Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how Trade With Canadians Ltd. (“TWC,” “we,” “us,” “our”) collects, uses, discloses, stores, safeguards, and otherwise processes information, including Personal Information, in connection with our websites, applications, and related services (collectively, the “Platform” and “Services”). This Policy forms part of our Terms of Use and is incorporated by reference.

If you do not agree with this Policy, do not use the Platform.

Scope and applicability

This Policy applies to visitors, account holders, and authorized users of the Platform, including representatives, employees, agents, and delegates of businesses and organizations (including chambers, municipalities, and economic development organizations).

TWC is primarily a business-to-business platform. Much of the information on the Platform is business information, but business contact information about identifiable individuals (e.g., name, work email, job title) may be Personal Information under applicable privacy laws.

This Policy does not apply to third-party sites or services you access through links or integrations; those are governed by their own privacy policies.

Definitions

• Personal Information means information about an identifiable individual (including business contact information where protected by law).
• Business Information means information about a business or organization that does not identify an individual.
• Processing includes collecting, using, storing, disclosing, analyzing, transferring, de-identifying, anonymizing, and deleting information.
• De-identified / Aggregated means information modified so it does not reasonably identify an individual (alone or with reasonably available data).
• Service Providers means vendors who process information on our behalf (e.g., hosting, security, analytics, payments, communications, AI tooling).

Information we collect

We collect information in the following categories:

Information you provide

• Account and contact details (name, email, phone, title, organization)
• Business profile information and content you submit (descriptions, capabilities, service areas, certifications, uploaded documents)
• Communications (messages sent on the Platform, support requests, feedback)
• Subscription and billing details (payment card data is processed by payment processors; TWC does not store full card numbers)

Information collected automatically

• Device and connection data (IP address, device identifiers, browser/OS, language)
• Usage data (pages viewed, searches, features used, referral URLs)
• Security and audit logs (authentication events, access logs, suspicious activity signals)
• Cookies and similar technologies (see “Cookies and analytics”)

Information from third parties

• Payment confirmations and fraud signals from processors
• Publicly available business information (where permitted)
• Data you authorize via integrations or ecosystem partnerships

How we use information

We use Personal Information and related data to:

• Provide, operate, and administer the Platform (accounts, authentication, support, billing)
• Enable business discovery, networking, matching, and introductions (based on your settings and Platform features)
• Provide analytics and insights, including AI-powered recommendations
• Maintain security, prevent fraud/abuse, enforce our Terms, and protect rights and safety
• Improve and develop our Services (including testing and feature optimization)
• Send service communications

We do not use Personal Information for purposes that are not reasonably appropriate in the circumstances, and we align our practices with the principles of purpose limitation, data minimization, and openness.

AI features and automated decision-making

We may use artificial intelligence and machine learning to provide insights, matching recommendations, summaries, and analytics.

• Advisory only: AI outputs are informational and may be incomplete or inaccurate.
• No solely automated “significant decision” by default: TWC does not make decisions producing legal or similarly significant effects about an individual based solely on automated processing.
• If this changes: where required by applicable law, we will provide appropriate notice and information about the factors considered, and provide a route to request review or submit observations.

Do not submit highly sensitive Personal Information (e.g., government ID numbers, financial account data, health data) into free-form AI inputs unless explicitly requested by the Platform and you have lawful authority to provide it.

We may use third-party AI Service Providers under contractual restrictions and safeguards.

How we share information

We do not sell Personal Information as a business model. We may share information as follows:

Platform visibility and networking

If you choose to publish a profile or enable discoverability, some fields may be visible to other users for business discovery and matching.

Service Providers

We share information with Service Providers who help us deliver the Services (hosting, security, analytics, communications, payments, AI tooling). They are contractually required to process information only for authorized purposes and to maintain appropriate safeguards.

Legal, compliance, and safety

We may disclose information to comply with law or lawful requests, to protect security/safety, to investigate misuse, or to enforce our rights and agreements.

Business transactions

In connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, reorganization, or sale of assets, information may be transferred subject to appropriate safeguards.

Cross-border and international transfers

TWC may process or store Personal Information in Canada, the United States, and other jurisdictions, including by using global cloud and content delivery infrastructure.

GDPR-aligned transfers where applicable

Where GDPR (or similar laws) apply to a transfer to a country without an adequacy decision, we may rely on recognized transfer mechanisms such as Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) and supplementary measures where appropriate.

By using the Platform, you understand that your information may be processed in other jurisdictions and may be subject to foreign laws.

Retention and deletion

We retain Personal Information only as long as necessary for the purposes identified, after which we delete, anonymize, or de-identify it unless retention is required by law, needed for security/fraud prevention, or necessary to establish, exercise, or defend legal claims.

Typical retention (high-level):

• Account profile data: for the life of the account, then deleted/anonymized within a reasonable period subject to legal holds
• Security logs: typically 6–24 months (depending on sensitivity and risk)
• Billing records: as required by tax/audit laws
• Consent/unsubscribe records: for a reasonable period necessary to demonstrate compliance

You may request deletion via support@tradewithcanadians.ca. We may require account closure to complete deletion. Some information may remain in backups for a limited period and will be purged on normal backup cycles.

Security safeguards

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, which may include:

• encryption in transit and (where appropriate) at rest
• access controls and least-privilege permissions
• monitoring, logging, and alerting
• vendor security due diligence
• incident response and remediation procedures

We may use Service Providers that maintain independent security assurance practices, but we do not represent that TWC itself is certified unless expressly stated elsewhere.

No method of transmission or storage is 100% secure. You are responsible for safeguarding your credentials and choosing appropriate security settings.

Breach response

We maintain records of breaches and confidentiality incidents as required by law.

• PIPEDA: where a breach of security safeguards creates a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected individuals and report to the OPC as required, and maintain required breach records.

Where GDPR applies, we aim to notify the competent authority within 72 hours after becoming aware of a notifiable breach, where feasible.

Your rights and requests (access, correction, deletion)

You may request access to, correction of, or deletion of your Personal Information by contacting support@tradewithcanadians.ca.

Process:

• We may require identity verification to protect your information.
• We will respond within legally required timelines (typically within 30 days, subject to lawful extensions and notice).
• If we deny a request in whole or in part, we will provide reasons and information about applicable complaint avenues.

Cookies and analytics

We use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, security, session management, preferences, and analytics.

If we use advertising or remarketing technologies, we will do so in a manner consistent with applicable consent requirements. You can manage cookie settings through your browser and, where available, through our cookie preferences tools. Disabling certain cookies may limit functionality.

Public-sector and ecosystem organizations

Unless we have a separate written agreement stating otherwise, nothing in this Policy creates additional procurement, FOI/access-to-information, data residency, audit, or public-sector compliance obligations for TWC beyond what applicable law requires.

Ecosystem organizations are responsible for their own compliance obligations and for the information they submit to the Platform.

International users

TWC is Canada-based and applies Canadian privacy standards as a baseline. Additional disclosures or rights may apply depending on your jurisdiction. Where GDPR (or similar laws) applies, we will process Personal Information in a manner consistent with applicable legal requirements.

Updates to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. The “Last Updated” date indicates when changes take effect. Continued use of the Platform after updates constitutes acceptance to the extent permitted by law.

Relationship to Terms of Use

This Policy is incorporated into the Terms of Use. Any limitations of liability in our Terms apply to the maximum extent permitted by law. Nothing in this Policy limits any right you may have to bring a complaint to a privacy regulator or to exercise non-waivable rights under applicable privacy laws.

Contact: support@tradewithcanadians.ca (Attention: Privacy Officer)