Data Retention Policy
Effective Date: February 23, 2026
1. Purpose
The New Brunswick Highland Games Festival (“NB Highland Games”) collects personal information in order to administer events, registrations, ticket sales, sponsorships, donations, and community engagement.
This Data Retention Policy outlines how long personal information is retained and how it is securely disposed of, in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and best practices for Canadian non-profit organizations.
2. Retention Principles
NB Highland Games follows these principles when retaining personal information:
- Personal information is retained only as long as necessary to fulfill identified purposes.
- Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and legal, financial, or operational requirements.
- Access to retained information is limited to authorized staff, volunteers, or committee members.
- Personal information is securely destroyed, deleted, or anonymized when no longer required.
3. Data Retention Schedule
| Data Type | Purpose | Retention Period | Primary Storage | Disposal Method |
| Ticket sales records | Financial & audit | 7 years | Ticketpro | Secure deletion |
| Donation records | Financial & audit | 7 years | Square | Secure deletion |
| Competitor registrations | Event administration | 3–5 years | Jotform | Secure deletion |
| Highland dance registrations | Event records | 3–5 years | Zeffy | Secure deletion |
| Vendor / clan / association forms | Event planning | 2–3 years | Jotform | Secure deletion |
| Volunteer signups | Scheduling & coordination | 2 years | Signup.com | Secure deletion |
| Survey responses | Feedback & planning | 2–3 years | SurveyMonkey | Secure deletion |
| Mailing list subscribers | Communications | Until unsubscribed | Email platform | Immediate removal |
| Sponsor contacts | Relationship management | Relationship + 2 years | Email / Drive | Secure deletion |
| Website analytics | Site improvement | 12–24 months | Google Analytics | Automated expiry |
| Email correspondence | Operational record | As needed | Email accounts | Periodic cleanup |
4. Secure Disposal
When personal information reaches the end of its retention period, it is disposed of using reasonable safeguards, including:
- secure deletion from cloud-based platforms,
- removal from shared drives and email accounts,
- anonymization where deletion is not feasible.
5. Review & Updates
This policy is reviewed periodically and updated as necessary to reflect changes in operations, legal requirements, or service providers.
6. Questions
Questions about this Data Retention Policy may be directed to:
Privacy Officer: Vice President
Email: privacy@highlandgames.ca
