Privacy Policy

At Ottawa North, we are committed to protecting your personal information and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, and protect your data in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the Canadian federal privacy law for private-sector organizations.

1) Collection of Personal Information and Responsibility

1.1
We are pleased that you are visiting our website and appreciate your interest. This policy explains how your personal information is handled when using our site. “Personal information” refers to any data that can be used to identify you as an individual.

1.2
The organization responsible for managing and safeguarding your personal information is Ottawa North. As the data controller, Ottawa North determines the purposes and means of processing your personal information in accordance with Canadian law.

1.3
To ensure the security of your data and to protect the transmission of personal and confidential information (such as orders or inquiries), our website uses SSL or TLS encryption. You can recognize an encrypted connection by the “https://” prefix and the padlock icon in your browser.

2) Information Collected During Website Visits

When you visit our website for informational purposes only (i.e., without submitting any forms or placing an order), certain data is collected automatically through server log files. This includes:

  • Pages visited

  • Date and time of access

  • Amount of data transmitted

  • Referring website or link

  • Browser used

  • Operating system

  • IP address (may be anonymized)

This data is collected for technical reasons to ensure the proper functioning and security of our website. It is not used to identify you personally and is not shared with third parties, except where required by law.

3) Use of Cookies

To make your browsing experience more user-friendly and to enable certain features, we use cookies — small text files that are stored on your device.

Some cookies are automatically deleted after your browser session ends (session cookies). Others remain stored on your device to recognize your browser during future visits (persistent cookies).

Cookies may:

  • Help remember the contents of your shopping cart

  • Save preferences for faster checkout

  • Analyze website usage and improve functionality

Cookies used by Ottawa North or third-party service providers may also process personal information. If so, it is only to the extent necessary to deliver services, improve user experience, or conduct analytics. You can control or disable cookies through your browser settings at any time.

4) Contacting Us

If you contact Ottawa North via email or through a contact form on our website, we collect the information you voluntarily provide (such as your name and email address). This data is used exclusively to respond to your inquiry and for related administrative purposes.

We only retain this data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purpose of the communication. Once your request has been resolved, your data will be securely deleted unless legal obligations require otherwise.

5) Customer Accounts and Order Processing

When you create a customer account or place an order with Ottawa North, we collect personal information necessary to process your request. This may include your name, email address, shipping address, and payment details.

Your information is used exclusively to fulfill and manage your orders. You may delete your customer account at any time by contacting us. Once your order has been completed or your account is deleted, we retain your data only as long as required by Canadian tax, legal, or business obligations. After that, it is securely deleted.

6) Use of Data for Direct Marketing

6.1 Email Newsletter Subscription

If you sign up for our newsletter, we will occasionally send you updates and promotional offers. Your email address is required; providing your name or other details is optional.

We use a double opt-in method: you will receive a confirmation email after signing up, and we will only send newsletters once you confirm your subscription by clicking the link in that email.

By confirming, you consent to Ottawa North using your personal information for marketing purposes. You may unsubscribe at any time via the link in each newsletter, and your email address will then be promptly removed from our mailing list.

We store your IP address and timestamp at the time of subscription to help prevent misuse. Your data will never be sold or shared for third-party advertising.

6.2 Email Marketing to Existing Customers

If you have previously purchased from Ottawa North, we may email you promotions for similar products. This is based on our legitimate interest in providing relevant marketing.

You can opt out of these emails at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link or contacting us directly. Once unsubscribed, we will no longer use your email address for marketing purposes.

7) Order Fulfillment and Third-Party Services

To complete your order, we may share relevant data (such as your shipping address) with third-party logistics providers and payment processors. This is done only when necessary and in accordance with PIPEDA.

If you pay using third-party payment services like PayPal or similar providers, your payment information is shared with them securely and only for processing the transaction. These services have their own privacy policies, which we recommend reviewing.

We do not store credit card numbers on our servers.

8) Review and Feedback Requests

After completing a purchase, we may send you a one-time email asking for feedback or a review of your experience. This only happens if you have given consent during or after checkout.

You may withdraw this consent at any time by contacting Ottawa North. Once withdrawn, we will no longer send you review-related emails.

9) Social Media Integrations

Our website may include social media features or links (such as “Share” buttons) that connect you to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Google.

For your privacy, these features are implemented as HTML links only. This means no data is transmitted to the social media provider until you click the respective button. Once you click, the third-party provider may collect data in accordance with their own privacy policies.

We recommend reviewing the privacy settings and policies of each platform to understand how they use your data.

Ottawa North does not share your personal information directly with social networks, nor do we access data from your profiles.

10) Online Marketing

10.1 Google Services (Advertising and Analytics)

We use services such as Google Ads, Google Remarketing, and Google Analytics to improve our marketing and website performance.

These services may use cookies or similar technologies to:

  • Show you relevant ads on Google or partner websites

  • Measure the effectiveness of our campaigns

  • Understand how visitors interact with our site

While these tools may collect usage data (e.g., IP address, browser type, pages visited), this information is anonymized where possible. We do not use this data to personally identify you.

You can adjust your ad preferences or opt out of personalized ads through:

Google services are bound by their own privacy policies. We encourage you to review Google’s Privacy Policy.

11) Web Analytics

We use analytics tools like Google Analytics to gain insights into how users interact with our website, so we can improve usability and content.

To enhance your privacy:

  • We anonymize IP addresses where technically possible

  • No personal identifiers (like names or emails) are included in analytics data

  • We do not combine analytics data with other personal data

You can prevent analytics tracking by using browser add-ons or setting opt-out cookies. Learn more about Google Analytics opt-out here:
Google Analytics Opt-Out Tool

12) Retargeting and Remarketing

Ottawa North may use remarketing tools (such as Google Remarketing or Facebook Pixel) to show relevant ads to previous visitors of our site on third-party platforms like Facebook or Google.

This involves setting a cookie or pixel tag that helps deliver tailored content. These tools do not identify you personally, but associate your device/browser with past website behavior.

You will only be included in these remarketing lists if you have consented to marketing cookies.

Opt-out options:

  • Adjust your ad settings in your Google or Facebook account

  • Use browser settings to block third-party cookies

  • Visit aboutads.info to manage your advertising preferences

We do not use these technologies to track sensitive information or share data with unrelated third parties.

13) Your Rights Under PIPEDA

As a user of our website and a resident of Canada, you have specific rights regarding your personal information under the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). Ottawa North is committed to upholding these rights, which include:

13.1 Right to Access
You may request access to the personal information we hold about you. Upon verification of your identity, we will provide a copy of the information, including details about how it is used and to whom it may have been disclosed.

13.2 Right to Correction
If your personal information is inaccurate or incomplete, you have the right to request a correction. We will update your records promptly.

13.3 Right to Withdraw Consent
Where consent is required for data collection or processing (such as for newsletters or marketing), you may withdraw your consent at any time. Withdrawal of consent will not affect services already rendered but may impact future communications.

13.4 Right to File a Complaint
If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, you may contact us directly. You also have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) via priv.gc.ca.

13.5 Right to Data Portability (Note: Not explicitly required under PIPEDA but respected as a best practice)
Upon request, we may provide a copy of your personal information in a commonly used format, when technically feasible.

14) Data Retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Privacy Policy, unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law.

Once the information is no longer needed for its original purpose, and there are no legal obligations to keep it, we securely delete or anonymize the data.