Who We Are
The Canadian Defence Sovereignty Initiative (CDSI) is a Canadian not-for-profit. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and how we protect it.
It applies to our website, to email correspondence, and to our programs: the Defence Innovation & Entrepreneurship Workshop, Discovery, Ignition, Scale, and our Mentorship Network. CDSI is responsible for all personal information described here.
Canadian Defence Sovereignty Initiative1338 Wellington Street West, Unit 10
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1Y 3B7
Information We Collect
We collect only what we need to respond to you and run our programs, and we collect most of it directly from you.
| Who | What we collect | How we get it |
|---|---|---|
| Anyone who emails us | Name, email address, organization, and whatever you choose to include in your message | When you write to hello@wartech.ca |
| Workshop attendees | Name, contact details, organization, and background | Registration |
| Program applicants and participants (Discovery, Ignition, Scale) | Contact details, professional background, venture and technology information, team details, and program progress | Applications, intake interviews, deliverables, and reviews |
| Mentors, board members, and staff | Contact details, professional background, and information needed for security screening | Applications and onboarding |
| Partners and funders | Business contact details and correspondence | Direct contact |
We do not ask for sensitive information such as health or financial account details unless a specific program step requires it, and we will tell you why at that time. Our website does not collect personal information on its own; see Cookies and Website Analytics below.
How We Use Information
We use personal information only for the purposes we identify when we collect it:
- Responding to your inquiries and requests
- Assessing applications and delivering the Workshop, Discovery, Ignition, and Scale programs
- Matching participants with mentors, problem statements, funding programs, and potential customers
- Meeting security and compliance obligations, including the Controlled Goods Program and personnel security screening
- Reporting program outcomes to funders and partners in aggregate form
- Sending updates about CDSI programs and events, where you have agreed to receive them
We do not sell, rent, or trade personal information. If we want to use your information for a new purpose, we will ask for your consent first, unless the law requires or permits otherwise.
How We Share Information
We share personal information only when it serves the purpose you gave it to us for, and only as much as is needed.
- Mentors and review panels see participant materials needed to advise or assess a venture. They are bound by our confidentiality and code-of-conduct terms.
- Government bodies, primes, and funders receive information when we make an introduction or support an application you have asked for. We tell you before we share.
- Security screening authorities receive the information required to process screening you have applied for.
- Service providers that host our website, email, and records process information on our behalf under confidentiality obligations.
- Legal requirements: we may disclose information where the law requires it, such as in response to a court order.
Public reporting of program results, such as founders supported or capital unlocked, is aggregate only. We will not publicly name a participant or company without its consent.
Cookies and Website Analytics
Wartech.ca does not use cookies, tracking pixels, or third-party analytics. Like most websites, our hosting provider may keep standard server logs, such as IP address, browser type, and pages visited, for security and troubleshooting. We do not use these logs to identify individuals.
The Contact page links to Google Maps. If you follow that link, Google's own privacy policy applies. If we add analytics or other tools in the future, we will update this policy before doing so.
Security and Program Confidentiality
We protect personal information with safeguards suited to its sensitivity. These include access limited to staff and mentors who need it, background checks for anyone with program access, and pursuit of CyberSecure Canada certification.
Participants often discuss unproven technology and ideas. Program participants, mentors, and panellists agree to confidentiality and IP-handling terms before they see this material. You keep full ownership of your IP.
No system is perfectly secure. If a breach creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected individuals and any authorities as required.
Retention
We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purpose it was collected, or as long as the law requires. Then we securely delete or anonymize it.
- General inquiries: 2 years after our last contact
- Unsuccessful applications: 2 years, so we can consider you for future cohorts
- Program participant and alumni records: 7 years after your last program activity
- Records required under the Controlled Goods Program or funding agreements: for the period those rules or agreements require
Your Choices and Rights
You can ask to see the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or withdraw your consent to how we use it. Withdrawing consent may limit our ability to support you in a program. You can unsubscribe from CDSI updates at any time.
We will respond to requests within 30 days.
Contact Us
Questions, requests, or concerns about privacy go to:
Privacy OfficerCanadian Defence Sovereignty Initiative
1338 Wellington Street West, Unit 10
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada, K1Y 3B7
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy as our programs and website change. The effective date at the top shows when it was last revised. We will highlight significant changes on the website.