Website Terms of Use and Conditions

This website is provided by the Ontario College of Teachers, conditional on your acceptance of the terms and conditions of use set forth below.

By accessing, using and/or downloading materials from this site, you agree to accept and abide by these terms and conditions for each use and each visit to this site. If you do not agree to the policy, terms and conditions, you should not access this site.

1. Changes to Website Terms of Use and Conditions

The College has the sole right to add, change or remove any part of the policy, terms and conditions. If you continue to use this site, you will be considered to have accepted all of the policy, terms and conditions.

2. Privacy Policy

The protection of confidential member information is of paramount importance to the College. In compliance with the Ontario College of Teachers Act, the College also has an obligation to maintain the security of member records. Individual members may access their own information in their private account in the Members' Section of the website.

Each member is required to authenticate their identity to access their private account. No other individuals, other than specifically designated College staff, are able to gain access to this information.

3. Permitted and Prohibited Uses

You may not:

• sell material from this site or reproduce it for sale without the express written permission of the Manager, Communications of the Ontario College of Teachers
• use this site in a way that could damage it or the material displayed on it
• interfere with site security or the security of linked sites
• disrupt or interfere with another person's use of the site
• use or attempt to use another's account, password, system or service without prior written authorization from the College
• use this site or the information on it to send any type of mass email
• attempt to gain unauthorized access to the restricted areas of this site.

4. Proprietary Rights

This site is protected by copyright. You may reproduce material from this site without permission provided that you do not sell or modify it and that you credit the Ontario College of Teachers and www.oct.ca.

5. Online Communities and Other Interactive Areas

The names, graphics, visual identity and wordmarks on this site are the exclusive property of the College and may not be copied, imitated or used in whole or in part without the prior written consent of the Manager, Communications of the College.

6. Links and Third Party Content

Certain links on this site may take you to other websites. The College provides these links only as a convenience. If you use linked sites, you will leave this site. If you decide to visit any linked site, you do so at your own risk.

The College is not responsible for the contents of any such linked page or any other page not under its control.

Links do not imply that the College sponsors, endorses, is affiliated or associated with, or is legally authorized to use any trademark, trade name, visual identity or wordmark, or copyright displayed in or accessible through the links, or that any linked site is authorized to use any trademark, trade name, logo or copyright symbol of the College.

The College does not host a links web page. Links to other websites are only included if they are an integral part of content posted on the website. The College's Manager of Communications has final approval of all posted links.

7. Disclaimers

You acknowledge that your use or reliance on the site, or any documents, materials, resources or references on the site or referred to or recommended through the site, including without limitation any service, product or information, whether provided by the College or a third party (collectively, the “resources”), is at your own risk.

The resources are not intended to provide you or any other person or entity with any advice.

Neither the College nor any member, supplier, agent or representative of the College (collectively, the “representatives”) make any representation or warranty of any kind regarding the resources, which are provided on an “as is”, “where is” and “as available” basis.

The representatives expressly disclaim all representations, warranties and conditions, including without limitation any implied warranties and conditions, including without limitation any implied warranties and conditions of merchantability, satisfactory quality, merchantable quality, title, non-infringement of proprietary rights and fitness for a particular purpose and those arising by statute or otherwise in law or from a course of dealing or use of trade.

The representatives do not guarantee, and make no representation or warranty as to the truthfulness, accuracy, reliability, correctness, currency, veracity or completeness of the resources or warrant that the site (or, to the extent applicable, any resource) will continue to operate, operate without interruptions or that it will be error-free, that defects will be corrected or that it will be free of viruses or other destructive elements.

The representatives have no obligation to maintain either the availability or the currency of the resources or to provide notice of any changes made to the resources, and take no responsibility for the resources or for any damages to users of the resources, however caused.

8. Limitation of Liability

You agree that the representatives will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damages whatsoever, including without limitation direct, indirect, punitive, exemplary, special or consequential damages or other damages (including without limitation damages for harm to business, loss of information or programs or data, loss of profit, loss of savings, loss of revenue) under any legal theory arising out of or relating to the resources or the use thereof or the inability to use the site or the materials in any manner whatsoever, even if any representative has been advised of the possibility of such damage or loss.

In any event, you agree that the aggregate liability of the representatives for all damages whatsoever, whether in contract, tort or otherwise, shall be limited to the amount paid by you to the College, if any, for accessing this site.

All information on this website is available in both French and English. However, users should be aware that some information from external sources is available only in the language in which it was provided.

9. Supplementary Provisions

To the extent this website contains bulletin boards, chat rooms, or other message or communication facilities (including, without limitation, the Teachers’ Network), you agree to use such forums only to send and receive messages and materials that are proper and related to the particular forum. By way of example, and not as a limitation, you agree that when using a forum, you will not:

1. post or otherwise disseminate on or through this website harassing, defamatory, libellous, tortious, offensive, threatening, obscene or otherwise unlawful communications or materials of any kind, or materials which infringe or violate any third party’s copyright, trademark, trade secrets, privacy or other proprietary or property right or that could constitute a criminal offence, give rise to civil liability or otherwise violate any applicable law, or any harmful, disruptive or destructive files, computer programs or similar materials, including without limitation computer viruses, Trojan horses or worms
2. advertise or offer to sell or buy any goods or services for any commercial purpose unless such forum specifically allows such messages
3. conduct or forward surveys, contests, pyramid schemes or chain letters
4.  harvest or otherwise collect information about others, including email addresses, without their consent. The College does not have any obligation to monitor the content of its bulletin boards, chat rooms, or other message or communication facilities. However, the College reserves the right at all times to disclose any information as necessary to satisfy any law, regulation or governmental request, or to edit, refuse to post and remove any information or materials, in whole or in part, that in the College's sole discretion are objectionable or in violation of these terms and conditions.

This website may from time to time contain materials, data or information provided, posted or offered by third parties (which includes, but is not limited to, other members), including but not limited to postings in on-line community discussions (such as, without limitation, the Teacher’s Network). You agree that the College shall not have any liability whatsoever to you for any such third party material, data or information.