PRIVACY POLICY

Le Collectif Hifens inc.
Last update: June 9, 2025
This Privacy Policy details Le Collectif Hifens' commitments and practices regarding the collection, use, disclosure, retention and protection of personal information. This policy applies to all users of our website and services. Protecting your personal information is important to us, and our practices comply with the requirements of the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Québec), as well as other applicable laws.

1. Privacy Officer

Le Collectif Hifens has designated a Privacy Officer who is responsible for ensuring compliance with this Policy and applicable laws. Ms. Cheryl Coello, VP of Operations, is the person responsible for handling any request or question relating to your rights of access, rectification or withdrawal of consent. You may contact our Privacy Officer by e-mail at the following address: data.privacy@hifens.ca

2. Collection of personal information

We only collect personal information that is necessary for the purposes identified in this policy. This information may be collected directly from you, automatically through your use of the website, or by technical partners.
The information we may collect includes your first and last name, e-mail address, professional and linguistic experience, site navigation data (pages viewed, clicks, reading history, date and time of connection), IP address, operating system, and data associated with your interactions with our content (opening e-mails, UTM links, source of subscription). Additional information you voluntarily submit, such as inquiries or comments, may also be recorded.

3. Collection methods and technologies

Personal information is collected primarily through registration forms or by browsing our Web site. Automated tools such as cookies, web beacons and tracking tags may be used to analyze your use of our site and optimize its content.
A cookie is a small text file stored on your device when you visit a website. Cookies allow a site to remember your actions and preferences over a period of time so that you don't have to re-enter them each time you return to the site or navigate from one page to another.
Cookies may be used to ensure the functionality of the site, to record your browsing preferences, to produce statistics on traffic and engagement, or to personalize our marketing communications. You can deactivate cookies via your browser settings, but some site functions may not function properly in this case.

4. Collection purposes

Personal information collected by Le Collectif Hifens is used solely for the following purposes: to enable registration for our services, to process your offer, to send you interesting opportunities, to send you communications about our activities, to perform statistical analysis of site usage, to ensure the security of our Web site, to detect fraudulent or malicious activity, to respond to your questions or requests for assistance, and to meet our legal obligations.
We will not further process your data in a way that is incompatible with the original purpose, except with your express consent or as required by law.

5. Communication to third parties

We do not sell, rent or trade your personal information to third parties for commercial purposes. However, we may share this data with certain partners and service providers when necessary to provide the services. These third parties include hosting services, analysis and marketing tools, and any other subcontractors or clients bound by contract to strict confidentiality commitments.
In some cases, your information may be hosted or processed outside Quebec. Prior to any transfer, a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) is carried out to ensure that your information is adequately protected in accordance with Quebec standards.
Information may also be transmitted to the appropriate authorities when required by law, by court order, or to protect our rights in the event of litigation or investigation.

6. Your rights regarding personal information

In accordance with the provisions of the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (Québec), you have several important rights regarding the processing of your personal information. In particular, you have the right to be informed of the precise purposes for which your data is collected, as well as the type of information involved.
You have the right to request access to all the personal information we hold about you. We undertake to provide you with this information in a comprehensible format, within a reasonable period of time, in accordance with legal provisions.
You also have the right to request the rectification of any inaccurate, incomplete or ambiguous information, as well as the completion of any insufficient information.
You may also exercise your right to erasure of your personal information when it is no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected, when you withdraw your consent, or when its retention is no longer justified by law. This right may, however, be limited in certain cases, such as when information must be retained for legal or contractual reasons.
You have the right to withdraw, at any time, your consent to the use of your personal information where such consent is required. Such withdrawal may, however, restrict your access to certain services where data processing is essential to their provision.
A right to portability also allows you to receive your personal information in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format, and to transmit it to another service provider, where technically possible.
Finally, you have the right to object to certain types of processing, in particular those for direct marketing or profiling purposes, unless they are necessary for the provision of the service requested or required by law.
To exercise these rights, all requests must be addressed in writing to our Privacy Officer, whose contact information is indicated in section 1 of this Policy. An acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to you, and we will respond to your request within a maximum of thirty (30) days, unless otherwise required by law. If a request is refused, a clear justification will be provided.

7. Retention and destruction of information

We retain your personal information only for as long as is necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or to comply with legal or regulatory obligations. Once the retention period has expired, your data is securely destroyed or anonymized to make it impossible to identify you.
Internal policies specify the applicable retention periods according to the nature of the information and relevant regulatory obligations. Destruction records are also maintained.

8. Security of personal information

Le Collectif Hifens applies rigorous physical, administrative and technological security measures to protect the personal information in its custody. These measures include encryption, restricted access to information, activity logging, periodic security audits, the use of strong passwords and ongoing staff training.

9. Incident management and privacy breaches

When an incident involving the confidentiality of information is detected, we immediately carry out an analysis of the incident, implement the necessary corrective measures, and fully document the event. If the risk of harm is deemed serious, those affected will be notified without delay, including recommendations for limiting the consequences. A report is forwarded to the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec if required.

10. Limitation of liability

Despite the stringent measures in place, no computer system is immune to residual risk. Consequently, Le Collectif Hifens cannot be held responsible for any breach of security or incident resulting in the loss, alteration or unauthorized disclosure of your personal information if this is the result of a malicious act by a third party, an act of God or any circumstance beyond our reasonable control. This includes, but is not limited to, acts of hacking, external service failures, or human error without gross negligence.

11. Changes to this policy

Le Collectif Hifens reserves the right to modify this Privacy Policy at any time to reflect technological, legal or organizational changes. Any substantial changes will be clearly communicated to affected users, either by e-mail or by a notice published on our site. The version in force is the one available on our Web site with its date of update.

12. Questions, requests or complaints

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, the exercise of your rights, or if you believe that your personal information has been treated in a non-compliant manner, you may contact our Privacy Officer by e-mail at data.privacy@hifens.ca
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to file a complaint with the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec.
We thank you for the trust you place in Le Collectif Hifens to manage your personal information and we undertake to treat it with the utmost care and in strict compliance with applicable legislation.