Privacy Policy
Last updated: September 23, 2026
Mélange Media respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly, transparently and in accordance with applicable privacy laws.
This Privacy Policy explains how Westgate Enterprises, Inc operating as Mélange Media (“Mélange Media,” “we,” “us” or “our”), collects, uses, discloses, stores and protects personal information when you interact with our websites, publications, newsletters, forms, reader-contribution programs and related digital services.
Websites and publications covered by this Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy applies to Mélange Media and the websites, publications and digital platforms that we operate, including:
- Mélange Media at melangeandco.com
- Mélange Media at melange-media.com
- Accessible Journeys at accessiblejourneysmagazine.com
- Accessibility for All at afamagazine.com
- FashionAbility at fashionabilitymagazine.com
It also applies, where relevant, to Mélange Media newsletters, reader-contribution pages, contact forms, marketplace forms and other digital services operated by us.
Third-party websites and services linked from our websites are governed by their own privacy policies.
Who is responsible for your personal information
Mélange Media is responsible for personal information under its control.
Our Privacy Officer is responsible for overseeing our privacy practices and responding to privacy questions, access requests, correction requests and complaints.
Privacy Officer
Mélange Media
300-3665 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC, V5R 5W2
Canada
Email: privacy@readmelange.com
What we mean by personal information
“Personal information” means information about an identifiable individual. Depending on how you interact with us, this may include information such as your name, email address, telephone number, mailing or billing address, information you submit through a form, newsletter preferences, contribution information and technical information associated with your use of our websites.
Information that has been aggregated or anonymized so that it can no longer reasonably be associated with an identifiable individual is not treated as personal information under this Policy.
Information you provide directly to us
We may collect personal information that you choose to provide when you subscribe to one of our newsletters or mailing lists, contact us by email or through a website form, submit an inquiry, enter information in a marketplace or business form, communicate with our editorial or business teams, participate in a reader-contribution program, request information or services, or otherwise communicate with Mélange Media.
The information collected will depend on the nature of the interaction and may include your name, email address, telephone number, organization, job title, mailing or billing address and the content of your message or request.
We ask that you not send sensitive financial information, such as your complete payment card number or card security code, to us by email or through a general website contact form.
Reader contributions
Mélange Media may offer voluntary reader-contribution programs in support of Accessible Journeys, Accessibility for All, FashionAbility and other Mélange Media editorial work.
Reader contributions may be offered as one-time contributions or recurring monthly contributions.
When you make a contribution, we may receive information associated with the transaction, including your name, email address, contribution amount, transaction date, payment status, refund status and recurring-contribution status.
Making a reader contribution does not, by itself, subscribe you to a Mélange Media newsletter or give us permission to send you unrelated marketing communications.
We may send communications that are necessary to administer your contribution, including transaction confirmations, receipts, notices relating to recurring payments, cancellation information, refund communications and responses to support requests.
Reader contributions are also subject to the applicable Contribution Terms available on the relevant publication website.
Payment processing through Stripe
Reader contributions are processed through Stripe.
When you proceed to payment, you may be directed to a Stripe-hosted checkout page. Stripe processes payment and transaction information required to complete the transaction.
Stripe states that transaction information it processes may include information such as a person’s name, email address, billing information, payment-method information, transaction amount and date, payment status, subscription status and refund or chargeback information.
Mélange Media does not require contributors using our Stripe Payment Links to provide their complete payment card number or card security code directly to Mélange Media.
Stripe may process personal information both as a service provider to Mélange Media and, in some circumstances, for Stripe’s own purposes as described in Stripe’s Privacy Policy.
Stripe’s Privacy Policy is available at: https://stripe.com/privacy
Stripe customer portal and recurring contributions
People who make recurring monthly contributions may be able to use Stripe’s hosted customer portal to manage aspects of their recurring payment.
Depending on the portal features we make available, this may include viewing payment information, updating a payment method and cancelling future recurring contributions.
When you use the Stripe customer portal, information you provide through that portal is processed by Stripe in accordance with Stripe’s applicable terms and privacy practices.
Mélange Media may receive information from Stripe concerning the status of your recurring contribution and related transactions.
Newsletter subscriptions and marketing communications
You may choose to subscribe to newsletters or other communications published by Mélange Media or one of our publications.
Where consent is required, we will seek the appropriate consent before sending commercial electronic messages.
Our marketing communications will provide an unsubscribe mechanism where required. You may withdraw your consent to receive marketing communications at any time by using the unsubscribe option provided in the message or by contacting us.
