Privacy Policy.

Introduction

At ELM Chartered Professional Accountant Inc. (the "Organization"), I deeply value your trust and am dedicated to protecting your privacy by maintaining the accuracy, confidentiality, and security of your personal information. This policy outlines how I collect, use, disclose, and safeguard your personal information, ensuring transparency, security, and respect for your rights.

For the purposes of this privacy policy, “personal information” shall mean information that is, or can be, about or related to an identifiable individual.

Your Consent Matters

Your informed consent is crucial. By providing personal information to me, you consent to my collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information in accordance with this privacy policy. You may withdraw consent at any time by contacting me using the details provided in the ‘Contact Me’ section below, but it could impact my ability to provide requested services.

Collection

This policy applies whether your personal information has been collected over the Internet through www.elmcpa.ca (the “website”) or by email, or through other means such as phone, in-person, or third-party sources. Please note that certain forms of communication may be less secure than others and it is at the client’s discretion to submit personal information to me through these various methods.

What Personal Information Do I Collect?

The personal information I may collect is specific to the reason or purpose you provide it and may include, but is not limited to:

Contact information: name, address, email, and phone number
Personal details: date of birth, age, medical information, or legal dispute information
Financial information: credit card details, billing information, income records, banking or loan details
Government identification numbers: Social Insurance Number or Business Number
Client referral information, preferences, and feedback
Supplier and vendor information for billing and financial records

Use

Why Do I Collect Your Information?

I use your personal information to:

Provide accounting, taxation, and bookkeeping services
Respond to inquiries received
Communicate updates, newsletters, or promotional materials
Process payments and manage billing accounts
Maintain accurate client records and improve client relationships
Operate in compliance with laws and regulations

If I identify a new purpose for using your collected information, I will explain it before its implementation. Unless the new purpose is legally mandated, your consent is needed before using the information for that purpose. While written consent is typical, it may occasionally be obtained verbally, in person, or by telephone, depending on the circumstances.

Disclosure

Your Access

Upon your written request, I will provide information on:

The type of personal information collected
Past and potential future uses of your personal information
Whether I have disclosed your personal information to any third parties and to whom

Please note that before I can provide you with any information or correct any inaccuracies, I will ask you to confirm your identity and provide additional information to help me respond to your request.

Limited Disclosure to Third Parties

Except as explained in this privacy policy, I only disclose personal information when necessary, as required by law or regulation, or as otherwise consented to by you:

Tax authorities: For legal tax compliance obligations including submitting tax returns on behalf of clients, or if a client engages me to respond to inquiries from the tax authorities
Legal representatives: When clients engage my assistance in tax transactions, or in the event of legal proceedings, complying with the law, responding to a subpoena, or seeking legal advice
Financial advisors: When engaged by clients to assist in tax planning, or receiving or providing client referrals
IT consultants: To maintain secure computerized systems and troubleshooting technical issues
Professional Regulatory Body: As required by CPA Manitoba under the Code of Professional Conduct and its regulations, usually for practice inspections, but could also occur for any complaint investigations
Outsourced Service Providers: For mailing, collaborative projects, or regulatory requirements. As a sole practitioner, there may be times when I am required to outsource services to meet certain CPA Manitoba requirements, such as completing cyclical file inspections.

Safeguards

Ensuring Security
I prioritize the security of your information including when it has been transferred to or received from a third party. Some examples of the measures implemented are:

Physical security measures such as restricted access, secure shred services, and no hard copy documents are retained by the Organization
Electronic security measures like password protection, encryption, and masking SINs where possible
Agreements with third parties that require access to personal information requiring the confidentiality of information and for them to protect and secure personal information
As a sole practitioner, personal information is limited to me, unless required by a party listed under Limited Disclosure to Third Parties above

Quality and Accuracy
I strive for accurate, complete, and up-to-date information. You're responsible for notifying me of any changes or inaccuracies.

Additional Website Information

This policy applies to my website: www.elmcpa.ca.

External Links
The Organization’s website may contain links to other third-party sites that are not governed by this privacy policy. Although I endeavour to only link to sites with high privacy standards, our privacy policy will no longer apply once you leave the Organization’s website. Additionally, I am not responsible for the privacy practices employed by other third-party websites. Therefore, I suggest that you examine the privacy statements of those sites to learn how your information may be collected, used, shared, and disclosed.

Collection via Wix
Wix receives, collects, and stores any information you enter on my website or provide me in any other way. In addition, Wix collects the Internet protocol (IP) address used to connect your computer to the Internet; login; e-mail address; password; computer and connection information. I may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, length of visits to certain pages, page interaction information, and methods used to browse away from the page.

I collect personal information you give me such as your name, address and email address when entering it onto the Contact page. Your personal information will be used for the specific reasons stated above only.

Use of data collected via Wix
In addition to the above-mentioned uses, the non-personal and personal information collected through the website is for the following purposes:

To create aggregated statistical date and other aggregated and/or inferred Non-personal information, which I may use to provide and improve my services
To comply with any applicable laws and regulations

Cookies
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work efficiently and provide insights into user behavior. This website uses cookies to enhance your experience and ensure its proper functioning.

This website employs different types of cookies, including:

Essential Cookies: These are necessary for the website to function properly.
Analytical/Performance Cookies: These allow us to recognize and count the number of visitors and analyze how visitors interact with our website. This information helps us improve the performance of our site.
Functionality Cookies: These are used to recognize you when you return to our website. They enable us to personalize content for you and remember your preferences.
Targeting Cookies: These cookies record your visit to our website, the pages you have visited, and the links you have followed. We may use this information to make our website more relevant to your interests.
You have the option to manage your cookie preferences. To learn more about cookies and how to control or disable them, you can visit this link (https://allaboutcookies.org/). Additionally, you can adjust your cookie settings in various browsers:

Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the website.

To opt out of being tracked by Google Analytics across all websites, you can visit this link (http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout).

Disclosure and Safeguard via Wix
This website is hosted on the Wix.com (“Wix”) platform. Wix stores and processes your data on secure servers behind a firewall. By using this website, you acknowledge that your data may be stored through Wix’s data storage, databases, and general applications.

For your security, all direct payment gateways offered by Wix adhere to PCI-DSS standards managed by the PCI Security Standards Council. These standards ensure the secure handling of credit card information by our service providers.

Policy Updates

Any changes to this privacy policy will be promptly acknowledged in this policy. I may add, modify, or remove portions of this policy when I feel it is appropriate to do so. Your continued use implies acceptance. The date at the bottom of this page indicates when this policy was last updated.

Contact Me

If you have questions about this privacy policy or my use of your information, or if you need help changing your personal information, please contact me by email at erica@elmcpa.ca or by phone at (204) 272-7946 or by mail at:

Erica Minarik – Privacy Officer
ELM Chartered Professional Accountant Inc.
100 Vryenhoek Crescent
Winnipeg, MB R2G 0R2

Please note that before I can provide you with any information or correct any inaccuracies, I may ask you to confirm your identity and provide additional information to help me to respond to your request.

Last revised Sunday, November 26, 2023