Privacy Policy

Your privacy matters to us. Learn how we collect, use, and protect your information.

Last updated: January 2025

IntroductionInformation We CollectHow We Use Your InformationData Sharing and DisclosureData SecurityRetention of DataContact Us

A. Introduction

At 100% Canadian Owned & Operated ("we," "us," or "our"), we value your trust and are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal and business information. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your data when you visit our website and apply for certification.

By accessing our website or submitting an application, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

B. Information We Collect

To provide our verification services, we must collect specific information:

1. Personal & Contact Information

  • Name, email address, phone number, and mailing address of the applicant
  • Business name and contact details

2. Verification & Business Data (Sensitive)

  • Corporate filings, articles of incorporation, or business registration documents
  • Shareholder agreements and ownership structure details
  • Citizenship evidence of shareholders (as required for legal verification)

Note: This data is strictly used for validating your "100% Canadian Owned" status.

3. Payment Information

We use third-party payment processors (e.g., Stripe, PayPal) to handle application and membership fees. We do not store your credit card information on our servers; it is tokenized and processed securely by the provider.

C. How We Use Your Information

We use your data for the following specific purposes:

Verification: To conduct the mandatory legal review and audit of your business ownership status via our network of licensed provincial lawyers.
Certification: To issue your Seal and license number upon approval.
Communication: To send renewal notices, member updates, and critical alerts regarding your certification status.
Advocacy (Aggregated Data): We may use anonymized, aggregated data (e.g., "We represent 5,000 businesses with a total revenue of $X") to lobby government bodies for tax incentives. We never share your specific financial or business data with the government without your explicit consent.

D. Data Sharing and Disclosure

We do not sell, rent, or lease your customer lists to third parties.

We only share data in the following distinct scenarios:

Legal Counsel

Your verification documents are shared with licensed provincial lawyers strictly for the purpose of conducting the ownership audit.

Service Providers

We may trust third-party vendors (hosting, payment processing, email delivery) to help us operate our services. They are contractually obligated to keep your information confidential.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with legal processes.

E. Data Security

We implement rigorous security measures to protect your information from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure.

Secure Portal

Document uploads occur through a secure, encrypted fulfillment portal.

Integrity Hashing

We use digital integrity checks to ensure files are not tampered with.

Access Control

Access to sensitive documents is restricted to authorized personnel only.

F. Retention of Data

We retain your personal and business information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, including satisfying any legal, accounting, or reporting requirements. If your membership lapses, we may retain basic verification records to facilitate future renewals or to maintain the integrity of our historical certification registry.

G. Contact Us

If you have questions regarding this Privacy Policy or how your data is handled, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Contact Us
Subject Line: Privacy Compliance