Privacy Policy

Last updated: December 2024

Introduction

Look, we get it - nobody really enjoys reading privacy policies. But since we're dealing with your architectural projects, municipal planning data, and sometimes sensitive heritage site information, we figured you'd wanna know exactly what we do with your info.

Here at Valaryn Forge Quint, we've been handling architectural domain data since we opened our doors. We take this stuff seriously because, honestly, it's not just about legal compliance - it's about respecting the trust you place in us when you share project details, site assessments, and planning documents.

This policy covers our website, consultation services, and any digital tools we provide for domain analysis or urban planning work. If something's unclear, just give us a shout at info@valarynforgequint.info.

What Information We Collect

Stuff You Give Us Directly

When you reach out for a consultation or fill out our contact forms, we'll collect things like:

  • Your name and professional title
  • Email address and phone number
  • Company or organization you're with
  • Project details and site locations you're working on
  • Property addresses for heritage assessments
  • Documents you upload (architectural plans, zoning maps, environmental reports)
Technical Data We Automatically Grab

Like pretty much every website out there, we collect some technical stuff automatically:

  • IP addresses and browser types
  • Pages you visit and how long you hang around
  • Device info and operating system
  • Referral sources (how'd you find us?)
  • Time stamps and session data
Project-Specific Information

For our architectural domain work, we might also collect:

  • Geographic coordinates and property boundaries
  • Historical building records and heritage designations
  • Municipal zoning classifications
  • Environmental assessment data
  • Photos and site documentation you provide

How We Actually Use Your Information

We're not in the business of hoarding data for no reason. Here's what we do with it:

Service Delivery

First and foremost, we use your info to do the work you're hiring us for - architectural domain analysis, heritage assessments, urban planning consultations, and all that jazz. Can't really assess a heritage building without knowing its address, right?

Communication

We'll use your contact details to keep you in the loop about your projects, answer questions, send reports, and occasionally let you know about relevant changes to zoning regulations or heritage preservation updates that might affect your work.

Legal & Compliance

Sometimes we're required to keep certain records for municipal compliance, heritage documentation, or professional liability purposes. We operate in Toronto and across Ontario, so we follow PIPEDA regulations and provincial requirements.

Website Improvements

That technical data helps us figure out what's working on our site and what's not. If everyone's bouncing off the environmental impact studies page, we probably need to make it better.

Who We Share Data With (And Why)

We're not selling your info to marketers or anything sketchy like that. But yeah, there are some situations where we share data:

Municipal Authorities

When we're doing urban planning or heritage assessment work, we often need to coordinate with city planning departments, heritage committees, and zoning boards. They'll see relevant project info as part of the approval process.

Professional Partners

Sometimes projects require specialists - structural engineers, environmental consultants, or heritage architects. We only share what's necessary for them to do their part of the work.

Service Providers

We use third-party tools for stuff like website hosting, email services, and project management software. These providers have access to data but are contractually obligated to keep it secure and not use it for their own purposes.

Legal Requirements

If we're legally required to disclose information (court orders, regulatory requests, etc.), we'll comply with those requirements. We'd also share info if necessary to protect someone's safety or prevent fraud.

Cookies & Tracking Technology

Yeah, we use cookies. Not the chocolate chip kind, unfortunately.

Essential Cookies

These keep the site functioning - remembering your login session, maintaining secure connections, that sort of thing. Can't really turn these off without breaking the website.

Analytics Cookies

We use analytics to understand how people use our site. It helps us know if our domain analysis tools are useful or if our planning resources page is just collecting digital dust.

Managing Cookies

Your browser should let you control or delete cookies. Just know that disabling certain cookies might make parts of the site not work properly.

Your Rights Over Your Data

Under Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA), you've got some solid rights when it comes to your personal information:

Access & Correction

You can request to see what personal data we have about you and ask us to correct anything that's wrong. Maybe we typo'd your email or have an outdated phone number - just let us know.

Data Portability

Want a copy of your project data in a usable format? We can do that. Might take a few days to compile everything, but it's your data.

Deletion Requests

You can ask us to delete your personal information, though there are some exceptions - like if we're legally required to keep certain records for heritage documentation or ongoing municipal projects.

Withdrawal of Consent

You can withdraw consent for us to use your data at any time, though that might mean we can't continue providing certain services. Hard to do a heritage assessment if you won't let us access the property details.

How to Exercise These Rights

Just shoot us an email at info@valarynforgequint.info or call (416) 555-0198. We'll verify your identity and get things sorted within 30 days.

How We Keep Your Data Secure

Security's a big deal, especially when we're dealing with architectural plans, property assessments, and municipal data. Here's what we do:

  • Encryption: Data transmitted to and from our site uses SSL/TLS encryption. Stored data's encrypted too.
  • Access Controls: Only team members who actually need access to specific project data get it. No one's browsing files for fun.
  • Secure Storage: We use Canadian-based servers with proper physical and digital security measures.
  • Regular Backups: Data's backed up regularly, stored securely, and tested to make sure we can actually recover it if needed.
  • Staff Training: Everyone on our team knows how to handle sensitive information properly.

That said, no system's 100% bulletproof. If there's ever a data breach that affects you, we'll let you know ASAP and tell you what steps we're taking.

Data Retention

We don't keep your data forever - that'd be excessive and kinda creepy. Here's our general approach:

  • Active Projects: We keep all relevant data for the duration of the project and consultation period.
  • Completed Projects: Most project data's retained for 7 years after completion - that's standard for architectural and planning work in Ontario.
  • Heritage Documentation: Some heritage assessment records might be kept longer due to municipal requirements or historical significance.
  • Contact Info: If you've just inquired but haven't engaged our services, we'll typically delete your info after 2 years of inactivity.

Third-Party Links

Our website might link to municipal planning departments, heritage organizations, or professional resources. Once you click through to those sites, this privacy policy doesn't apply anymore - they've got their own policies. We try to link to reputable sources, but we're not responsible for their privacy practices.

Changes to This Policy

Privacy laws evolve, our services expand, and sometimes we just need to clarify things better. When we update this policy, we'll change the "Last updated" date at the top and might send you a heads-up if the changes are significant.

For major changes - like if we start collecting new types of data or sharing info with different parties - we'll get your explicit consent first.

Questions or Concerns?

If something in here doesn't make sense, you've got questions about how we handle your data, or you want to exercise any of your privacy rights, get in touch:

Valaryn Forge Quint Architectural Domains

Address: 450 Queen Street West, Suite 302, Toronto, ON M5V 2A8

Phone: (416) 555-0198

Email: info@valarynforgequint.info

If you're not satisfied with how we've handled a privacy concern, you've also got the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. But honestly, we'd prefer if you let us try to fix things first.

Thanks for taking the time to read through this. We know it's not the most exciting read, but your privacy matters to us. Now let's get back to creating awesome architectural solutions.