Privacy policy

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UPDATED VERSION OCTOBER 2023

PREAMBLE

This personal information privacy policy (hereinafter: “this policy”) applies to the Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. website as well as to all confidential information collected by our firm, in accordance with the Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector, as well as any other applicable law or regulation.

In this policy, the terms “we”, “us” and “our” refer to Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc., as well as its head office.

Through this policy, Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. wanted to describe its practices regarding the processing of personal information, including its collection, use, disclosure and retention, through our website or by various means of communication. communication (telephone, Internet, fax or others).

Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. collect, use, disclose and retain various personal information, in accordance with the Civil Code of Quebec and the Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector, while having the confidentiality of said information at heart.

OUR COMMITMENT

At Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc., our activities are based on a close relationship between notaries, support staff and clients.

Our firm offers legal services therefore our clients entrust us with highly confidential personal information.

It is essential for us to maintain this trust and confirm our determination to preserve the security of the personal information shared within the framework of our professional relationship.

WHAT IS PERSONAL INFORMATION?

Personal information is that which relates to a natural person, and which allows them to be identified, which information is confidential, notably, but not limited to, date of birth, social insurance number and driver’s license number. Apart from exceptional cases, they cannot be communicated without the consent of the person concerned.

COMMITMENT OF GUAY & KENNARD NOTARIES INC. REGARDING PRIVACY

Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. is committed to respecting privacy. In this regard, Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. takes all necessary means to preserve the confidentiality of the personal information it has in its possession.

By visiting or using our website and communicating with us, you consent to your personal information being collected, used, disclosed, and retained in accordance with this policy.

PERSONAL INFORMATION COLLECTED

Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. collects personal information in various contexts, such as file management, delivery of service, professional meetings, employment applications, visits to its premises, as well as during use of its website.

Personal information comes from information you provide via forms and/or requests for information from Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc., or from information collected via documents, whether in electronic or paper form.

Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. only collects the information necessary for its activities and implements protection measures upon receipt of this information. In addition, it only collects information that is relevant, appropriate, and limited to the purposes for which it is obtained.

More specifically, we only collect information necessary to carry out the mandates for legal services for which we are retained.

This information is regularly updated during meetings with our notaries or the office staff who provide us with the information to be updated, if necessary.

Personal information relating to specific individuals is confidential. In general, they cannot be shared without the consent of the person in question.

This information may include, among other things:

  • Name;
  • Date of birth / date of death;
  • Social Security number;
  • Copies of pieces of identification (including birth, marriage, and death certificates)
  • Home address;
  • Telephone and fax numbers;
  • Email addresses;
  • Family situation;
  • Civil status/matrimonial regimes / mariage contracts or common-law union contract
  • Income / expenses;
  • Name of lawyer;
  • Name of bank advisor;
  • Name of financial advisor;
  • Contact details of the financial institution;
  • Bank account details (for example: void cheque, bank statements, etc.)
  • Medical data (for example: medical and psychosocial evaluations and certificate regarding the competence of a client).

In order to create, obtain and update records, our clients must sign a consent form which will then be added to their file.

COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Personal information is collected in the following manner:

  • In paper form, on the premises of the office or its subsidiaries;
  • In digital form, stored on the office’s servers, present on our premises or at our infrastructure host;
  • In digital form in the servers of the Pronotaire software used by our firm as part of our professional activities related to the services you request.

PURPOSE OF PROCESSING PERSONAL INFORMATION

Personal information is collected to realize clear, explicit, and legitimate purposes. Depending on the context, this information may be used for the following reasons:

  • Processing of files;
  • Respond to satisfaction surveys and carry out statistical analyzes to improve services and better understand clients;
  • Process employment applications;
  • Meet legal or regulatory obligations;
  • (Improve if necessary)

It is important to emphasize that any processing of personal information is carried out for a specific purpose.

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Personal information is confidential and only members of the Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. team, as well as persons duly authorized by the latter, can access it. This information may possibly be transmitted to control or inspection entities in accordance with applicable legislation or regulations, as well as to authorized third parties.

As notaries and employees of Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc., we are authorized to access personal information, and it is essential that we fully understand the importance of preserving and protecting the confidentiality of this information. Our training clearly instills in us the need to use this information only for the specific objectives intended. Moreover, upon entry into service, employees who are not subject to professional secrecy will have to sign a confidentiality agreement.

Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc. takes all necessary measures to protect and secure personal information, in order to preserve its confidentiality and avoid any alteration, destruction or unauthorized disclosure to third parties.

These measures are put in place during the period necessary for the purposes pursued in accordance with the applicable legislation or regulations. However, there is no such thing as completely secure transmission or storage of information. Therefore, an absolute guarantee of the security of transmitted or stored information cannot be provided.

COLLECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION VIA OUR WEBSITE

A) AUTOMATIC COLLECTION

We may automatically receive certain information when you interact with our website, emails, social media or other online marketing tools.

We could, for example, know:

  • The type of Internet browser or operating system you are using;
  • Your IP address;
  • The pages you visit;
  • The date and time you access these pages;
  • The domain name of the website you just left.

The majority of information transmitted automatically between computers does not identify you.

