Effective Date: January 9, 2025

Policy overview and objectives

The purpose of this policy is to explain our practices regarding the collection, use, disclosure and retention of personal data. Respect for privacy and personal data is important and that is why our organization is committed to protecting it in accordance with the laws in force.

By providing us with personal data through our website, by email, or by any other means, you agree that it will be processed in accordance with what is indicated in this policy. The policy is written in clear language to ensure informed consent from users. If you do not agree with this policy, please do not provide any personal data to us in any form.

Scope

This policy applies to all personal data, which means information that relates to a person and enables that person to be identified.

It applies to all ACRE Board directors, employees, volunteers, and contractors.

This policy does not apply to services offered by other organizations, even if they are accessible through links on the ACRE Web site or social networks, such as Mailchimp for the email distribution list and Zeffy for secure monetary transactions. We suggest that you review the personal data practices and policies of these third parties to determine whether you wish to use them.

Personal data posted, used or disclosed through Facebook, Instagram, or any other social networking site is subject to the privacy policy of those websites and is not included in this policy.

General Principles

1. Consent

The collection of certain personal data is subject to specific consents. We commit to using only the personal data necessary, in a manner consistent with ACRE’s mandate, and for the purposes for which it was collected. Before using the data for any other purpose, ACRE will first obtain the consent of the person concerned.

You can withdraw this consent at any time by contacting the person responsible for the Privacy Officer by email at acre@videotron.ca.

2. Collection of Personal Data

We collect personal data in the following ways:

• via our website (e.g., donation form and contact us form);

• by telephone;

• by email;

• in person;

• by personal cheque;

• through individuals or companies that provide services and are committed to maintaining confidentiality and protecting privacy (e.g., consultants, Hostinger, Microsoft 360, Mailchimp, Zeffy, etc.);

• through public domain sources such as directories or public documents of other organizations that are committed to maintaining confidentiality and protecting privacy (e.g. property and land registries and donor lists in annual reports of organizations similar to ours).

We may collect the following types of personal data:

• Contact information: name, mailing address, telephone number, email address, and any other information you share.

• Financial information: payment method, preferences, banking and billing information (e.g., credit card number and expiry date or chequing account numbers, depending on payment method chosen), and any other information you share.

• Land information: address, parcel identification number (cadastre), legal titles, liens and other encumbrances (e.g. financial charges and easements), documentary titles, ecological value reports, fair market value appraisals, and any other information you share.

• Donation information: date, amount, name of partner in the case of a joint donation, and receipt number, and any other information you share. For donations in honor of a loved one, the name and contact information of the honoree.

We may use personal data for the following purposes:

• To process donations and issue tax receipts;

• To follow-up on donations;

• To recruit board members, volunteers or employees;

• To inform interested parties of organization news and upcoming activities of interest;

• To provide requested information, products and services;

• To involve supporters in committees, activities, programs, campaigns, surveys and promotions;

• To process or follow up on activity registrations;

• To fulfill liability waivers required for certain in-person activities;

• To process or follow up on a subscription to an electronic information or promotional service (e.g. distribution list);

• To verify an individual's identity (e.g., to respond to a request for access or a copy of personal data, to modify a consent, to authorize changes to an automated donation);

• To verify property information, including ownership, legal title and easements;

• To carry out transactions relating to ownership and interests in land;

• To perform land analysis and conservation appraisals on land and real estate;

• To comply with legal or judicial obligations (e.g., if required to retain data in accordance with applicable laws, or to enforce legal agreements).

3. Personal Data Protection and Retention

We take reasonable precautions to protect the confidentiality and security of your personal data. When a person is in possession of personal data of a third party, they must protect it from any improper use, any malicious use, accidental disclosure or any other illegal form of processing. Documents containing personal data are only stored in ACRE’s OneDrive, online cloud storage within Microsoft 365, in folders with limited access and are password-protected. These documents are accessible by authorized users only as set out in this Policy. If these documents are downloaded, they are kept on password-protected devices. Other than for temporary use, ACRE does not store Personal Data on paper or any other non-electronic format, except for legal copies of deeds to land.

We only use personal data in a manner consistent with our mandate and for the purposes for which the data was collected. We permit Board directors, employees, contractors and volunteers to access and use personal data only to the extent required for the performance of their duties related to our activities and mandate. Before collecting or accessing Personal Data, employees, volunteers outside of the Board and contractors are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement and obtain the approval of the Privacy Officer. We may be required to disclose personal data in certain situations, such as when required by law or in response to a valid request from a public authority (e.g., a court or government agency).

Third-party service providers are engaged by ACRE to perform a variety of functions, such as fulfilling direct mail orders (e.g., Mailchimp), processing donations (e.g., Zeffy), or to providing a platform for our website (e.g., Hostinger). We share your personal data with third-party service providers in order to complete the purposes for which it was collected.

As the development of cloud computing solutions knows no geographic limits and data may be transferred or transmitted to recipients located outside of Canada, several suppliers with whom we interact may have servers outside of Canada, and foreign laws may provide different levels of protection for your personal data when it is hosted in another territorial jurisdiction.

We keep your personal data for the duration necessary for the purpose of collection, or longer, if required by the laws which govern us on the subject. Once its purpose has been achieved, personal data is destroyed in accordance with our Personal Data Governance Policy.

For additional information, please see our Personal Data Governance Policy (hyperlink).

4. Your Rights Regarding Personal Data Held by ACRE

At any time, you may contact the Privacy Officer to:

• request a copy of your personal data held by ACRE;

• verify the accuracy of your personal data and request the correction of inaccurate, incomplete or ambiguous personal data;

• have the information deleted and withdraw your consent if you deem it necessary;

• make a complaint about how ACRE protects your privacy and treats the personal data it holds.

You will be asked to provide certain specific information in order to verify your identity, locate your personal data and disclose it to you.

Policy modifications

We reserve the right to update or modify this policy at any time. Any changes will be posted on this page, and the revised policy will become effective immediately upon posting. Your continued use of our website and sharing of personal data with us after any changes are posted constitutes acceptance of those changes.

Communication

For any questions, concerns, requests or complaints, please contact our Privacy Officer.

Name: Olga Tasci

Email address: acre@videotron.ca