Terms of Service

Welcome to the Federation of Calgary Communities’ members-only online forum! These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of our online forum. By creating an account and participating in the forum, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. User Eligibility and Account Requirements

   To ensure a secure and relevant environment for all participants:

   • Affiliation:Users must be currently affiliated with a member organization or be a recognized partner of the Federation of Calgary Communities. If you are no longer affiliated with a member or partner organization and have not been an active participant on the forum within the year of your terminated affiliation, you will be automatically removed from the forum.
   • Profile Accuracy: Your account profile must include your full name, current position, and affiliated organization. This information helps foster trust and accountability within our community.If you are signing up using a generic volunteer email address (ex. volunteer@communityassociation.com), you agree to inform the Federation of any updates to the email or account owner.
   • Single Account: Each individual may register for and maintain only one forum account.
   • Inactive accounts: All inactive accounts will be deleted after a period equal to or exceeding one (1) year.
2. Community Guidelines & Prohibited Conduct

   To maintain a safe, respectful, and constructive environment, the following actions and content are strictly prohibited. These guidelines are designed to create a welcoming space for all members.

   Respectful and Constructive Interaction
   • Be Respectful: We create a safe space where everyone belongs. Respect each other regardless of gender, sexuality, age, religion, race, culture, beliefs, or abilities. We welcome diverse perspectives and ideas.
   • Constructive Conversation: Keep an open mind and show respect when you disagree. Respond constructively to further the conversation. Seek understanding and ask open questions. Challenge ideas, not people.
   • On-Topic Discussions: Please keep threads on topic. If you have a new question or topic, please start a new discussion in the appropriate area.
   • Privacy: Respect each other’s privacy. Do not share personal or sensitive information about yourself or other members without explicit consent.
   Prohibited Content and Activities
   • Illegal or Harmful Activities:
     • Uploading or linking to malicious software, viruses, or any technology designed to unlawfully access, damage, or disrupt systems or information.
     • Posting content that violates any applicable local, provincial, or federal laws or regulations.
     • Engaging in or promoting any illegal activities.
   • Inappropriate Content:
     • Sexually explicit materials, graphic violence, or disturbing content.
     • Excessive profanity or obscene language.
     • Hate speech, discrimination, harassment, or bullying based on gender, sexuality, age, religion, race, culture, beliefs, abilities, or any other protected characteristic.
     • Personal attacks, insults, or derogatory language directed at individuals (including other users, community members, staff, or public figures).
   • Spam and Commercial Content:
     • Unsolicited advertisements, commercial content, or excessive self-promotion.
     • Spamming (e.g., repeated posting of identical messages, irrelevant content, or disruptive actions).
   • Intellectual Property Infringement:
     • Posting content that infringes upon the copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property rights of others. If you are sharing copyrighted materials, you must provide appropriate credit and ensure you have the right to share them.
   • Politics:
     • The forum is non-partisan. Refrain from mentioning specific political figures or parties.
   • Misuse of Information:
     • Sharing personal or sensitive information about yourself or others without explicit consent.
     • Attempting to collect or harvest private data from other users.
3. Content Ownership and License
   • You retain ownership of any content you post to the forum.
   • By posting content, you grant the Federation of Calgary Communities a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such content in connection with the operation of the forum and the promotion of the Federation’s activities.
4. Uploading Images or Resource Documents

   Users can upload resource documents to the forum, including Word templates, PDF guides, and images. When you upload a document, you confirm that:

   • You have the necessary rights and permissions to share it, and its content doesn’t infringe upon anyone else’s intellectual property or privacy.
   • The document doesn’t contain any malicious software, viruses, or other harmful components.
   • The content of the document adheres to all other provisions of these Terms, including those regarding prohibited content and conduct.

   If you would like to submit a resource for consideration to be added to the Federation of Calgary Communities’ permanent resource library, please contact us directly at connect@calgarycommunities.com. Submissions for the permanent library will be subject to a separate review process.