B) USE OF COOKIES

If your browser settings permit, we may also store certain data on your computer in the form of “cookies” or other tracking or tracing technologies.

Cookies are pieces of information stored on your computer that allow us to recognize it each time you visit our website. We may also use cookies to transmit content or record data (to prevent you from having to re-enter your password, for example). If you wish, you can disable cookies by changing your Internet browser settings. However, this setting may prevent you from fully using all or some of the features of our website.

These cookies do not collect personal information about you.

C) INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE USER

When you interact with Guay & Kennard Notaires Inc., you may send us personal information, in particular, using an online form or by another means, for example:

  • Your identity information (last name or first name);
  • Your contact details (address, email, telephone number, etc.);
  • Your information relating to your professional activity (position, function, etc.) which we can use to respond to your request, manage your profile on our website or to process any other requests for information, if applicable,

You can also send us your information for recruitment purposes, when you apply for a position with our office. In this case, we will only ask you for the information necessary to process your application, for example, your contact details and your curriculum vitae). We will then retain your information in accordance with the policies applicable to our employees. Only authorized people within our office have access to this information.

We do not collect personal or confidential information from anyone under the age of 14 without the express consent of a parent or guardian.

D) SOCIAL MEDIA

Although we prefer to avoid this type of communication method for information security reasons, we may invite you to communicate with us through websites, Facebook, plug-ins and social networking applications operated by third parties. On these platforms, you may give us access to information related to your social media account. We may use this information to validate and personalize your profile on our website.

EXTERNAL LINKS

Links on our website may redirect you to other external sites. Please note that this policy only concerns personal information collected and used on or through our website. We are not responsible for the content or activities of other websites accessible through the links we provide, or for the privacy practices of third parties.

We strongly recommend that you read the privacy policies of these third parties before disclosing any personal information to them. However, we attach great importance to the integrity of our website and welcome your comments on external sites linked to it.

PRESERVATION AND DESTRUCTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

We keep your personal information only for the time necessary and in accordance with our legal and professional obligations, after which it is destroyed or anonymized, but only for serious and legitimate purposes.

WHERE DO WE STORE YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?

All personal information is stored following the requirements of our professional order on our secured server.

POSSIBILITIES RELATING TO THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

Clients are able to receive a copy of this policy and our associated procedures at any time by accessing our page on our website at the following address https://:www.gknotaires.com.

You can request access to your information by sending a written request to our office located at 75, boulevard des Châteaux, Suite 322, Blainville, province of Quebec, J7B 2A4, or by sending an email to our privacy officer for the protection of personal information, Me Jaime Kennard, notary, at info@gknotaires.com. We undertake to respond to your requests as quickly as possible, and at the latest within 30 days following receipt of your request.

At any time, our customers have the option to revoke their consent by contacting our privacy officer. However, it will be explained to them that failure to provide the necessary information could hinder our ability to carry out the mandate for which our services are requested.

MODIFICATION TO THIS POLICY

We reserve the right to modify this policy at any time. We will notify you of changes by indicating the date of the last update at the beginning of this policy. You are responsible for visiting our website to review changes.

We strongly recommend that you read this policy to understand how your information will be used. Any modification to this policy will apply to personal information collected before the effective date of the modified version, as well as to that collected on that date or later.

VIOLATION OF THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION

If we believe that personal information has been handled inappropriately, we will review this policy and make any necessary changes. If necessary, the affected person(s) and our insurer will be notified.

If you wish to express concerns about our privacy procedures or report a violation of this policy, you have the opportunity to file a written complaint with our privacy officer. The latter will contact you to obtain all the relevant details.

Afterwards our privacy officer will analyze the circumstances giving rise to the complaint and determine whether any adjustments need to be made to the current provisions of this policy.

RIGHT OF ACCESS OR RECTIFICATION

You have a right to access or rectify your personal information. If you wish to have access to your personal information or request to have it rectified, you can write to us at the following address: 75, boulevard des Châteaux, Suite 322, Blainville, province of Quebec, J7B 2A4, at attention of the privacy officer for the protection of personal information.

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS AND COMPLAINTS

If you wish to send us your questions or comments regarding this policy or its application, please write to us at the following address: 75, boulevard des Châteaux, Suite 322, Blainville, province of Quebec, J7B 2A4, attention of the privacy officer for the protection of personal information.

We undertake to respond to you as soon as possible to inform you of the measures taken or planned in response to your questions or comments.

If you wish to file a complaint, you can contact the Commission d’access à l’information du Québec by clicking on the following link: https://www.cai.gouv.qc.ca/a-propos/nous-joindre/. However, we invite you to first contact the privacy officer for the protection of personal information at our office.

ACT RESPECTING THE PROTECTION OF PERSONAL INFORMATION IN THE PRIVATE SECTOR

The Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector applies to personal information that a company collects, holds, uses or communicates to third parties, regardless of the medium or the form in which the personal information are retained.

 

Privacy officer FOR THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF PERSONAL INFORMATION:

Name: Me Jaime Kennard, notary

Function: Notary

Telephone: 450-987-0138

Email address: info@gknotaires.com