Terms & Conditions

The Foundation for Local Journalism tells the stories of British Columbia’s communities with an independent and nonpartisan voice. Guided by truth, fairness, and accuracy, we approach our work with open minds, question our assumptions, and seek out diverse perspectives from across the province. Our goal is to reflect the experiences, challenges, and achievements of the people who call British Columbia home, while connecting readers and reporters for a more engaged and supportive community.

Ethics Policy

All Foundation for Local Journalism employees, volunteers, and reporters adhere to our strict ethical standards to prevent coercion, compromise, or conflict of interest, actual or perceived.

Our Ethical standards

  • Truth is our currency. We accept nothing less.
  • We aim to do no harm while recognizing that the truth can be uncomfortable and difficult for some readers.
  • We work collaboratively, with respect, honesty, and integrity, together at the foundation and the newsroom, as well as with our sources and readers.
  • We aim to prevent conflicts of interest. When a conflict of interest is unavoidable, we rethink the piece, and if we pursue the story, we disclose the conflict publicly.
  • We are independent from outside influence, and we are 100% transparent about our funding.
  • We aim to prevent errors of writing and omission, but when these do occur, we correct mistakes within 24 hours of being notified, and we post that the story has been amended.

SIDE GIGS AND SUCH

We run on freelancing. Today’s economy demands that people have multiple streams of income. We review these with our staff, volunteers, and reporters to ensure no conflicts arise.

FINANCIAL GIFT POLICY

Our work is made possible by the generous support of individuals, small to large businesses and corporations, foundations, and other entities for purposes that help us further and fulfill our mission. The following guidelines govern acceptance of gifts made to the Foundation for Local Journalism.

  • We are committed to full transparency of all sources of funding. We publicly disclose all supporters who have given a total of $1,000 or more and their cumulative giving.  All donors who give $1,000 or more must agree to our Editorial Independence policy. 
  • We do not accept gifts exceeding $1,000 from current elected officials, members of the legislature, candidates running for those offices, or cabinet-level office holders.
  • We do not accept support from political campaigns, political action committees, or political organizations.

Learn more about the ways to support the Foundation for Local Journalism.

Editorial Independence

The Foundation for Local Journalism retains complete authority over its editorial content to safeguard our journalistic integrity and business interests. We maintain a strict separation between editorial decision-making and revenue sources. Financial support—whether in the form of gifts, grants, or sponsorships—does not imply endorsement of any donor, their products, services, or views.

We welcome contributions from individuals and organizations to support our mission, but all editorial judgments are made independently and never influenced by donor support. Donors have no right to assign, review, or edit content. When coverage includes a supporter, we disclose that relationship at the end of the relevant story. We publicly list all donors who contribute $1,000 or more.

We do not accept donations from government entities, political parties, elected officials, or candidates for public office, nor from any source that would create a conflict of interest or compromise our independence.

This policy is adapted from guidelines issued by the Institute for Nonprofit News.

Terms and Conditions

Welcome to https://localobserver.ca/mystaging01. This website is owned and operated by the Foundation for Local Journalism (Local Observer). By visiting our website and accessing the information, resources, services, and tools we provide, you understand and agree to accept and adhere to the following terms and conditions as stated in this policy (hereafter referred to as ‘User Agreement’), along with the terms and conditions as stated in our Privacy Policy (please refer to the Privacy Policy for more information).

This agreement is in effect as of August 7, 2025.

We reserve the right to change this User Agreement from time to time without notice. You acknowledge and agree that it is your responsibility to review this User Agreement periodically to familiarize yourself with any modifications. Your continued use of this site after such modifications will constitute acknowledgment and agreement of the modified terms and conditions.

Responsible Use and Conduct 

By visiting our website and accessing the information, resources, services, and tools we provide for you, either directly or indirectly (hereafter referred to as ‘Resources’), you agree to use these Resources only for the purposes intended as permitted by (a) the terms of this User Agreement, and (b) applicable laws, regulations and generally accepted online practices or guidelines.

Wherein, you understand that:

a. In order to access our Resources, you may be required to provide certain information about yourself (such as identification, contact details, etc.) as part of the registration process, or as part of your ability to use the Resources. You agree that any information you provide will always be accurate, correct, and up to date.

b. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of any login information associated with any account you use to access our Resources. Accordingly, you are responsible for all activities that occur under your account/s.

c. Accessing (or attempting to access) any of our Resources by any means other than through the means we provide, is strictly prohibited. You specifically agree not to access (or attempt to access) any of our Resources through any automated, unethical or unconventional means.

d. Engaging in any activity that disrupts or interferes with our Resources, including the servers and/or networks to which our Resources are located or connected, is strictly prohibited.

e. Attempting to copy, duplicate, reproduce, sell, trade, or resell our Resources is strictly prohibited.

f. You are solely responsible for any consequences, losses, or damages that we may directly or indirectly incur or suffer due to any unauthorized activities conducted by you, as explained above, and may incur criminal or civil liability.

g. We may provide various open communication tools on our website, such as blog comments, blog posts, public chat, forums, message boards, newsgroups, product ratings and reviews, various social media services, etc. You understand that generally we do not pre-screen or monitor the content posted by users of these various communication tools, which means that if you choose to use these tools to submit any type of content to our website, then it is your personal responsibility to use these tools in a responsible and ethical manner. By posting information or otherwise using any open communication tools as mentioned, you agree that you will not upload, post, share, or otherwise distribute any content that:

i. Is illegal, threatening, defamatory, abusive, harassing, degrading, intimidating, fraudulent, deceptive, invasive, racist, or contains any type of suggestive, inappropriate, or explicit language;

ii. Infringes on any trademark, patent, trade secret, copyright, or other proprietary right of any party;

iii. Contains any type of unauthorized or unsolicited advertising;

iv. Impersonates any person or entity, including any employees or representatives.

