Terms of Use and Disclaimer
Effective date: October 1, 2025
About these terms
Please read these terms before using the website. Where we ask you to accept them to activate or continue using a member account, selecting “I agree” confirms your agreement. If you do not agree, do not use the portal and contact us about another way to exercise any membership rights you retain. The review notes at the end of this draft identify the acceptance process to be confirmed before implementation.
Our Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information. Acceptance of these terms is not consent to unrelated collection, use or disclosure of personal information. These terms do not replace our privacy obligations, the society’s constitution or bylaws, or rights and procedures required by law.
Membership and Payments
BCPA membership requires membership in Doctors of BC and satisfaction of the applicable BCPA membership requirements. Doctors of BC collects the applicable membership payments. BCPA does not collect fees or dues directly through this website and does not request credit card or banking details for membership payments.
Questions about payments made to Doctors of BC should be directed to Doctors of BC. Its own terms and policies govern its website and payment services. A BCPA website account does not by itself establish society membership or confer rights beyond those provided by the applicable membership rules.
Information and medical advice
The website provides general information about psychiatry, mental health and BCPA activities, together with educational and professional resources. It does not provide individualized medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Accessing the website, holding a member account or sending us a message does not, by itself, establish a physician–patient relationship with BCPA or any contributor.
Members of the public should seek advice from an appropriately qualified health professional about their own circumstances. Do not disregard professional advice or delay seeking care because of something on the website. The website and its contact channels are not emergency services and are not monitored for urgent clinical needs. In an emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number.
Professional users remain responsible for their own clinical decisions, applicable professional standards and verification of current evidence, prescribing information and local requirements. Educational resources and member discussions do not replace that judgment. Unless expressly identified as an official BCPA statement, a contributor’s views are their own.
Member accounts and access
Access to member resources is limited to eligible members and other users expressly authorized by BCPA. Provide accurate account information, keep your contact details current, and notify us if your eligibility changes. We may verify eligibility using information handled in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
Use your own account and keep its credentials private. Do not share your login or allow an unauthorized person to use your account. Use a strong password, sign out of shared devices and notify us promptly if you suspect unauthorized access. Do not send us your password. You are responsible for your own use of the account and for taking reasonable steps to protect it.
Acceptable Use
- Harass, threaten, impersonate or unlawfully discriminate against another person, or post defamatory or otherwise unlawful material.
- Submit patient-identifying information, clinical records or another person’s confidential information through the website or ordinary email. Removing a name alone may not prevent identification.
- Post material without the necessary rights or permissions, or remove copyright notices or misrepresent authorship.
- Send spam, harvest member contact details, or use the portal for unsolicited marketing. Advertisements and commercial notices are permitted only in areas or circumstances expressly approved by BCPA.
- Introduce malicious software, bypass access controls, attempt unauthorized access, or interfere with the website or other users.
- Copy or redistribute members-only material outside its authorized audience, except where the relevant permission or applicable law allows it.
Submissions and permission to display them
If you submit a post, comment, article, image or other material, you retain any ownership rights you hold. You confirm that you have the rights and permissions needed to submit it for the stated purpose and audience, including permission for any personal information you are entitled to include.
You give BCPA a non-exclusive, royalty-free permission to store, reproduce, format and display the submission, with your submitted name or attribution, solely to administer the relevant website feature and make it available to the audience identified when you submit it. Service providers may handle the submission only as needed to perform those functions for us.
This permission does not authorize unrelated commercial use or publication of members-only material to a public audience. We will seek appropriate further permission before materially changing the meaning of your contribution or using it for a different purpose or audience, unless otherwise authorized by law. We may make minor formatting or typographical corrections without changing its meaning.
You can ask us to remove your submission or stop displaying it by contacting us. We will consider the request promptly, subject to lawful retention requirements and the rights of others. Copies may remain in protected backups until scheduled expiry or in records we must retain, as described in our Privacy Policy. We cannot guarantee retrieval of copies already lawfully downloaded or independently shared by others.
