COOKIE POLICY
This Cookie Policy explains how festivaloflearning.ca (“we,” “us,” or “our”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website. This comprehensive policy provides clear information about what cookies are, the types of cookies we use, why we use them, and how you can manage your cookie preferences. By continuing to use festivaloflearning.ca after reviewing our cookie notice, you consent to our use of cookies as described herein.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet, or other internet-enabled device) when you visit websites. Cookies are widely used across the internet to:
- Make websites function properly and efficiently
- Remember your preferences and settings
- Provide personalized experiences
- Analyze how visitors use websites
- Deliver relevant advertising
- Improve security
Cookies can be “first-party” (set by festivaloflearning.ca directly) or “third-party” (set by other companies through our website). They can also be “session” cookies (deleted when you close your browser) or “persistent” cookies (remaining on your device until they expire or you delete them).
2. Types of Cookies We Use
festivaloflearning.ca uses the following categories of cookies:
| Category | Purpose | Duration | Required? |
| Strictly Necessary | Essential site functionality, security, authentication, load balancing | Session to 1 year | Yes – Cannot disable |
| Performance | Analytics, page load times, error tracking, user behavior analysis | Up to 26 months | Optional |
| Functional | Remember preferences, language, region, personalization settings | Up to 2 years | Optional |
| Targeting/Advertising | Ad delivery, affiliate tracking, retargeting, conversion measurement | Up to 2 years | Optional |
3. Detailed Cookie Inventory
Below is a comprehensive list of cookies used on festivaloflearning.ca:
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for festivaloflearning.ca to function and cannot be disabled:
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
| PHPSESSID | festivaloflearning.ca | Session management | Session |
| csrf_token | festivaloflearning.ca | CSRF attack protection | Session |
| cookie_consent | festivaloflearning.ca | Stores cookie preferences | 1 year |
| age_gate | festivaloflearning.ca | Age verification status | 30 days |
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare | Bot protection & security | 30 minutes |
3.2 Performance & Analytics Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Distinguishes unique visitors | 2 years |
| _ga_* | Google Analytics 4 | Session state persistence | 2 years |
| _gid | Google Analytics | Daily visitor identification | 24 hours |
| _hjSessionUser_* | Hotjar | User behavior heatmaps | 1 year |
| _hjSession_* | Hotjar | Current session tracking | 30 minutes |
| _clck | Microsoft Clarity | Session recordings | 1 year |
3.3 Targeting & Advertising Cookies
| Cookie Name | Provider | Purpose | Expiry |
| affiliate_ref | festivaloflearning.ca | Affiliate referral tracking | 30 days |
| _fbp | Meta (Facebook) | Ad targeting & measurement | 3 months |
| _gcl_au | Google Ads | Conversion tracking | 90 days |
| IDE | Google DoubleClick | Remarketing audiences | 13 months |
4. Managing Your Cookie Preferences
You have multiple options for managing cookies on festivaloflearning.ca:
4.1 Our Cookie Consent Banner
When you first visit festivaloflearning.ca, you will see a cookie consent banner allowing you to accept all cookies, reject non-essential cookies, or customize your preferences. You can change your preferences at any time by clicking “Cookie Settings” in the website footer.
4.2 Browser Cookie Settings
Most browsers allow you to manage cookies through their settings:
| Browser | How to Manage Cookies |
| Google Chrome | Menu → Settings → Privacy and Security → Cookies and other site data |
| Mozilla Firefox | Menu → Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data |
| Safari (macOS) | Safari → Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data |
| Safari (iOS) | Settings → Safari → Privacy & Security → Block All Cookies |
| Microsoft Edge | Menu → Settings → Cookies and site permissions → Cookies and data stored |
4.3 Industry Opt-Out Tools
You can also opt out of specific tracking through these industry tools:
- Google Analytics Opt-out: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
- Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada: youradchoices.ca
- Network Advertising Initiative: optout.networkadvertising.org
- European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance: youronlinechoices.eu
5. Other Tracking Technologies
In addition to cookies, festivaloflearning.ca may use other similar tracking technologies:
| Technology | Description & Purpose |
| Web Beacons (Pixels) | Small transparent graphics embedded in pages/emails to track views, clicks, and conversions |
| Local Storage | HTML5 browser storage for persistent data with larger capacity than cookies (preferences, settings) |
| Session Storage | Temporary browser storage cleared when tab/window closes (temporary UI state, form data) |
| JavaScript Tags | Code snippets that collect browsing information and enable third-party integrations |
Note: festivaloflearning.ca does NOT use device fingerprinting techniques that create unique identifiers based on device characteristics.
6. Impact of Disabling Cookies
If you choose to disable certain cookies, please be aware of the following potential impacts:
- Essential Cookies: Cannot be disabled. Required for basic website functionality.
- Performance Cookies: Disabling may result in a less optimized experience as we cannot identify and fix issues.
- Functional Cookies: Disabling means we cannot remember your preferences, requiring manual selection each visit.
- Targeting Cookies: Disabling means you may see less relevant advertising, but you will still see the same number of ads.
7. Updates to This Cookie Policy
festivaloflearning.ca may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in technology, legislation, our business practices, or the cookies we use. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We encourage you to review this Cookie Policy periodically to stay informed about how we use cookies.
8. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or our use of cookies, please contact us:
Website: festivaloflearning.ca
Privacy/Cookie Inquiries: [email protected]
General Contact: [email protected]
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