We have the right at our sole discretion to remove any content that, we feel in our judgment does not comply with this User Agreement, along with any content that we feel is otherwise offensive, harmful, objectionable, inaccurate, or violates any 3rd party copyrights or trademarks. We are not responsible for any delay or failure in removing such content. If you post content that we choose to remove, you hereby consent to such removal, and consent to waive any claim against us.

h. We do not assume any liability for any content posted by you or any other 3rd party users of our website. However, any content posted by you using any open communication tools on our website, provided that it doesn’t violate or infringe on any 3rd party copyrights or trademarks, becomes the property of Foundation for Local Journalism, and as such, gives us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, exclusive license to reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, publish, publicly display and/or distribute as we see fit. This only refers and applies to content posted via open communication tools as described, and does not refer to information that is provided as part of the registration process, necessary in order to use our Resources. All information provided as part of our registration process is covered by our privacy policy.

i. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Foundation for Local Journalism and any affiliates, and their directors, officers, managers, employees, donors, agents, and licensors, from and against all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, resulting from any violation of this User Agreement or the failure to fulfill any obligations relating to your account incurred by you or any other person using your account. We reserve the right to take over the exclusive defense of any claim for which we are entitled to indemnification under this User Agreement. In such event, you shall provide us with such cooperation as is reasonably requested by us.

Limitation of Warranties 

By using our website, you understand and agree that all Resources we provide are “as is” and “as available”. This means that we do not represent or warrant to you that:

i) the use of our Resources will meet your needs or requirements.

ii) the use of our Resources will be uninterrupted, timely, secure or free from errors.

iii) the information obtained by using our Resources will be accurate or reliable, and

iv) any defects in the operation or functionality of any Resources we provide will be repaired or corrected.

Furthermore, you understand and agree that:

v) any content downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of our Resources is done at your own discretion and risk, and that you are solely responsible for any damage to your computer or other devices for any loss of data that may result from the download of such content.

vi) no information or advice, whether expressed, implied, oral or written, obtained by you from Foundation for Local Journalism or through any Resources we provide shall create any warranty, guarantee, or conditions of any kind, except for those expressly outlined in this User Agreement.

Limitation of Liability 

In conjunction with the Limitation of Warranties as explained above, you expressly understand and agree that any claim against us shall be limited to the amount you paid, if any, for use of products and/or services. Foundation for Local Journalism will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential or exemplary loss or damages which may be incurred by you as a result of using our Resources, or as a result of any changes, data loss or corruption, cancellation, loss of access, or downtime to the full extent that applicable limitation of liability laws apply.

Copyrights/Trademarks 

All content and materials available on FreelancerPress.com including but not limited to text, graphics, website name, code, images and logos are the intellectual property of Foundation for Local Journalism are protected by applicable copyright and trademark law. Any inappropriate use, including but not limited to the reproduction, distribution, display or transmission of any content on this site is strictly prohibited, unless specifically authorized by Foundation for Local Journalism.

Termination of Use 

You agree that we may, at our sole discretion, suspend or terminate your access to all or part of our website and Resources with or without notice and for any reason, including, without limitation, breach of this User Agreement. Any suspected illegal, fraudulent or abusive activity may be grounds for terminating your relationship and may be referred to appropriate law enforcement authorities. Upon suspension or termination, your right to use the Resources we provide will immediately cease, and we reserve the right to remove or delete any information that you may have on file with us, including any account or login information.

Governing Law 

This website is controlled by Foundation for Local Journalism from our offices located in British Columbia, Canada. It can be accessed by most countries around the world. As each country has laws that may differ from those of Canada, by accessing our website, you agree that the statutes and laws of Canada, without regard to the conflict of laws and the United Nations Convention on the International Sales of Goods, will apply to all matters relating to the use of this website and the purchase of any products or services through this site.

Furthermore, any action to enforce this User Agreement shall be brought in the federal or provincial courts located in Canada. You hereby agree to personal jurisdiction by such courts, and waive any jurisdictional, venue, or inconvenient forum objections to such courts.

Guarantee 

UNLESS OTHERWISE EXPRESSED,Foundation for Local Journalism EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Contact Information 

If you have any questions or comments about these our Terms of Service as outlined above, you can contact us at: Foundation for Local Journalism, PO Box 31087, RPO Rocky Point, Port Moody, BC, Canada, V3H 4T4.

Grants Policy

Foundation for Local Journalism is funded by generous gifts from individuals, foundations and corporate sponsors, and we are careful stewards of those funds. We sometimes use those funds to make grants to partner journalists or other newsrooms to further our work. We do not allow grantees to take “overhead” or “administrative” or “indirect” costs out of grant funds. The entire grant must be used for the stated purpose. Grant recipients must affirm in writing that they will waive all overhead, administrative, or indirect costs and apply the entire grant to the stated purpose.

Please support Us at this crucial time for journalism in Canada and around the world.