Your story brings laughter and helps someone feel less lost in the bureaucratic maze.

The Echo program is a newsletter service for the public good, allowing you to share stories that inspire learning and safety improvements — without revealing who you are. 

When you submit, you agree to the following: 

Keep It Anonymous – Do not include any personal identifying information (PII) about yourself or others. This means no names, exact dates, employer names, precise locations, or anything that could reasonably identify a person. We will review and may remove/revise obvious identifiers, but you are responsible for keeping your submission anonymous. If we find PII in your submission, we will delete it as soon as reasonably possible and always within 30 days of becoming aware of it. Because context can sometimes reveal identities, we cannot promise complete anonymity, but we will take reasonable steps to reduce the risk before publication. 

How We Use Your Story – By submitting, you give us a worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual licence to use, adapt, publish, and share your story in any format. You confirm it is your own experience, that you have the right to share it, and that it does not defame or unlawfully target anyone. We may edit for clarity, length, or to remove identifiers, without changing the meaning in a way that misrepresents your story. You keep copyright in your story but, to the extent allowed by law, waive your moral rights so we can publish, edit, and distribute it. 

Privacy & Data Handling – We do not intentionally collect personal information in Echo. Stories are stored and processed using third-party services (such as Google, Microsoft, and Substack etc.), which may store data in Canada, the United States, or other countries. Data stored outside Canada may be subject to the laws of those places, including possible access by government authorities. We follow Canadian privacy laws, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). 

Other Considerations  – We may decline publication if we believe a submission cannot be safely de-identified or poses a legal, personal or other risk to the contributor. Age Requirement: You must be the age of majority in your province, territory, or state (18 or 19) to submit. Governing Law & Disputes: These terms are governed by Canadian federal law and the laws of Ontario. Any disputes will be handled only by the courts of Ontario. Changes to Terms may occur from time to time and the updated version will be posted here, on our website. Submitting after changes means you agree to the latest terms. 

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