Columbia College Vaccine Verification Process

As we prepare for the Winter 2022 semester, we ask every Instructor, Staff and Student to be fully vaccinated and when contacted by Public Health (PHO) to register for the booster shot. 

To ensure the safety of those in the building, the College is asking all community members to upload proof of vaccination to the Columbia Safe app using the instructions below. The College will securely note that you are vaccinated, and will not be storing your vaccination information, simply that you comply. Once your status has been approved, your data will be deleted from storage.  

  1. Download Columbia Safe App (Apple/Google Play)
    • Access weblink here if you do not have a smartphone
  2. Select Vaccine Verification button 
  3. If you are a Columbia College student or faculty/staff member, log-in with your Columbia College credentials 
  4. Once logged in, select Submit Vaccine Verification 
  5. Confirm your details are correct and select Next 
  6. Upload a photo of your vaccine documentation – this can be a photo of your BC Vaccine Passport or the certificate that you received confirming which vaccines you have had and the dates of your doses. 
  7. View the status of you application in the Vaccine Verification area of the app. You will also receive an e-mail when the status of your application has changed.  
  8. Once your application has been verified, your data will be deleted from the system. 

If you who are unable to download your vaccination information, you will be asked to see our nurse, Claire Goth (cgoth@columbiacollege.ca).  

We hope everyone will be vaccinated, however, those who choose not to and wish to enter the building, will need to agree to be tested weekly.  

If you have any questions about the Vaccine Verification Process, contact Rose Black, Assistant Vice Principal at rblack@columbiacollege.ca.  

Privacy Overview 

Columbia College and AppArmor (the service provider) use the following guiding principles regarding end privacy: 

  1. Accountability: Columbia College and AppArmor are accountable for your data. We accept this responsibility and are actively coordinating to ensure that your information is accurate and secure. 
  2. Identifying Purposes: Columbia College and AppArmor are only using the information in the Vaccine Status module for the specific purpose of your vaccine verification application (and subsequent approval). At no time will we use this data for any other purpose or provide it to third parties without your consent. 
  3. Consent: For usage of this app and this feature, Columbia College and AppArmor are requesting your consent to collect and store the data you’ve submitted: Your name, e-mail address and proof of vaccination will be stored securely during the verification process and then deleted. If you do not consent to using this app, you should not use this feature and contact nurses@columbiacollege.ca to verify your vaccine data. 
  4. Limiting Collection: Columbia College and AppArmor only collect personally identifiable information regarding your vaccination status for the specific purpose of your vaccine verification application (and subsequent approval). We are collecting the minimum amount of data as determined by Columbia College. We will not collect any additional information from you. 
  5. Limiting Use, Disclosure and Retention: AppArmor and Columbia College have entered into a contract that limits the use of the data you provide to only app-functions, including the Vaccine Status feature. AppArmor will not disclose your data unless compelled by law or if we have your consent; otherwise, data is not shared with third parties, and we do not sell your data at any time in any way. AppArmor will retain your data in our systems based on applicable regulations, law, and requirements, with an emphasis on minimizing the amount of time we store your data. Once your status application has been approved, your vaccine data will be removed from the system.  
  6. Accuracy: Columbia College and AppArmor will strive to ensure that the data you provide to us is accurate. This includes a simple user interface and validation statements to ensure property information entry.  
  7. Safeguards: AppArmor and Columbia College have entered into a contract which identifies a number of security safeguards that are implemented to protect your data and privacy. Please visit this link for more information on these safeguards. These safeguards also meet the requirements regulations and law regarding the collection, transmission and storage of personally identifiable and personal health information data. 
  8. Openness: Columbia College and AppArmor are committed to transparency with regards to your data. To that end, Columbia College and AppArmor have created this guide and provided options for you to contact us for more information at the buttons below. Both Columbia College and AppArmor are happy to address your concerns regarding data collection and storage. 
  9. Individual Access: Columbia College and AppArmor are informing you of the existence of this data collection activity and possible disclosures by way of this guide. If you would like to see what data we have collected regarding you, it can be requested by visiting https://www.apparmor.com/contact. Please select “Other” and then submit your request. 
  10. Challenging Compliance: If you wish to challenge either your Columbia College or AppArmor’s compliance with the above principles, you may do so by emailing your comments to vaccinepassportprivacy@apparmor.com.