Canadian anti-spam rules generally require consent, sender identification and a working unsubscribe mechanism for commercial electronic messages, and unsubscribe requests must be acted on within the period prescribed by law.
Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not prevent us from sending non-promotional communications that are necessary to administer a transaction, respond to a request or provide information you specifically asked us to send.
Information collected automatically
When you visit our websites, certain information may be collected automatically by our websites, hosting providers, analytics tools and related technologies.
This information may include your browser type, device type, operating system, pages viewed, referring page or website, approximate geographic area, date and time of access, interactions with website content and other technical or diagnostic information.
Some technical information may constitute personal information depending on the circumstances and the applicable law.
We use this information to operate and secure our websites, understand how our content is used, diagnose technical problems, improve website performance and accessibility, understand audience patterns and evaluate the effectiveness of our editorial, promotional and advertising activities.
Google Analytics
Our websites may use Google Analytics or similar analytics services to help us understand website traffic and how visitors interact with our content.
Google states that its standard Analytics implementation can collect information such as user and session statistics, approximate geographic information, browser information and device information. Google Analytics also commonly uses a first-party identifier to distinguish users and sessions.
Google requires websites using Google Analytics to disclose their use of the service and how data is collected and processed.
Google’s privacy information is available at: https://policies.google.com/privacy
You may also be able to limit analytics technologies using browser settings, cookie controls provided on our websites or tools made available by the analytics provider.
Cookies and similar technologies
Our websites may use cookies, pixels, tags, local storage and similar technologies.
Some cookies are necessary for the website to operate correctly. Others may be used for functionality, analytics, audience measurement, advertising or to remember preferences.
A session cookie generally expires when your browsing session ends. A persistent cookie remains on your device for a specified period or until it is deleted.
Where required by applicable law, we will provide choices regarding non-essential cookies or similar technologies.
You may also configure your browser to block or delete cookies. Blocking certain cookies may affect the functionality of some website features.
Advertising and campaign measurement
Mélange Media publishes advertising and sponsored content and may use advertising-management, measurement or campaign-reporting technologies.
These technologies may collect or use technical information concerning website visits and interactions in order to display advertising, measure audience activity, determine how an advertising placement performs, prevent fraud or understand how visitors interact with advertising.
We may provide advertisers with aggregated campaign information, such as impressions, clicks or general audience statistics.
We do not provide advertisers with personal information that directly identifies individual readers for the advertiser’s independent marketing purposes unless we have an appropriate legal basis, including consent where required.
If third-party advertising or measurement technologies collect information directly through our websites, their handling of that information may also be governed by their own privacy policies.
How we use personal information
We may use personal information for purposes that include operating and maintaining our websites and publications, providing information or services requested by you, responding to inquiries, managing newsletters and subscriptions, administering reader contributions, processing and documenting transactions, providing customer support, maintaining website security, detecting or preventing fraud, understanding website and audience activity, improving our editorial platforms and services, managing advertising and partnership activities, maintaining business records, complying with legal and regulatory requirements and protecting our legal rights.
We will not use personal information for a new purpose that is materially different from the purpose for which it was collected without obtaining additional consent or otherwise having authority under applicable law.
Consent and appropriate purposes
We collect, use and disclose personal information for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances and as permitted by applicable law.
Consent may be express or implied, depending on the nature of the information, the purpose and the circumstances.
Where consent is required, we aim to provide information about what is being collected, why it is being collected and how it will be used or disclosed so that individuals can make an informed choice.
BC’s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner explains that PIPA governs private-sector organizations’ collection, use and disclosure of personal information and requires organizations to develop and follow privacy policies and practices.
You may withdraw consent where the law permits, subject to reasonable notice and any legal or contractual restrictions. Withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide a particular service or respond to certain requests.
When we disclose personal information
We may disclose personal information to organizations that provide services on our behalf or assist us in operating our business.
These may include payment processors, website hosting companies, cloud and technology providers, email and newsletter platforms, customer relationship management providers, analytics providers, advertising and campaign-management providers, security and fraud-prevention providers and professional advisers.
These providers may only receive the information reasonably required for the relevant service and are subject to their own contractual and legal obligations.
We may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with applicable law, a court order, subpoena or other lawful process, to respond to an authorized regulatory or government request, to investigate suspected fraud or unlawful activity, to protect the rights, property or safety of Mélange Media or others, or in connection with a prospective or completed sale, merger, financing, reorganization or transfer of all or part of our business.
Where appropriate and legally required, safeguards will apply to information transferred as part of a business transaction.