   The Federation of Calgary Communities reserves the right to review, remove, or restrict access to any uploaded resource document that violates these Terms, at our sole discretion and without prior notice.

5. Content Management

   The Federation of Calgary Communities reserves the right to review, remove, or archive any content, including but not limited to forum posts, discussions, and uploaded documents, that is deemed outdated, irrelevant, or no longer useful for the community. This action may be taken at our sole discretion and without prior notice, in order to maintain a clean, current, and relevant forum environment for all members.

6. Moderation, Enforcement, and Consequences
   • The Federation of Calgary Communities reserves the right, but not the obligation, to monitor all content posted to the forum.
   • We reserve the right to remove, edit, hide, or refuse to publish any content that violates these Terms at our sole discretion, without prior notice.
   • Consequences for Violations:
     • Content Removal/Editing: Posts, comments, or other content found to be in violation may be removed, hidden, or edited.
     • Official Warning: For initial or minor violations, an official warning may be issued to your account.
     • Temporary Suspension: For repeated violations, moderate offenses, or a significant single violation, your account may be temporarily suspended, preventing you from posting or accessing the forum for a defined period.
     • Permanent Termination (Ban): For severe violations (e.g., hate speech, threats, illegal content) or persistent, uncorrected non-compliance despite prior warnings and suspensions, your account may be permanently terminated, revoking all access to the forum.
     • Reporting to Authorities: In cases involving illegal activities or serious threats, we reserve the right to report such conduct to relevant legal authorities.
   • Our decisions regarding content moderation and account actions are final.
7. Appeal Process
   • Eligibility: Appeals are generally accepted for temporary suspensions and permanent terminations. Content removal or editing decisions are not subject to appeal.
   • How to Appeal: Your appeal must be submitted in writing via email to connect@federationcalgarycommunities.com.
   • Required Information:
     • Your full name and affiliated organization.
     • The date and nature of the moderation action (e.g., “Account suspended on [Date],” “Account banned on [Date]”).
     • A clear and concise explanation of why you believe the decision should be reviewed or overturned.
     • Any relevant factual information or context that may have been overlooked.
     • Your acknowledgement of the specific rule(s) you were cited for violating.
   • Appeal Review: Appeals will be reviewed by designated staff members of the Federation of Calgary Communities who were not involved in the initial moderation decision, to ensure impartiality.
   • Decision: The staff will review your appeal and the relevant moderation history. You will be notified of the decision regarding your appeal within 14 business days.
   • Finality of Appeal Decision: The decision made during the appeal process is final and binding. Further appeals on the same matter will not be considered.
8. Privacy

   Your privacy is important to us. All personal information collected through the forum will be handled in accordance with our separate Privacy Policy, which can be found at https://calgarycommunities.com/privacy-policy/. We encourage you to review it.

9. Reporting Violations

   If you encounter any content or behavior that you believe violates these Terms or our Community Rules, please report it immediately using the forum’s reporting tools or by contacting our staff directly at fedyyc@calgarycommunities.com.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

    The forum is provided “as is” and “as available” without any warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. The Federation of Calgary Communities does not warrant that the forum will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

11. Limitation of Liability

    To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Federation of Calgary Communities shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, resulting from (a) your access to or use of or inability to access or use of the forum; (b) any conduct or content of any third party on the forum; or (c) unauthorized access, use, or alteration of your transmissions or content.

12. Indemnification

    You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Federation of Calgary Communities, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including, without limitation, reasonable legal and accounting fees, arising out of or in any way connected with (a) your access to or use of the forum; (b) your violation of these Terms; or (c) your violation of any third-party right, including without limitation any intellectual property right or privacy right.

13. Changes to Terms

    We may revise these Terms from time to time. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated Terms on the forum or through other reasonable means. Your continued use of the forum after such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

14. Governing Law

    These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Alberta, Canada, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

15. Contact Us

    If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at connect@calgarycommunities.com.

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