A members-only audience is not a guarantee of confidentiality. Share only information appropriate for that audience. Posting does not entitle you to compensation unless separately agreed in writing, and BCPA is not obliged to publish a submission.
Moderation and restrictions on access
We may restrict or suspend portal access where reasonably necessary to address a security incident, suspected misuse, a material or repeated breach of these terms, or loss of eligibility. Where practicable, we will explain the reason and give the affected user an opportunity to respond. An urgent protective restriction may be imposed first, followed by notice and review as soon as reasonably practicable. You may request reconsideration through our contact form.
A portal restriction does not itself terminate society membership. These terms do not authorize us to bypass the constitution, bylaws or statutory procedures for member discipline or expulsion. If a proposed restriction constitutes member discipline, those procedures apply. We will provide an appropriate alternative means of exercising membership rights that remain in force, including receiving required notices and accessing records or voting where entitled.
Copyright and permitted use of resources
Website content belongs to BCPA or the relevant authors, licensors or other rights holders. Unless a resource specifies otherwise, you may view it and download or print a reasonable number of copies of BCPA-owned material for personal study or your own professional reference, while retaining attribution and copyright notices.
This permission does not authorize resale, republication, public distribution, use of the BCPA logo to imply endorsement, or sharing members-only resources with an unauthorized audience. Resources expressly labelled for patient distribution or another use may be used as stated. Third-party content remains subject to its own permissions. Nothing in these terms removes rights granted by applicable copyright law, including fair dealing.
For permission requests or reports of suspected infringement, contact us and identify the material, its location and the rights involved. Do not include unnecessary confidential information in your report.
External links and third-party material
Links, event listings, advertisements and third-party resources are provided for information or convenience. Their inclusion does not by itself constitute BCPA endorsement of a person, organization, product, service or viewpoint. External websites have their own terms and privacy practices, which you should review before using them.
BCPA does not control external content or services and cannot guarantee their accuracy, availability or security. Any dealings you enter into with another organization are with that organization. This provision does not remove BCPA’s responsibility for personal information under its control, including information handled by service providers on its behalf.
Accuracy and availability
We aim to provide useful information, but content may contain errors, become outdated or omit information relevant to your circumstances. Publication of a resource does not guarantee that it reflects the latest evidence or guidance. Please tell us about material errors.
The website and its resources are provided on an “as available” basis. To the extent permitted by law, we do not warrant uninterrupted or error-free access, completeness, or suitability for a particular purpose. We may update, remove or temporarily suspend website features for maintenance, security or operational reasons, subject to our continuing legal and membership obligations.
Limitations of liability
To the extent permitted by applicable law, BCPA is not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential losses arising from use of, reliance on, or inability to access the website or its content. This limitation does not exclude liability for direct loss, fraud, wilful misconduct or gross negligence, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.
Nothing in these terms waives your statutory privacy rights, removes BCPA’s legal duties to protect personal information, or limits rights or remedies that applicable law does not allow us to restrict.
Changes and governing law
We may revise these terms as the website or applicable requirements change. We will identify the effective date and give reasonable notice of material changes. Where renewed agreement is needed for continued portal use, we will ask for it. Changes will apply prospectively and will not retrospectively expand our rights over existing submissions or personal information without any further permission required.
These terms are governed by the laws of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable there, subject to any mandatory law that applies. Courts and tribunals with lawful jurisdiction remain available. Nothing in these terms prevents a complaint to a privacy commissioner or another competent regulator.
If a provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue to apply to the extent permitted by law. These terms must be read consistently with our Privacy Policy and do not override the society’s governing documents or applicable law.
Contact us
BC Psychiatric Association
Email: contact@psychiatrybc.ca
Mailing address: BC Psychiatric Association c/o Doctors of BC 115-1665 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC, V6J 5A4
For personal information requests or privacy complaints, contact the Privacy Officer identified in our Privacy Policy.