1. Introduction
This privacy policy explains how Red Ribbon Accounting Inc. collects, uses and protects the personal information of visitors to this website and of clients who use our accounting, bookkeeping, tax preparation and payroll services. This website and the services described on it are developed and operated by the developer RedRibbon. We respect the privacy of every person who trusts us with financial details, and we believe that transparency is the foundation of that trust.
This page describes our practices in plain language so that you can make informed choices about the information you share with us. Please read the full policy before you provide personal information through our website, our client portal or any other channel. If you have a question that this page does not answer, the contact details at the end of this document are always available to you.
2. Developer and Company Details
The website located at https://www.redribbon.buzz is developed and operated by the developer RedRibbon on behalf of the company Red Ribbon Accounting Inc. The company is a Canadian professional services business with its office at A-2107 Second St W, Cornwall - K6H 5R6, Canada (CA). When this policy refers to the company, we, us or our, we mean Red Ribbon Accounting Inc. and its authorized representatives.
All services described on this website are delivered by Red Ribbon Accounting Inc. and its team of qualified accounting professionals. The company provides computer systems design and related services within the professional, scientific and technical services sector, and it supports those systems with the accounting, bookkeeping, tax preparation and payroll services described throughout this site. Your relationship with our practice is governed by both this policy and any separate engagement agreement we sign with you.
3. Scope of This Policy
This policy applies to personal information collected through this website, through email and telephone communications, through our secure client portal, and through documents that clients share with us in the course of an engagement. It covers information about individuals, including sole proprietors, business owners, employees whose payroll we process, and the family members whose returns we prepare.
This policy does not apply to the practices of third-party websites that may be linked from our pages. Where a separate engagement agreement exists, the terms of that agreement work together with this policy. If any part of this policy conflicts with a legal requirement that applies to you, the applicable law takes priority. Nothing in this policy limits the rights that you hold under the privacy legislation of your province or country.
4. Information We Collect
We collect only the information needed to deliver our services well. Depending on the services you request, this may include your name, email address, phone number, postal address, date of birth, business name, business registration numbers, tax identification numbers, bank account details, income and expense records, payroll records, and any other financial information you choose to provide.
When you visit this website, our servers may record technical information such as your internet protocol address, browser type, device type, the pages you view and the time of your visit. This technical information helps us keep the website secure and understand how visitors use it. We do not collect more information than the services reasonably require, and we never request financial details that are not relevant to the work we perform for you.
5. How Information Is Collected
Information reaches us in several ways. You provide it directly when you fill in the contact form, write to us by email, call our office, or meet with us in person at our Cornwall location. You provide it when you upload documents to our secure client portal or when you authorize a financial institution to share statements and records with us.
We also collect technical information automatically through cookies and server logs, as described later in this policy. In every case we collect information lawfully, fairly and with your knowledge. We do not buy personal data from brokers and we do not harvest contact details from public sources without a clear reason related to our services. Consent is asked for wherever it is appropriate and it can be withdrawn at any time.
6. Purposes of Processing
We use personal information for specific and legitimate purposes. These purposes include responding to enquiries, preparing personal and corporate tax returns, maintaining books and ledgers, processing payroll, preparing financial statements, providing advisory services, sending service reminders, managing our client relationships, and improving this website.
We also use contact details to send you important notices about your account, about deadlines that affect you, or about changes to our services. Where we send a newsletter or a seasonal update, we do so only with your consent and you may unsubscribe at any time. We never sell personal information to any third party and we never use your financial records for anything other than the work you have asked us to do.
7. Legal Bases for Processing
When we process personal information we rely on recognized legal bases. The main basis is the performance of a contract between you and the company for the services you request. Without this processing we could not complete your returns, run your payroll or maintain your books, and the engagement could not function.
We also rely on your consent, which you may withdraw at any time by contacting us. Some processing is necessary to comply with legal obligations such as record keeping under Canadian tax legislation and anti-money laundering rules. Other processing rests on our legitimate interest in operating an efficient, professional and secure practice. Before we rely on a legitimate interest we balance our needs against your rights, and we stop any processing where your interests outweigh ours.
8. Disclosure of Information
We disclose personal information only in limited circumstances and only to the minimum extent necessary. We share information with government authorities when the law requires it, such as filings with the Canada Revenue Agency, payroll remittances and responses to lawful requests for records. We share information with professional advisers such as auditors and lawyers when they are bound by obligations of confidentiality.
We may share information with a successor if the practice is sold or merged, and in that case the successor is bound by the same commitments set out in this policy. We do not share your information with marketing agencies, data brokers or advertisers. Every recipient of your information is required to protect it to the same standard that we apply, and we verify that requirement in writing wherever we can.
