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Cookie Policy

How NorthCode Academy uses cookies and similar tracking technologies.

Last Updated: February 18, 2026

1. Introduction

This Cookie Policy supplements our Privacy Policy, which describes how NorthCode Academy Inc. ("NorthCode Academy," "we," "us," or "our") handles personal data more broadly. This document explains what cookies and similar technologies we use on northcodeacademy.ca, why we use them, and your options for controlling them.

By continuing to browse our website after acknowledging the cookie consent banner, you agree to the placement of cookies on your device in accordance with the preferences you select. You can change your preferences at any time via the "Manage cookie preferences" link in our website footer.

2. What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files that a website places on your computer, tablet, or mobile phone when you visit. They allow the website to recognise your device over time and store information about your preferences or past actions. Cookies are widely used to make websites work efficiently, provide usage analytics, and enable personalised advertising.

Beyond traditional cookies, we also use pixel tags (sometimes called web beacons or tracking pixels) — tiny transparent images embedded in web pages that record page views and specific user interactions. Additionally, certain server-side tracking technologies may transmit hashed data to advertising platforms without relying solely on browser-side cookies.

3. Types of Cookies by Lifespan

  • Session cookies: Temporary cookies that expire when you close your browser. They help maintain your browsing session and are deleted automatically after you leave the site.
  • Persistent cookies: Cookies that remain on your device for a set period (ranging from days to years) or until you manually delete them. They remember your preferences and actions across multiple visits.

4. Types of Cookies by Origin

  • First-party cookies: Set directly by our website (northcodeacademy.ca). These are under our control and are used for session management and storing your consent preferences.
  • Third-party cookies: Set by external services embedded in our pages, such as analytics and advertising platforms. These cookies are governed by the respective third party's privacy policy.

5. Cookie Categories We Use

We organise our cookies into three categories. The categories below match those described in our Privacy Policy.

5.1 Essential Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function. They enable core features such as maintaining your session as you navigate between pages and remembering your cookie consent choice. Because the site cannot operate properly without them, essential cookies do not require your consent and are always active. They do not collect personal information for marketing purposes.

5.2 Analytics Cookies

Analytics cookies help us understand how visitors interact with the website — which pages are visited most often, how long visitors spend on each page, and which referral sources bring traffic. We use Google Analytics 4 with IP anonymisation enabled, meaning your full IP address is never stored by Google's analytics servers. Analytics data is retained for 14 months. These cookies activate only after you provide explicit consent via our cookie banner.

5.3 Marketing Cookies

Marketing cookies are used by advertising partners — specifically Google Ads and Meta (Facebook) Pixel — to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other websites. They enable remarketing (showing ads to people who have previously visited our site), conversion tracking (measuring whether an ad led to a form submission), and the creation of custom and lookalike audiences. These cookies activate only after you provide explicit consent.

6. Cookie Table

The table below lists the specific cookies used on northcodeacademy.ca.

Name Purpose Category Type Retention
_site_session Maintains site session continuity as you navigate between pages Essential First-party Session
cookie_consent Stores your cookie consent preferences (essential, analytics, marketing) Essential First-party 12 months
_ga Google Analytics 4 — distinguishes unique users by assigning a randomly generated identifier Analytics Third-party 2 years
_ga_XXXXXXXXXX Google Analytics 4 — maintains session state and tracks interactions within a session Analytics Third-party 2 years
_gcl_au Google Ads — conversion linker that stores click and conversion attribution data Marketing Third-party 90 days
_fbp Meta Pixel — browser identifier used for ad targeting, remarketing, and conversion measurement Marketing Third-party 90 days
_fbc Meta Pixel — click identifier set when a user arrives via a Facebook ad click Marketing Third-party 90 days

7. Third-Party Providers

The following third-party services may set cookies or receive data from our website when you have given the appropriate consent:

  • Google LLC (Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, Google Tag Manager) — collects anonymised usage data for analytics and conversion/remarketing data for advertising. Google's privacy policy is available at policies.google.com/privacy.
  • Meta Platforms, Inc. (Meta Pixel, Conversion API) — collects page view and conversion event data for ad targeting, remarketing, and the creation of custom and lookalike audiences. Meta's privacy policy is available at facebook.com/privacy/policy.
  • Cloudflare, Inc. (CDN and security) — provides content delivery and DDoS protection. May process IP addresses for threat detection. Cloudflare's privacy policy is available at cloudflare.com/privacypolicy.

We do not permit these providers to use data collected from our website for their own independent commercial purposes beyond the services they provide to us.

8. How to Manage Your Cookie Preferences

You have several options for managing which cookies are placed on your device:

  • Our cookie preferences panel: Click the "Manage cookie preferences" link in the footer of any page on our website. This opens our cookie settings panel where you can toggle analytics and marketing cookies on or off individually. Your choice is stored in the cookie_consent cookie for 12 months.
  • Browser settings: Most web browsers allow you to view, delete, and block cookies through the browser settings menu. Note that blocking all cookies may prevent certain website features from functioning correctly. Consult your browser's help documentation for specific instructions.
  • Google Analytics opt-out: Google provides a browser add-on that prevents Google Analytics from collecting data. It is available at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
  • Google ad personalisation settings: You can manage how Google uses your data for ad personalisation at adssettings.google.com.
  • Meta ad preferences: You can review and adjust your Meta advertising preferences at facebook.com/adpreferences.
  • Industry opt-out tools: The European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance provides an opt-out mechanism at youronlinechoices.eu, allowing you to manage cookies from multiple advertising networks in one place.

9. Consent Under Canadian and European Law

NorthCode Academy complies with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) for Canadian visitors and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) for visitors located in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom. Under both frameworks, analytics and marketing cookies are activated only after you provide explicit, informed, and freely given consent through our cookie banner. You may withdraw your consent at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

Essential cookies do not require consent because they are strictly necessary for the operation of the website. Without them, basic functions such as session persistence and consent storage would not work.

10. Impact of Rejecting Cookies

If you choose to reject analytics and marketing cookies, the core functionality of our website will remain fully available. You will still be able to browse programs, read content, and submit forms. The primary impact is that we will be unable to measure which pages are most useful to prospective students, and you may see less relevant advertising on third-party websites. Our admissions process, contact forms, and program information are unaffected by your cookie choices.

11. Relationship to Our Privacy Policy

This Cookie Policy is part of, and should be read alongside, our Privacy Policy. The Privacy Policy contains detailed information about your rights regarding personal data (including the right to access, rectify, erase, and port your data), how we share data with third parties, international data transfers, and how to contact us with privacy-related requests. The cookie categories described in this Cookie Policy correspond directly to the categories described in Section 4 of our Privacy Policy.

12. Changes to This Cookie Policy

We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the cookies we use, changes in applicable laws, or changes in our business practices. Material changes will be announced via a prominent notice on our website at least 14 days before they take effect. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page will be revised with each update. We encourage you to review this page periodically.

13. Contact Us

If you have questions about this Cookie Policy or wish to exercise your data rights, please contact us: