Privacy
Last updated 15 September 2026
The short version
The Kootenay List is a public list of businesses. It is run by Kootenay Made Digital, my web studio in Castlegar BC. I hold business information that is already public. I also hold whatever you send me if you claim a listing or send one in. There is no mailing list. I never run tracking ads, and I do not sell your data. Any business can ask to be removed, and I will remove it.
What I collect
For each business, I hold public information such as its name, town, category, and website. I also hold its phone number and address, but only when they are the business's public contact details rather than a person's. Every listing keeps a note of the source it came from. When you claim a listing or write to me, I collect what you choose to send. That means your name, your role, your email, and anything you write.
How the forms work
The form at /claim has two parts. Each listing also has a small "Spotted a mistake?" form at the bottom. When you press send on any of them, what you typed goes to this site's own server. From there it is emailed straight to hello@kootenaylist.ca through Resend, the mail provider. Resend handles it only to deliver it. Nothing is stored in a database, because there is no database. The email itself is the record, and I keep it only as long as it takes to act on it. If sending fails, for example because the mail service is down, the form offers to open your own mail app instead. Nothing leaves your device until you press send there. The mistake form asks only what's wrong. Your email is optional there, and I use it only to reply.
Cookies and what stays on your device
Google Analytics sets one cookie, which is how it tells a return visit from a new one. There is more on that below. The site also keeps two small things in your browser's own storage. One is the businesses you looked at recently, so the site can show them to you again. The other is the town you picked as yours, so your town comes first. Those two never leave your device, and clearing your browser data clears all of it.
Hosting
Vercel hosts the site. Like nearly every host, Vercel keeps standard technical logs of requests to run and protect its service. Those logs include IP addresses. I do not use them to identify visitors.
Businesses named after a person
Some businesses are named after the person who runs them. British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act sets the rules for how a BC organisation like mine handles that. I go further than it requires. For a business named after a person, I publish only what the business has published about itself on its own website. If they print a number on their own homepage, I show it. Sometimes I can only find a phone number or street address in a licence list, a health inspection, or a professional register. Then I do not show it. Being in a register the law requires you to join is not the same as choosing to be in a directory. And that address is very often a home.
How I use it
I use public business information to keep the List accurate and useful. I use what you send with a claim only to check that the business is yours and to reply to you. I use a mistake report only to check and fix that listing. There is no newsletter or mailing list. I will never use your email to send you anything you did not directly ask for.
Tracking and analytics
No tracking ads, ever. I do not sell or share your personal information. I use Google Analytics to see how many people come to the List and which pages they use. It gives your browser a random number in a cookie and tells Google when a page is viewed, so Google holds those counts for me. I have turned off the settings that would feed advertising, so these numbers are never used to sell you anything or to follow you around other sites. To opt out, install Google's opt-out add-on from tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout, or block cookies for this site.
Removal, correction, and contact
Any business can ask to have its listing corrected or removed entirely, and I will do it. This is a promise, not a process to fight through. Write to hello@kootenaylist.ca with the business name and town. You can also read how the List works and the terms.