Privacy Policy

1. Introduction and Scope

Morning Thatch ("we", "us", or "our") operates the website providing guidance on budgeting for childbirth and early childhood in Calgary, Alberta. We are committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information.

This Privacy Policy describes how we collect, use, and disclose personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) of Alberta and, where applicable, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) of Canada. By using our services, you consent to the data practices described in this policy.

2. Data Controller (Operator)

For the purposes of Alberta privacy legislation, Morning Thatch is the organization responsible for your personal information. If you have questions regarding this policy or our data handling practices, please contact our Privacy Officer at:

3. Information We Collect

We collect information that identifies, relates to, or could reasonably be linked to you ("Personal Information"). The types of information we collect include:

• Identifiers: Name, email address, telephone number, and postal address (if provided via contact forms).
• Financial Data: While we provide budgeting tools, we do not store your specific bank account numbers. Any data entered into our "Spreadsheets and Tools" is processed locally or stored under your specific user profile if registered.
• Technical Data: IP address, browser type, operating system, referring URLs, and interaction data regarding how you use our website.
• Cookies and Tracking: We use cookies to enhance user experience and analyze traffic. Please refer to our Cookie Policy for details.

4. Purposes and Legal Basis for Processing

In accordance with PIPA, we collect and use personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances. These include:

• Service Delivery: To provide tailored information regarding Calgary-specific baby benefits, CCB (Canada Child Benefit) calculations, and RESP setups.
• Communication: To respond to inquiries submitted through our contact forms or to send newsletters (where explicit consent is provided).
• Improvement: To analyze website performance and optimize our "Canada Baby Budget Guide" content.
• Legal Compliance: To meet regulatory requirements and protect against fraudulent activity.

The legal basis for our processing is primarily Consent. By providing your information, you grant us the authority to process it for the specified purposes. You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions.

5. Data Retention

Morning Thatch retains personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the identified purposes or as required by law.

• Inquiry data is kept for 24 months following the last interaction.
• Marketing data is kept until you unsubscribe.
• Technical logs are purged every 90 days.

Once information is no longer required, it is securely destroyed, erased, or made anonymous.

6. Disclosure to Third Parties

We do not sell, rent, or lease our customer lists to third parties. We may share data with trusted partners to help perform statistical analysis, send you email or postal mail, or provide customer support. All such third parties are prohibited from using your personal information except to provide these services to Morning Thatch, and they are required to maintain the confidentiality of your information.

We may disclose your personal information, without notice, only if required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (a) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on Morning Thatch; (b) protect and defend the rights or property of Morning Thatch; and, (c) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of users of Morning Thatch, or the public.

7. International Transfers

As we use global service providers (such as hosting and analytics), your data may be transferred to, and stored on, servers located outside of Alberta or Canada. In these cases, your personal information may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions, which may differ from Canadian laws. However, we ensure that contractual protections are in place to maintain a level of protection comparable to that provided under PIPA.

8. Your Privacy Rights

Under Alberta's PIPA, you have specific rights regarding your personal information:

• Right of Access: You have a right to access your personal information held by us and to receive information about how it is used and to whom it has been disclosed.
• Right of Correction: You may request that we correct any errors or omissions in your personal information.
• Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw your consent for us to use your information at any time, subject to legal notice periods.
• Right to Lodge a Complaint: If you are not satisfied with our response to your privacy concerns, you have the right to contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.

To exercise these rights, please submit a written request to our Privacy Officer via the contact details provided in Section 2.

9. Security Measures

We implement appropriate technical and organizational security measures to protect your personal information against unauthorized access, loss, theft, or modification. This includes encryption (SSL/TLS), firewalls, and restricted access protocols. However, please note that no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure.

10. Changes to This Policy

Morning Thatch will occasionally update this Privacy Policy to reflect company and customer feedback or changes in legislation. We encourage you to periodically review this Policy to be informed of how we are protecting your information.