This privacy policy sets out the practices of GACI Groupe Agroalimentaire Inc. (“GACI”) for protecting the confidentiality of personal information collected by technological means, including its website gaci.ca. By browsing the site, you acknowledge and accept these terms.
GACI recognizes the importance of respecting privacy and protecting the personal information it holds. It takes the necessary measures to comply with the requirements of the Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (CQLR, chapter P-39.1), as amended by Law 25, and Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act.
The person in charge of the protection of personal information at GACI is its President, whose contact details appear in the section “Access to your personal information and right of rectification”.
GACI undertakes to inform any person concerned of a confidentiality incident involving personal information it holds that presents a risk of serious injury, and to notify the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec.
Personal information
Personal information is information about a natural person that allows that person to be identified. It is confidential. Except as provided by law, it may not be disclosed without the consent of the person concerned.
Collection of personal information
GACI collects only the personal information needed to respond to the requests it receives and to maintain its business relationship with its professional customers.
Collection is carried out from the person concerned, on the basis of genuine, free and informed consent given for specific purposes.
GACI staff use personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected and act with care.
The site’s only point of collection is the contact form, through which GACI collects your name, email address, telephone number (optional) and the content of your message. When GACI asks you to provide personal information, you are informed of the following:
- the purpose for which the information is intended: responding to your request, preparing a commercial proposal where applicable, and following up
- the categories of persons who will have access to it: GACI staff responsible for business relations
- whether each field is mandatory or optional, as indicated in the form
- the consequences of not responding: GACI will not be able to act on your message
- your rights of access and rectification provided by law
- the measures in place to protect the confidentiality of information during transmission (HTTPS encryption)
- the names of third parties involved in collection or storage: Hostinger and Google (see “Non-disclosure to third parties”)
If you choose to voluntarily send personal information to GACI, whether through the form, by email or by any other technological means, GACI will use only the information needed to respond to your message or act on your request.
Non-disclosure to third parties
GACI does not rent, sell or trade identifying personal information (for example name, telephone number, email address) that would allow you to be identified.
GACI undertakes not to disclose this information unless required under a legal obligation or court order, or in the performance of a contract entrusted to a third party. When it retains the services of an external provider, GACI uses appropriate means to ensure that your information is protected in accordance with the law and collected, used, retained and destroyed in a manner consistent with this policy.
To operate the site and receive messages, GACI uses the following providers, acting as subcontractors:
- Hostinger — site hosting and storage of contact form submissions
- Google (Google Workspace) — receipt by email of messages submitted through the form
These providers process personal information only according to GACI’s instructions and are not authorized to use it for other purposes.
Data security
Your data is stored outside Quebec, on servers located in North America. GACI has assessed the privacy-related factors associated with this disclosure and does everything possible to guarantee a level of protection equivalent to that offered for data stored in Quebec, ensuring that all applicable legal requirements are met.
GACI has put in place various means to ensure that your personal information is protected against the risks of loss and theft, as well as unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, modification or destruction. These means include physical, administrative and technological security measures that it considers reasonable given the sensitivity, quantity and format of the information collected. Access to form submissions is restricted to persons who need it in the performance of their duties.
However, no security measure is absolute or fully guaranteed. If you have reason to believe that your interaction with GACI is no longer secure (for example, if you think the security of information you provided has been compromised), contact us immediately at contact@gaci.ca.
It is strictly prohibited to collect, extract, capture or attempt to access information published or stored on the site by automated or other means, including the use of bots, scripts or data-mining tools, or any other technique intended to circumvent the security mechanisms in place. Any such attempt constitutes unauthorized use and may result in civil or criminal measures under applicable law.
Retention
Once the purposes for which personal information was collected have been achieved, that information is destroyed or anonymized. Contact form submissions and the corresponding emails are retained for one (1) year from the last exchange with you. GACI nevertheless reserves the right to hold certain information for a reasonable period to comply with the law, prevent fraud, resolve a claim or cooperate with an investigation.
Access to your personal information and right of rectification
Under the law, a person may request access to information concerning them and have it corrected.
A person also has the following rights:
- withdraw consent to the disclosure or use of the personal information collected, at any time
- request the erasure or destruction of their personal information in certain circumstances. GACI may refuse a request where the information is required to comply with the law or a contractual agreement, or in relation to a claim
- request that dissemination of information concerning them cease or that it be de-indexed, in the cases provided by law
- request the transfer of the information they provided, in a structured, commonly used technological format
Requests for access or rectification, and any question about this policy, must be addressed in writing to the person in charge of the protection of personal information:
President
GACI Groupe Agroalimentaire Inc.
4727 Couture Boulevard
Saint-Léonard, Montreal, Quebec H1R 3H7
contact@gaci.ca · 514-326-4114
Digital services
gaci.ca is a presentation and catalogue website intended for food industry professionals. It offers no user account, newsletter or online transaction. The catalogue can be browsed without providing any personal information. The only digital service involving your information is the contact form.
Cookies
A single cookie is used on the site. It is stored in the memory of the device you use and serves only to remember the display language you have chosen (French or English). This cookie does not collect your personal information or track your browsing.
Most browsers accept cookies by default. You can change your browser’s privacy settings at any time to block cookies or delete those already stored. This will not prevent you from accessing the site, but your language choice will not be remembered.
Statistics
GACI uses no audience analytics or advertising tools on its site. No data about your visits is sent to a third party for statistical or advertising purposes. Should GACI introduce such a tool, this policy would be updated and your consent would be requested beforehand.
The server hosting the site automatically records, like any web server, technical data (IP address, browser type, pages viewed) for security and operational purposes. GACI does not use these logs to identify its visitors.
Links to other sites
The site contains hyperlinks giving access to websites owned and managed by third parties, including the brands GACI distributes. GACI provides these hyperlinks for visitors’ convenience and has no control over the content of these sites.
When you follow these hyperlinks, you leave GACI’s site and any information exchanged is no longer subject to this policy, but to that of the site visited. GACI makes no representation, gives no endorsement and accepts no responsibility for the content or use of such sites.
Submitted messages
By submitting a message through the contact form, you acknowledge and accept that:
- your message is handled confidentially and used only to respond to it and follow up on your request
- you must not include sensitive information (financial information, account numbers, passwords, health information)
- GACI may keep your message for the period stated in the “Retention” section
Minors
The site is intended exclusively for food industry professionals. Nothing on the site solicits information from minors. GACI does not knowingly collect personal information from persons under 14 years of age. If you believe a minor has sent information to GACI, write to us and we will delete it.
Web browsing, HTTPS and encryption protocols
When you browse the site, your browser detects whether the communication is adequately protected. The padlock symbol in the address bar confirms that the session is secure.
GACI uses the HTTPS protocol on its site with a valid encryption certificate. All data transmitted between your device and the site, including the content of the contact form, is protected by cryptographic means ensuring the confidentiality of your information.
Handling of complaints regarding the protection of personal information
A person who believes that their personal information has been handled inappropriately, or who is of the view that the law has not been complied with in their regard, may file a complaint.
The complaint may concern the collection, retention, use, disclosure or destruction of personal information. It is handled in complete confidentiality. The information it contains is accessible only to persons authorized to consult it in the performance of their duties.
Complaints must be submitted in writing, by email or by mail, to:
President, person in charge of the protection of personal information
GACI Groupe Agroalimentaire Inc.
4727 Couture Boulevard
Saint-Léonard, Montreal, Quebec H1R 3H7
contact@gaci.ca