Canada's Anti SPAM Law (CASL)

Canada's Anti SPAM Law (CASL) was enacted July 1st, 2014 and takes effect over the following 3 years.  By now, most members will have received requests from charities, non-profit and commercial organisations asking for permission to continue electronically communicating. Sadly the law is ambiguous when considering not-for-profit organisations such as the CVMG, and the fines for non-compliance could be hefty.

The new CASL law basically prohibits sending emails, texts and other electronic messages of a 'commercial' nature to anyone without their express or implied consent. A 'commercial' message is defined as anything that involves a sale or a fee. For organisations such as ours this means:

• Existing members, by virtue of being paid-up members, have given their consent to receive email communication from the CVMG if they have provided an email address as a part of their membership application. All members may edit their profile to remove or change their email address if they wish at any time.  Members may also edit their email preferences in their profile.  Their preferences are effective immediately.
  
• Electronic communication is an important tool for continuing to keep costs to our membership as low as possible, and is encouraged.
• Members who have subscribed to updates from CVMG website forums (Buy, Sell or other) by doing so have given their implied consent to these communications, but may of course unsubscribe if they wish.
• Members acting in an Executive or administrative capacity have, by virtue of their position, given their implied consent to be contacted by other members.