Information processed outside Canada
Mélange Media uses service providers and technology platforms that may process or store personal information outside British Columbia or outside Canada.
As a result, personal information may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction in which it is processed and may be accessible to courts, law-enforcement agencies or governmental authorities in that jurisdiction where permitted by law.
Federal PIPEDA can apply to personal information handled across provincial or national borders in the course of commercial activities, including by businesses located in provinces with substantially similar private-sector privacy laws.
Where required, we use reasonable contractual, administrative and technical measures appropriate to the nature of the information and the service being provided.
You may contact our Privacy Officer if you would like further information about our use of service providers outside Canada.
Retention of personal information
We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and for legitimate business or legal requirements.
Retention periods may vary according to the type of information and its purpose.
For example, we may retain records associated with financial transactions for accounting, taxation, fraud prevention, dispute resolution and other legal or business-record purposes.
When personal information is no longer reasonably required, we take reasonable steps to delete, destroy, anonymize or otherwise dispose of it securely, subject to applicable legal and operational requirements.
Security
We use reasonable administrative, technical and organizational safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information under our control.
These measures may include access controls, account protections, secure hosting and technology services, security monitoring and limiting access to personal information to individuals who require it for legitimate business purposes.
No method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.
If we become aware of a privacy or security incident, we will take steps appropriate to the circumstances and comply with applicable notification and reporting requirements.
Accessing and correcting your personal information
Subject to applicable law and permitted exceptions, you may request access to personal information that Mélange Media holds about you.
You may also ask us to correct personal information that you believe is inaccurate or incomplete.
We may need to verify your identity before responding to an access or correction request.
Requests should be directed to: privacy@readmelange.com
We will respond in accordance with applicable privacy law.
Requests to delete personal information
You may contact us to request deletion of personal information that we hold about you.
We will consider the request in accordance with applicable law.
We may be unable to delete certain information immediately where it must be retained for legal, financial, fraud-prevention, dispute-resolution or other legitimate purposes.
Where deletion is not possible, we may limit further use of the information where appropriate.
Withdrawing consent
Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw that consent subject to applicable legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.
For marketing emails, you can ordinarily withdraw consent by using the unsubscribe link included in the message.
For other privacy matters, contact our Privacy Officer at: privacy@readmelange.com
We will explain any significant consequences of withdrawing consent where relevant.
Complaints and privacy concerns
If you have a concern about how Mélange Media has collected, used, disclosed or protected your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer first so that we can investigate and respond.
You may also have the right to contact the privacy regulator with jurisdiction over the matter.
For matters governed by British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act, the relevant regulator is the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia.
Social media and third-party platforms
Mélange Media maintains accounts and content on third-party social media and digital platforms.
If you interact with us through one of those platforms, the platform may collect information about you under its own terms and privacy policy.
Information you choose to post publicly, such as a public comment or social media response, may be visible to other users.
We encourage you to review the privacy settings and privacy policy of any third-party platform you use.
Links to other websites
Our websites contain links to websites, businesses and services operated by third parties.
A link from a Mélange Media website does not mean that Mélange Media controls the privacy practices of the linked organization.
When you leave one of our websites, the collection and use of your information by another website or service is governed by that organization’s privacy policy and terms.
Children and young people
Our websites are intended for a general audience and are not designed for the purpose of collecting personal information from children.
We do not knowingly solicit personal information directly from children for reader contributions or marketing purposes.
If you believe that a child has provided personal information to us in circumstances where parental or guardian consent was required, please contact our Privacy Officer so that we can review the matter and take appropriate action.
International visitors
Mélange Media’s publications are available to readers internationally.
Privacy rights and legal requirements may differ depending on where you live.
If a privacy law applicable to you provides rights in addition to those described in this Policy, we will respond to a valid request in accordance with the law that applies in the circumstances.
Nothing in this Privacy Policy is intended to limit a mandatory privacy right that cannot lawfully be waived.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our websites, publications, reader-contribution programs, service providers, business practices or legal obligations.
When the Policy is revised, we will update the Last updated date at the top of the page.
Where a material change requires additional notice or consent under applicable law, we will provide that notice or seek that consent as required.
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
Contact our Privacy Officer
Questions, access requests, correction requests, withdrawal-of-consent requests or complaints concerning this Privacy Policy or Mélange Media’s handling of personal information may be directed to:
Privacy Officer
Mélange Media
300-3665 Kingsway, Vancouver, BC V5R 5W2
Canada
Email: privacy@readmelange.com
Website: melange-media.com
Additional website: melangeandco.com