Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector (Law 25)
As a law firm, Paquette & Associates Attorneys Inc. ("PAA") collects, uses, and processes personal information while performing its activities.
This Privacy Policy (the "Policy") describes how we collect, use, protect, store, and destroy the personal information you provide when using our website or doing business with our firm.
This policy applies to all company personnel and to all levels of management.
Personal information is defined as any information or combination of information that relates to a natural person and allows that person to be identified, including, but not limited to, name, address, e-mail address, telephone number, gender, banking information, medical information, ethnic origin, language, etc.
This policy applies to all personal information managed by PAA, whether it be about its potential or actual clients, employees, providers, or any other person.
However, an individual’s name, title, address, email address or business telephone number are not considered personal information.
We are responsible for the protection of personal information we have in our possession.
Our Privacy Officer oversees the application of this Privacy Policy and related processes and procedures to protect personal information.
Each member of our staff who must deal with or has access to personal information or who is involved, directly or indirectly, in the management of such information has been properly instructed to ensure the protection of personal information and to manage it in accordance with this policy.
PAA collects varying types of personal information while performing its activities, particularly, in executing legal mandates.
PAA limits the collection, use and disclosure of personal information to identified purposes. Personal information may only be consulted by certain authorized persons, and only for the purposes for which they have been designated.
PAA applies the following general principles to the collection, use and disclosure of personal information:
- PAA collects personal information from various sources other than the person concerned, with their consent, while carrying out legal mandates. All personal information collected will be subject to this policy.
- As a general rule, PAA must obtain the consent of the person concerned before collecting personal information from third parties, before disclosing it to third parties or for any secondary use of this information. However, PAA may act without consent in certain circumstances and under the conditions provided for by the law.
- Collection of personal information is limited to that which is necessary to fulfill the purpose for which it is collected.
- PAA may collect personal information from third parties, without the consent of the person concerned, if it is:
- PAA may only use an individual's personal information for the purposes identified in this document or for any other purpose indicated at the time of collection. If PAA wishes to use the information for any other reason or purpose, new consent must be obtained from the individual concerned, which must be expressly obtained if sensitive personal information is involved. However, in certain circumstances provided for by law, PAA may use the information for secondary purposes without the consent of the person concerned, for example:
- As a general rule, and unless otherwise specified in this Policy, where or as required by law, PAA will obtain the consent of the individual before disclosing personal information to a third party. In addition, where consent is required and sensitive personal information is involved, PAA will obtain the individual's express consent prior to disclosing the information.
A cookie is a small file which requests permission to be placed on your computer’s hard drive. Only once you agree, the file is added and the cookie in question helps to analyze web traffic or lets you know when you visit a particular site.
Cookies allow web applications to respond to you as an individual. The web application can, because of the cookies, customise its operations to your preferences. The different types of cookies are:
Necessary – Necessary cookies are essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensure basic functionalities and security features of the Website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Functional – Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedback, and other third-party features.
Analytics – Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics such as the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Performance – Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Advertisement – Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Other – Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category yet.
Cookies may be accepted, customized, or declined in the cookies consent bar. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. Denying access to cookies may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website.
PAA will retain personal information only as long as necessary to complete the work for which it was collected. Personal information will be retained for a period of at least one year following the decision in question, or seven years after the end of the fiscal year in which the decision was made if it has tax implications. PAA will ensure that personal information is destroyed or made anonymous at the end of the retention period, or when the information is no longer required. PAA's destruction of information will be done in a secure manner to ensure protection of the information.
PAA is committed to implementing reasonable security measures to protect personal information in its possession. Access to personal information is restricted so that only employees who need to have access to it are authorized to do so.
To exercise their access rights, rectification or withdrawal of consent, applicants must submit a written request to PAA's Privacy Officer. Individuals may request access to their personal information to make corrections.
They may demand that the diffusion of personal information cease or that any hyperlink attached to their name be de-indexed if the diffusion of this information contravenes the law or a court order. They may demand that the hyperlink be reindexed, when certain conditions provided for by law are met.
Subject to applicable legal and contractual restrictions, they may withdraw their consent to the disclosure or use of the information collected.
The person concerned may ask PAA what personal information has been collected from them, what categories of people at PAA have access to it and how long it will be kept.
Please note that in accordance with the laws governing the legal profession and corporate taxation, your personal information will only be destroyed 7 years after the date on which your file is closed.
Complaints must be made in writing to our Privacy Officer.
The individual should indicate his or her name, telephone number and the reason for the complaint in question, providing sufficient detail for it to be evaluated by PAA. Our Privacy Officer may request any additional information deemed necessary to assess the complaint.
Any complaints will be treated confidentially within 30 days of receipt or receipt of any additional information deemed necessary and required by our Privacy Officer.
The complaint will be evaluated, and an e-mail response will be sent to the complainant. If the complaint cannot be processed within this timeframe, the complainant will be informed of the reasons for the extension, the progress made in processing and the reasonable time required to provide a final response.
Each complaint constitutes a separate file, including the complaint in question, the analysis and documentation supporting its assessment, and the response sent to the complainant.
This policy is approved by PAA’s Privacy Officer.
If you have any requests, questions, or comments regarding this policy, please contact the Privacy Officer by e-mail.
Me Jean-René Paquette
3535 Saint-Charles Blvd #600, Kirkland, Québec H9H 5B9
jrpaquette@paquette.legal
PAA reserves the right to modify this policy at any time. Modifications will take effect immediately upon publication on its website: www.paquette.legal.
