicable retention period has elapsed, we will securely destroy personal information.
10. Data Breach Notification
In the event of a privacy breach involving clients' personal information, we will:
Take immediate steps to contain and assess the breach.
Notify affected individuals as soon as feasible when there is a real risk of significant harm from the breach, in accordance with PIPEDA's breach-notification requirements. We will provide notice without undue delay after the scope and potential harm of the breach have been assessed.
Notify the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada where required.
Comply with any additional provincial or territorial breach-notification requirements that may apply to the client's province or territory of residence.
We will document any breaches, including the date, circumstances, measures taken, and any notifications issued.
11. Cross-Border Data Transfers
Some platforms and services we use to store and process personal information, including Practice Better, may store data on servers outside Canada, such as in the United States.
When this occurs, we take reasonable steps to ensure the following:
The service provider uses appropriate security measures.
We have a data processing agreement in place that includes contractual protections for your information.
The transfer complies with applicable Canadian privacy requirements for cross-border transfers.
Clients are informed of the possibility of cross-border storage.
Where additional privacy laws apply, appropriate safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent protections, are used for international transfers.
Professional correspondence with UK professional bodies, including BANT and CNHC, may involve limited cross-border transfers to the United Kingdom, such as those for complaint handling or professional standards inquiries.
If you have questions about where your information is stored, please contact us at info@nutritionalcove.ca.
12. How Our Website Uses Forms, Cookies, and Analytics
Forms
We may use electronic forms on our website. Forms are transmitted securely and are not stored on the website after submission.
Cookies
Our website is hosted on Squarespace and may use cookies and similar technologies. Some cookies are necessary for the website to function properly, including those for security, navigation, forms, and remembering cookie preferences. Depending on the enabled website features, Squarespace or connected third-party services may also use functional, analytics, performance, or other non-essential cookies to help operate and improve our website.
When non-essential cookies are used, we will aim to provide notice and consent options where required by applicable law. Website visitors can also manage cookies through their browser settings, though disabling some cookies may affect how certain website features function.
Analytics
If Squarespace Analytics, Google Analytics, or another analytics tool is enabled, aggregate analytics data is used to understand website activity and improve the website. Analytics is not intended to identify individual visitors.
13. How to Make a Privacy Complaint
If you have a complaint about the handling of your personal information, please contact us by email at info@nutritionalcove.ca. We will make every effort to resolve your concerns. If the complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may contact the following:
Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada
Website: www.priv.gc.ca
Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376
Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario, or the privacy commissioner or oversight body for your province or territory
Website: www.ipc.on.ca
Toll-free: 1-800-387-0073
14. Privacy Contact Information
For privacy questions, access requests, correction requests, or complaints, please contact us using the details below:
Privacy Contact: Lindsay Muir
Business: Nutritional Cove
Email: info@nutritionalcove.ca
Website: www.nutritionalcove.ca
This Privacy Notice was last reviewed in August 2026.