Effective date: August 25, 2026 (draft)
Overview
OttawaServiceFinder.com ("the Site," "we," "us") is a community-resource directory for people interested in coming to Ottawa, services, businesses, and travel resources in the Ottawa region. This Privacy Policy explains what information the Site collects, how it's used, and your rights under Canadian privacy law.
This is a draft policy for a site still in active development. Several features described elsewhere on this site — a contact form, a membership area, translated content — are not live yet. This policy will be updated whenever a feature that actually collects personal information is switched on.
1. Information We Collect
1.1 Information you provide directly
The Site does not currently have a live contact form, account creation, membership sign-up, or newsletter subscription. No feature on the Site actively asks you to submit personal information today. If and when any of these are switched on, this section will be updated to describe exactly what's collected and why, before that feature goes live.
1.2 Information collected automatically
Like most websites, our hosting provider automatically logs basic technical information for every visit, such as IP address, browser type, device type, the page requested, and the date/time of the request. We use this only for standard web-server operation and security (e.g. detecting abuse) — we don't currently run any analytics, advertising, or audience-measurement tool.
1.3 Cookies and similar technologies
The Site does not currently set any cookies of its own, and no analytics or advertising cookies are in use. If that changes (for example, if we add analytics with your — the site owner's — approval), this section will describe what's used and, where required, how to control it.
2. How We Use Information
- Operating and securing the Site (e.g. the technical logs described above).
- Responding to any message you send us directly (e.g. by email), for as long as needed to handle that request.
- Meeting legal obligations, where applicable.
We do not use information collected through the Site for advertising, profiling, or automated decision-making.
3. Our Legal Basis for Processing (Canada)
OttawaServiceFinder.com operates from Ontario, Canada, and follows the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Ontario law. Where we do process personal information (for example, if you email us), we rely on your consent (by choosing to contact us) or on our legitimate interest in operating and securing the Site.
4. How We Share Information
We do not sell personal information. We may share information with:
- Our web hosting provider, to the extent necessary to run the Site.
- Legal or regulatory authorities, if required by law.
If we ever add a third-party service that would receive visitor information — a form handler, an email service, a mapping service, analytics — we'll update this section to name that provider and what it receives, before that integration goes live.
5. Data Retention
We keep information only as long as necessary for the purposes described above. Standard hosting logs are retained according to our hosting provider's normal operational practices. If you email us directly, we keep that correspondence only as long as needed to address it.
6. Your Rights
Under PIPEDA, you generally have the right to:
- Ask what personal information we hold about you, if any.
- Ask us to correct inaccurate information.
- Withdraw consent for any processing based on consent, where applicable.
- Complain to us directly, or to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, if you believe your privacy rights have been violated.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at contact@ottawaservicefinder.com.
7. Data Security
The Site is served over HTTPS, and we rely on our hosting provider's standard security practices. No online service can guarantee absolute security, but we take reasonable, industry-standard steps appropriate to the very limited information the Site currently handles.
8. Children's Privacy
The Site is a general-audience community resource and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, please contact us and we will remove it.
9. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as the Site's features change — most notably, whenever we add anything that actually collects personal information. We'll update the effective date above when we do. Please check back periodically.
10. Contact Us
Questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices can be sent to:
OttawaServiceFinder.com
Email: contact@ottawaservicefinder.com