Privacy policy

Last updated: October 22, 2026

This policy explains how Premed Mentor (“we”, “us”), operated by authors Colin Whaley and Liam Taylor Ralph, collects, uses, and protects personal information through premedmentor.ca (the “Site”). We aim to follow Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), and applicable provincial privacy laws.

Information we collect

Information you give us

  • Contact form: your name, email address, topic, optional organization, and message.
  • Web Extras password request: your first name, email address, and (optionally) where you got the book.
  • Newsletter: your email address and a record of your consent (date, time and where you signed up).

Information collected automatically

  • Google Analytics (only if you accept): if you click “Accept” in our cookie banner, we use Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use the Site, such as pages viewed, approximate location (city or country), device and browser type, and how you arrived. Google Analytics sets cookies (for example, _ga) to do this. If you decline, Google Analytics is not loaded.
  • Cloudflare: our hosting provider, Cloudflare, processes technical data such as IP addresses and request logs to deliver the Site securely and protect it from abuse. We may also use Cloudflare Web Analytics, which provides aggregate visitor statistics without cookies or tracking you across sites.

How we use your information

  • To reply to your messages and requests, including speaking requests.
  • To email you the Web Extras password you requested.
  • To send our newsletter, only if you have expressly opted in.
  • To understand and improve the Site (analytics, with your consent).
  • To keep the Site secure and prevent spam or abuse.

We do not sell or rent your personal information, and we do not use it for advertising.

Email and consent (CASL)

We only add you to our newsletter if you tick an unticked opt-in box or sign up directly, and we may ask you to confirm by email. Requesting the Web Extras password or contacting us does not, by itself, subscribe you to the newsletter. Every newsletter includes our identification and a working unsubscribe link, and you can withdraw consent at any time by unsubscribing or contacting us.

Cookies and similar technologies

  • Strictly necessary: a cookie (pm_reader) that remembers you entered the Web Extras password, and a small browser storage entry (pm_consent) that remembers your cookie choice.
  • Analytics (optional): Google Analytics cookies, set only after you click “Accept”.

You can change your choice at any time using “Cookie settings” in the footer, or by clearing your browser’s cookies. You can also install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

Service providers

We use trusted service providers to run the Site. They process information on our behalf and only as needed to provide their services:

  • Cloudflare, Inc.: website hosting, security and cookieless analytics.
  • Google LLC: Google Analytics (with consent), and Google Workspace tools (Gmail, Google Sheets and Apps Script) used to receive and store form submissions.
  • EmailOctopus: newsletter list management and delivery.
  • GitHub, Inc.: stores the Site’s code (no visitor personal information).

Some of these providers store or process information outside Canada, including in the United States and the United Kingdom, where it may be subject to the laws of those countries, including lawful access by authorities there.

Retention

We keep contact messages and password requests only as long as needed to respond and for reasonable record-keeping (generally no more than three years). We keep newsletter subscriber information until you unsubscribe, plus a record of your consent and withdrawal as required by law. Google Analytics data is retained according to our Google Analytics settings (no more than 14 months).

Security

We use reasonable safeguards, including encrypted (HTTPS) connections and access-restricted accounts, to protect personal information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we can’t guarantee absolute security.

Your rights

You may ask to access, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you, or withdraw your consent, subject to legal and contractual limits. Contact us and we’ll respond within 30 days. If you’re not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or your provincial privacy regulator.

Children

The Site is intended for students and adults interested in medical school admissions. It isn’t directed to children under 13, and we don’t knowingly collect their personal information.

Changes

We may update this policy from time to time. We’ll post the new version here with a revised “Last updated” date.

Contact

Questions or requests about privacy: use our contact form and choose “Privacy or data request”.