At Aphasie Québec – Le réseau (AQLR), we place great importance on protecting the personal information of our clients, employees and representatives. In accordance with the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector, we are committed to preserving the confidentiality of the personal information collected in the course of our activities. The purpose of our privacy policy is to inform you about our practices for collecting, using, disclosing, retaining and protecting your personal information. By providing us with your personal information, you accept the terms of this policy and authorize us to process your information in accordance with it.

Consent

1.1 Commitment to protecting privacy

We are committed to protecting the privacy of our users. We collect and use personal information only with their explicit consent and in compliance with applicable laws.

1.2 Acceptance of the terms of our policy

By accessing our website (www.aphasiequebec.com | www.aphasiequebec.org) or by providing us with personal information, you accept the terms of our privacy policy. This includes your consent to the collection and use of your personal information in accordance with this policy.

1.3 Right to withdraw consent

You have the right to withdraw your consent at any time. However, this is subject to certain legal or contractual restrictions. We will inform you of the possible consequences of this withdrawal, such as the inability to provide certain products or to process certain requests. Your decision to withdraw will be recorded in our files.

1.4 Exceptions to the requirement for consent

In certain exceptional circumstances, we may collect, use or disclose personal information without first obtaining your consent. This may occur in situations where legal, medical or security imperatives make obtaining your consent impossible or impractical. These situations include, but are not limited to, cases of suspected breach of contract, the prevention or detection of fraud, or needs related to law enforcement.

Collection of personal information

2.1 We collect personal information through various means, such as:

Emails and communications with our customer service.
Online request forms (including appointments).
The mobile application offered to our clients.
Cookies and similar technologies on our website.

2.2 We may also collect information through third parties, such as:

A technology service provider such as an ordering platform or a newsletter service.
A recruitment portal that allows candidates to submit their résumé and personal data.
Professional social networks such as LinkedIn, Facebook or Instagram for recruitment or marketing purposes.
A consultant or partner of AQLR that provides part of the services we offer to our clients.
An agency responsible for answering questions or handling complaints from our clients.
A customer satisfaction survey company that collects feedback on our products or services.
An online payment service provider to process financial transactions.
A cloud computing company storing client data.
A digital marketing company analyzing user behaviour on our website.
An IT security service provider that monitors threats and protects data.
A customer relationship management (CRM) company that helps organize and analyze interactions with clients.
A logistics provider managing the delivery of products and collecting information about recipients.

2.3 We may use advanced technologies to collect personal information, in particular to identify, locate or profile our clients (for example, to create consumer profiles). However, we are committed to protecting the privacy of our clients:

Responsible use of technology: We use these technologies solely to improve our services and better understand the needs of our clients.
Enabling features: By default, these features are disabled to protect the confidentiality of data. Our clients always have the choice of enabling these features or not, according to their preferences.

We are committed to being transparent about the use of these technologies and to respecting the privacy choices of our clients.

Types of personal information collected

3.1 We collect various types of data, including but not limited to:

Personal identifiers (name, postal address, email, telephone number)
Technical or digital information (IP address, online activities)
Health data (weight, sex at birth, health history, lifestyle habits, medication use)
Demographic data (age, ethnic origin, nationality, place of residence)

3.2 Children’s privacy

We do not knowingly collect or solicit personal information from children under the age of 14. By using our website, you declare that you are at least 14 years old. If you are under 14, please do not attempt to send us any personal information. If we discover that we have inadvertently collected personal information from a user under the age of 14, we will attempt to delete that information from our files and records immediately. We also encourage minor users of the website aged 14 or older to ask permission from their parents or guardians before sending any information about themselves over the Internet.
If you believe that a child under the age of 14 has provided us with personal information, please contact us using the contact details provided in the following section.

Use of personal information

4.1 We use your personal information for a range of essential activities:

Responding to requests: To respond effectively to your requests and inquiries.
Transaction management: Processing payments and issuing receipts for completed transactions.
Registrations and participation: Managing your registrations for events, training, newsletters, downloads from our website, or participation in webinars.
Human resources management: For internal management and administration of human resources, recruitment, employment contracts and service agreements.
Improving the user experience: Operating, maintaining and improving our website, personalizing your online experience, and providing requested services and information.
Marketing communication: Sending relevant information, special offers and news, with the option to unsubscribe at any time.
User account management: Managing your user account to access various features of our site.

These uses are intended to enrich your experience with our services and to facilitate an efficient interaction with our organization.

4.2 We offer various options to allow you to control and limit the collection of your personal information. These options include:

Communication choices: You can choose to receive our communications through different means (telephone, text message, email), or to refuse them entirely.
Account settings: When creating an account on our site, you have the option not to take part in certain services or loyalty programs.
Cookie management: Our site allows you to refuse or customize the use of cookies. Please note that blocking certain cookies may affect the accessibility and functionality of our site.
Granular consent: In most situations, when we collect information for specific purposes, you have the option to consent to only certain uses of your data.