9. Service Providers
We work with a small number of trusted service providers to run the practice efficiently. These providers host this website, operate our secure document portal, process email, provide software for accounting and bookkeeping, and support our electronic signatures and payment processes.
Service providers process personal information only on our instructions and under contracts that require them to protect the data and to use it only for the services they provide to us. We review our providers on a regular basis and we do not authorize them to use your information for their own purposes. Where a provider is located outside Canada, we apply the safeguards described in the section on international transfers below.
10. Data Retention
We keep personal information only as long as it is needed for the purposes for which it was collected. Client records are retained for the periods required by Canadian tax law, which often means six years or more after the relevant filing. These retention periods protect you as well as us, because the Canada Revenue Agency may request supporting records for those years.
Enquiry records are kept for a shorter period once the enquiry is resolved. Website logs are retained for a limited time for security analysis and are then removed. When information is no longer needed, we delete it securely or anonymize it so that it can no longer identify you. We review our retention schedules each year and we destroy paper records through a confidential shredding process.
11. Data Security
Protecting your information is central to our practice. We use encryption in transit, strong access controls, firewalls and secure storage for electronic records. Physical records are stored in a locked office with restricted access, and only the staff who need the records for the work can reach them.
Our team is trained to handle personal information with care and to report any suspected breach immediately. While no system is completely secure, we work continuously to keep your data safe through updates, backups and regular reviews of our procedures. If a breach is ever confirmed, we will notify affected individuals and the relevant authorities when the law requires a notification, and we will do everything reasonable to limit the impact.
13. Your Privacy Rights
Depending on your location you may have rights over your personal information. These rights include the right to access the information we hold about you, the right to correct inaccurate details, the right to request deletion, and the right to object to certain types of processing. You may also ask for a copy of your records in a portable format.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details at the end of this policy. We will respond within the time frame required by law, and we may ask you to verify your identity before we release any records to protect your privacy and the security of your file. There is no charge for a reasonable request, and we will explain any refusal and the reasons for it in writing.
14. Privacy for Children
Our services are directed to adults and business owners. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of thirteen, and this website is not designed to appeal to children. Accounting and tax services require the consent and involvement of an adult, and our engagement letters are signed by adults.
If you believe that a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, please contact us and we will remove that information from our records as soon as possible. Parents are welcome to contact us with any question about how this website is used or what information it collects. We will never market our accounting services to children or use the website to gather information about them.
15. International Transfers
Your information is stored primarily in Canada. Some of our service providers operate servers in other countries, which means your information may be transferred across borders for hosting, processing and storage. Transfers are necessary for the efficient operation of cloud-based services that clients value, such as our secure portal.
Where a transfer occurs, we apply safeguards that are recognized by Canadian law and we require our providers to respect equivalent levels of protection. By using our services you acknowledge that your information may be processed outside your province or country, subject to the safeguards described in this policy. We will inform you if the location of a transfer changes in a way that affects you.
16. Third-Party Links
This website may contain links to external websites, such as government portals, tax authorities or professional bodies. We do not control those websites, and this policy does not apply to them. A link from our website does not mean that we endorse the content or the practices of the site you land on.
We encourage you to read the privacy policy and the terms of any external site before you provide personal information there. If you follow a link and find that a site asks for financial details, please treat the request with care and verify that the site belongs to the organization it claims to represent. We review the links we publish regularly and remove any that no longer meet our standards.
17. Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, in the law or in our practices. When we make a significant change we will post the revised version on this page and update the date at the top of the document. We will also keep a short summary of the change on this page for your convenience.
If a change affects you materially and we have your current email address, we will notify you directly before the new version takes effect. Continued use of this website after a change means that you accept the revised policy. We encourage you to review this page occasionally so that you stay informed about how your information is handled.
18. Governing Law
This policy is governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the applicable federal laws of Canada. Any question arising under this policy will be resolved in the courts of Ontario, subject to any right of appeal. The courts of Ontario have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes that relate to the collection and use of information described in this policy.
If a court finds that any part of this policy is invalid or unenforceable, the remaining parts continue to apply in full. Nothing in this policy limits your statutory rights under applicable privacy legislation, and no provision is intended to waive a right that cannot lawfully be waived. We intend the policy to be read in a way that is fair to you and consistent with the professional standards of our practice.
19. Contact Information
If you have a question about this policy or about the way we handle personal information, contact us by email at serve@redribbon.buzz or by phone at +16069007176. You may also write to us at Red Ribbon Accounting Inc., A-2107 Second St W, Cornwall - K6H 5R6, Canada (CA). We will review every message and respond as quickly as we can.
You also have the right to raise a concern with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or with the office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. We ask that you give us the opportunity to resolve any concern first, and we commit to responding honestly and promptly to every request we receive about this policy.
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