Bluewater Clinical Research Group (operating as BW Research) Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Effective Date: June 24, 2026
Bluewater Clinical Research Group ("Bluewater," "BCRG," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information and personal health information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect information in connection with our clinical research activities.
Bluewater Clinical Research Group conducts clinical research studies under the direction of its Principal Investigators, Dr. John O’Mahony and Dr. Sean Peterson, in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and ethical standards.
This Policy applies to two groups: (1) individuals who participate or are considering participating in our clinical research studies, and (2) visitors to our website at bwresearch.ca, including those who submit inquiry or interest forms to express interest in our studies. The sections below explain how we handle information in each context.
1. Applicable Privacy Laws
We comply with all applicable Canadian privacy legislation, including:
• Ontario’s Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA)
• Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA)
• Health Canada regulations and Good Clinical Practice (GCP) guidelines
2. Information We Collect
Depending on your interaction with us, we may collect:
Personal Information
• Name, contact information, and date of birth
• Emergency contact details
• Government-issued identifiers where required by law or study protocol
Personal Health Information
• Medical history and health status
• Test results, laboratory data, and study-related medical information • Information related to participation in clinical research studies
Research Study Information
• Screening and eligibility data
• Questionnaires, surveys, and study assessments
• Safety and adverse event information
Website and Marketing Data
• Your name, email address, and phone number when submitted through a website inquiry or interest form
• Study area(s) of interest indicated through your form submission • Technical data such as IP address, browser type, and device information collected through website analytics tools
• Advertising interaction data collected through Meta (Facebook/Instagram) Pixel or similar tracking technologies, where enabled
3. How We Use Information
We collect and use information to:
• Assess eligibility for clinical research studies
• Conduct and manage clinical research
• Monitor participant safety
• Communicate with research participants
• Meet legal, regulatory, and ethical obligations
• Support audits, inspections, and quality assurance activities
• Contact individuals who have submitted website inquiry forms to provide study information and assess potential eligibility
• Send newsletters and other communications to subscribers through our email platform (Mailchimp)
• Measure and analyze the performance of our website and advertising campaigns using analytics tools
4. Consent
Participation in clinical research is voluntary. We obtain informed consent before collecting, using, or disclosing personal or personal health information, except where permitted or required by law.
Consent is typically documented through a Research Informed Consent Form, which explains how information will be handled and the participant’s privacy rights.
Participants may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal and regulatory requirements.
When you submit an inquiry or interest form on our website, your submission constitutes consent for us to use the information you provide to respond to your inquiry and to contact you about relevant research study opportunities. You may withdraw this consent
at any time by contacting us at info@bwresearch.ca. Withdrawal of consent will not affect any processing that took place prior to withdrawal.
5. Disclosure of Information
Information may be shared with:
• Study sponsors
• Contract research organizations (CROs)
• Research Ethics Boards (REBs)
• Health Canada and other regulatory authorities
• Auditors and study monitors
• Third-party marketing and communications service providers, including Meta Platforms Inc. (Facebook/Instagram) for advertising and Mailchimp (Intuit Inc.) for email communications
• Our clinical research management platform (CRIO), used to manage participant records and study operations
Where possible, information is coded or de-identified. Some information may be transferred outside of Canada — including to the United States — as required by study sponsors, regulators, or the third-party service providers described above (including Meta and Mailchimp, which store data on servers in the United States). Such transfers may be subject to the laws of the receiving jurisdiction, which may differ from Canadian privacy law.
6. Cookies and Tracking Technologies
Our website at bwresearch.ca may use cookies and similar tracking technologies to support website functionality and to measure the performance of our advertising campaigns.
We may use:
• Analytics cookies (such as those provided by Google Analytics) to understand how visitors interact with our website
• Advertising pixels (such as Meta Pixel) to measure the effectiveness of our ads and to assist in showing our advertising to individuals who may be interested in our studies
• Essential cookies required for the website to function properly
You may manage your cookie preferences through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of our website. Where required by applicable law, we will seek your consent before placing non-essential cookies on your device.
7. Safeguards
We use administrative, physical, and technical safeguards to protect information against unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, or theft. Access is limited to authorized personnel who require the information to perform their duties.
8. Retention of Information
Clinical research records are retained for the period required by law, regulation, research ethics boards, and clinical trial agreements. After this period, information is securely destroyed or anonymized.
9. Access and Correction
Individuals may request access to or correction of their personal or personal health information, subject to applicable legal limitations related to clinical research records.
Requests must be made in writing.
10. Questions or Complaints
If you have questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or how your information is handled, please contact:
Privacy Officer | Bluewater Clinical Research Group | Sarnia, Ontario, Canada | 519-344-6612 | info@bwresearch.ca
If concerns are not resolved, individuals may contact the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Updates will be posted on our website, and the revised policy will apply from the effective date shown above.
