Privacy Policy

Look, we get it - nobody really enjoys reading these things. But we figured you'd wanna know how we handle your info when you reach out to us about a project or just browse around our site.

Last Updated

January 2024

Jurisdiction

Ontario, Canada

Who We Are

We're Cendral Forge Quint Architects, a Toronto-based firm that's been working with industrial heritage buildings and contemporary steel structures for years now. Our office is located at 1247 King Street West, Suite 502, Toronto, ON M6K 1G2, and honestly, we're just a small team of architects who care about doing good work and treating people right.

When it comes to your personal information, we follow Canadian privacy laws - specifically PIPEDA (that's the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act, if you're curious). We don't mess around with this stuff.

What Information We Collect

So here's the deal - we only collect what we actually need to work with you or respond to your inquiries. Nothing sneaky, nothing excessive.

Contact Information

When you fill out our contact form or send us an email, we'll collect your name, email address, phone number if you provide it, and whatever details you share about your project. Pretty straightforward stuff.

Project Details

If we end up working together, we'll need more detailed info - property addresses, building specifications, photos you send us, and any historical documentation you've got for heritage projects. That's kinda the nature of architectural work.

Website Usage Data

Like most websites, ours collects some basic technical info - your IP address, browser type, pages you visit, how long you stick around. We use this to make the site work better and figure out what content people actually care about.

How We Use Your Info

We're architects, not data brokers. Here's what we actually do with your information:

  • Respond to your inquiries and discuss potential projects (that's the main reason you reached out, right?)
  • Provide architectural services, prepare drawings, manage permits, and handle all the technical stuff that goes into a project
  • Send you project updates, invoices, and other necessary communications
  • Maintain records for legal and professional requirements - architects gotta keep documentation for years in case questions come up down the road
  • Improve our website and services based on how people use 'em
  • Occasionally send out newsletters about our work, but only if you've opted in - we're not gonna spam you

Who We Share It With

We don't sell your information - that's just not our thing. But yeah, sometimes we need to share certain details with others to actually get the work done:

Project Partners

Structural engineers, steel fabricators, heritage consultants, contractors - you know, the folks we collaborate with to bring your project to life. They only get what's relevant to their part of the work.

Municipal Authorities

Building permits don't approve themselves. We submit your project info to city planning departments, heritage boards, and building officials when required. That's just part of the legal process.

Service Providers

Our email hosting, website hosting, cloud storage for project files - the behind-the-scenes tech stuff. These providers have their own privacy obligations and aren't allowed to use your data for anything else.

Legal Requirements

If there's a court order, legal investigation, or regulatory requirement, we might have to disclose information. Hopefully that never happens, but we gotta mention it.

Cookies & Tracking

Our website uses cookies - those little files that help the site remember you and function properly. Nothing intrusive, just the basics:

  • Essential cookies that make the site actually work
  • Analytics cookies to see which pages people visit and how they navigate around
  • Preference cookies to remember your settings if you come back

Most browsers let you control or block cookies if you want. Just know that blocking some of 'em might make certain parts of the site not work as smoothly.

How We Protect Your Data

We take security seriously because, honestly, it'd be pretty embarrassing if we didn't. Here's what we've got in place:

  • Encrypted connections (HTTPS) for our website
  • Secure cloud storage with access controls - not everyone on the team can see everything
  • Regular backups so we don't lose your project files
  • Password-protected systems and two-factor authentication where it makes sense
  • Limited access - people only see what they need to see to do their job

That said, nothing's 100% hack-proof in this world. We do our best, but no system is completely bulletproof.

How Long We Keep It

We keep your information for as long as we're working together, plus however long we're legally required to after that. In Canada, architects need to hang onto project records for at least 10 years - sometimes longer depending on the type of building and whether it's got heritage designation.

If you just sent us an inquiry but never hired us, we'll typically keep that for a couple years in case you change your mind. After that, it gets deleted unless there's a specific reason to keep it.

Marketing emails? You can unsubscribe anytime, and we'll remove you from that list right away. Easy.

Your Rights

Under Canadian privacy law, you've got some rights when it comes to your personal information. Here's what you can do:

Access Your Information

Wanna see what we've got on file about you? Just ask. We'll provide it within a reasonable timeframe.

Correct Errors

If something's wrong or outdated, let us know and we'll fix it. Accurate records matter, especially in architecture.

Request Deletion

You can ask us to delete your info, though we might need to keep certain records if there's a legal or professional requirement. We'll be upfront about what we can and can't delete.

Withdraw Consent

Changed your mind about something? You can withdraw consent for things like marketing emails anytime. Just know that withdrawing consent for project-related stuff might affect our ability to provide services.

File a Complaint

If you think we've handled your information improperly, you can complain to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. We'd prefer you talk to us first so we can try to sort it out, but it's your right.

Third-Party Links

Our website might link to other sites - steel suppliers, heritage organizations, municipal planning departments, that sort of thing. Once you click away from our site, this privacy policy doesn't apply anymore. Those other sites have their own policies, so you'll wanna check those out if you're concerned.

Changes to This Policy

We might update this privacy policy from time to time - laws change, our practices evolve, technology moves forward. When we make significant changes, we'll post the updated version here and change the "Last Updated" date at the top.

For major changes that affect how we handle your data, we'll try to give you a heads-up via email if we've got your contact info. But honestly, it's a good idea to check back here occasionally.

Questions or Concerns?

Look, if any of this is confusing or you've got questions about how we handle your information, just reach out. We're real people and we'll give you straight answers.

Email: info@cendralforgequint.info

Phone: (416) 555-0847

Mail: 1247 King Street West, Suite 502, Toronto, ON M6K 1G2

We'll get back to you within a few business days, usually sooner. Thanks for taking the time to read through all this - we know it's not exactly riveting stuff, but it matters.