It is important to note that some of these options may limit your access to all the features of our service. For example, by refusing certain cookies, some parts of our website may not work as intended, or by choosing not to create an account, certain personalization features may not be available.

Sharing and disclosure of personal information

5.1 The personal information collected by our organization is accessible to specific categories of our staff and to certain partner organizations, in order to provide our products and services effectively. For example:

Customer service: Accesses contact information to respond to requests.
IT department: Accesses technical data for support and maintenance.
Marketing department: Uses data for advertising campaigns and market research.
Delivery partners: Receive addresses for the delivery of orders.
Payment service providers: Access financial information to process transactions.
Personal information and data security officers: Access information to ensure the security and protection of data against unauthorized access or cyberattacks.
Legal advisors: Use data to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations.
Cloud service providers: Host data on secure servers, allowing the storage and retrieval of information.
Research and development partners: Access certain data to collaborate on new innovations or improvements to products/services.
Collection agencies: In cases of non-payment, certain information may be shared with external collection agencies.

We ensure that this information is used exclusively for the stated purposes and in keeping with confidentiality. Transfers of data outside Quebec are carried out as part of international collaborations, while ensuring adequate protection of the information in accordance with applicable laws.

Links to other websites

6.1 Our website may contain links to third-party websites

When you follow these links, you leave our website. The information exchanged at that point is no longer subject to our privacy policy. We recommend that you review the privacy statements of the other websites you visit before providing any information.

Security of personal information

7.1 Security measures for the protection of personal information

To ensure the security and confidentiality of personal information, AQLR adopts rigorous security measures, encompassing both physical and technological aspects. Here are some concrete examples:

Physical security: Use of electronic locking systems and security locks for access to offices, cabinets and filing cabinets, installation of surveillance cameras, and restriction of access to areas where personal data is kept.
Access controls: Limiting access to personal data to authorized employees only.
Staff training: Regular awareness of staff about data security best practices.
Data encryption: Protection of sensitive data using advanced encryption techniques.
Monitoring and intrusion detection: Implementation of systems to monitor any suspicious activity and detect potential intrusions.
Disaster recovery plans: Development of plans to quickly restore data in the event of an incident such as an outage or a cyberattack.

These measures are intended to protect personal information against any unauthorized access, use or disclosure, and to maximize its integrity and confidentiality. Although we do everything possible to protect your personal data, it is important to keep in mind that no method of transmission over the Internet or of electronic storage is 100% secure. We therefore cannot guarantee its absolute security.

7.2 Commitment of staff and the board of directors

Each employee, director, volunteer, independent contractor or ad hoc advisor working within the committees of our board of directors undertakes to respect the personal information that we collect. In addition, these individuals undertake to maintain the confidentiality of information specific to our activities and not to disclose it or make personal use of it or use it for the benefit of others. This commitment exists from the moment the employee, director, volunteer, independent contractor or ad hoc advisor takes office and continues indefinitely.

Retention and destruction of personal information

We will retain your personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes set out in this privacy policy. We will retain and use it to the extent necessary to comply with our legal obligations, to resolve disputes and to enforce our legal policies.
We will also retain usage data for internal analysis purposes. This data is generally kept for a shorter period, unless it is used to strengthen the security or improve the functionality of our website, or if we are legally required to keep it for a longer period.

Your rights

9.1 Recognition and respect of your rights

As part of our privacy policy, we recognize and respect the fundamental rights of the individuals concerned by the personal information we hold. These rights include:

Right of access: Individuals have the right to view the personal information we hold about them. For example, a client may ask to see the data collected when they registered for our service.
Right of rectification: If information is inaccurate or incomplete, the individuals concerned may request that it be updated. For example, an employee may request the correction of their incorrect postal address in our records.
Right to de-indexing: Individuals may request that their personal information be removed from distribution or that any hyperlink associated with their name be de-indexed, in cases where such distribution causes them harm or is in violation of the law or a court order. This right to erasure or to be forgotten allows individuals to control the availability of their personal information on the Internet.
Right to file a complaint: In the event of concerns about the processing of their data, individuals may file a complaint in accordance with our established process.

Subject to applicable laws, upon receipt of a written request from an individual and after verification of their identity, we will inform the individual whether we hold personal information about them and will communicate that information to them.
We may deny an individual access to their information in accordance with applicable laws, in which case we will give reasons for our refusal.
To facilitate these rights, the contact details of our privacy officer are clearly indicated for any questions or concerns. These measures ensure that individuals can exercise their rights with confidence and transparency.

Changes to the policy

This policy may be updated to reflect changes in our practices or legal requirements. Changes will be published on our website. We encourage you to review this privacy policy regularly to stay informed of any changes.

Contact

Any request or question about this privacy policy may be sent to the person responsible for the protection of personal information at the following address:

Person responsible for the application of Law 25 : Christian Marois, Executive Director at Aphasie Québec – Le réseau.
By email: information@aphasiequebec.com
By postal mail: Please call toll-free to obtain the address : 1.877.626.1473

Policy effective date: September 14, 2023
Last updated: February 21, 2025

Privacy Policy