Privacy Policy

This page explains our privacy policy. It sets out our practices with regard to the protection of privacy and the protection of personal information provided to us.

1. SCOPE

This policy sets out EcoMaris' practices for handling personal information in accordance with applicable legislation. The term "handling" refers in particular to the collection, use, transmission, storage and destruction of personal information. Our policy also describes your rights relating to the protection of the data you entrust to us, including the right to object to some of their handling. 

2. REQUIREMENTS

Our policy has been developed in compliance with applicable laws. Some of its provisions may exceed the requirements of these laws, in which case EcoMaris will have full discretion regarding their application.

2.1 Responsibility of EcoMaris

Our organization is responsible for handling the personal information it receives. We have therefore appointed a person responsible for the protection of your personal information. This person ensures that EcoMaris complies with applicable legislation.

Here is the contact information for EcoMaris' Privacy Officer:

Marion Plouvin, PO

5429 Waverly Street

Montreal, Quebec H2T 2X8

CANADA

Phone: +1 418 800-1126

E-mail: info@ecomaris.org

2.2 Nature of Collected Information

In the course of our activities, we may need to collect and handle the following personal information:

• Identity and contact information of employees, volunteers or participants in our programs, projects, expeditions or events: first name, last name, address, telephone number, email address, date of birth, gender, sex, social insurance number, driver's license number, educational and professional background, medical information, preferences related to our services, etc.
• Billing information, including bank account and credit card numbers, as well as any other data required for payroll processing or fraud prevention.
• Information of a commercial nature, including information provided as part of a contractual or customer relationship between EcoMaris and yourself or your company, as well as information provided voluntarily by yourself or your company.
• Profile and usage information, including communication preferences regarding newsletters and data related to your use of our website: services searched for or consulted, page response times, download errors, length of visits and interactions with Web pages (including clicks, scrolling and mouse-over), etc.
• Technical information, including data collected during your use of the EcoMaris website: Internet Protocol (IP) address, connection information, type and version of browser used, types and versions of browser add-ons, type of device used, time zone settings, operating system and platform used. To learn more about our use of cookies or similar technologies, please refer to our Cookie Policy.

If you provide us with personal information about anyone other than yourself, your employees, third parties, advisors or suppliers, please ensure that they understand how their information will be used, and that they give you permission to share it with us - and, if necessary, with our suppliers.

2.3 Purposes of Collecting Information

EcoMaris collects your personal information to better manage its own operations and to establish and maintain business relationships. We do not collect, use or disclose information for purposes other than those stated. Should we deviate from this principle, we will first obtain the consent of the persons who are concerned - except in the circumstances described in point 2.9 of this policy.

To the extent permitted by law, we collect personal information in order to :

• Recruit employees;
• Exercise, monitor and analyze activities on our website; 
• Ensure that our Web content is presented effectively;
• Communicate promotions by email, knowing that it is possible to unsubscribe from our mailing list by clicking on a link to that effect, or by following instructions to that end;
• Support participants in our programs, projects, expeditions or events, for example when a participant requires transportation or technical assistance in the context of webinars;
• Ensure the rights and safety of EcoMaris or third parties;
• Comply with the law;
• Disclose such information to any person assisting EcoMaris in complying with the law (including accounting and security matters);
• Fulfill any obligation related to a contract with yourself or your company, including to:
• register EcoMaris customers;
• administer shipments on the St. Lawrence or elsewhere;
• process payroll, invoicing or collection;
• process job applications.
• Carry out our activities and meet our legitimate interests, especially to:
• respond to any questions or concerns related to the services we provide;
• provide navigation services to our customers;
• honor our business relationship with yourself or your company, including when it comes to accounting, auditing and additional measures related to the quality of our business relationships in general;
• perform background checks when authorized;
• improve our services and communications;
• ensure compliance with our standards and policies; 
• manage access to our vessels;
• ensure the safety of all;
• ensure our communications and systems’ security, including the prevention and detection of threats, fraud or malicious activity;
• manage insurance;
• exercise our rights or comply with court orders;
• keep you informed of news, announcements or information about our activities;
• collect information about your preferences in order to personalize and improve the quality of our communications.

EcoMaris does not use personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with the consent of the individuals concerned or unless:

• legal, medical or security requirements prevent us from obtaining consent; or
• we are authorized or required to do so under applicable law.

2.4 Circumstances Under Which Information May Be Collected

Circumstances under which EcoMaris may collect your personal information include the following:

• you or your company participate in one of our programs, projects, expeditions or events;
• your personal information is provided to us by a third party because you are participating in a program, project, expedition or event organized by that third party;
• you or your company offer to provide services to us;
• you communicate with us by telephone, in writing, by email or by any other electronic means, or you provide us with personal information directly, such as in conversations with one of our program, project, expedition or event managers;
• you or your company fill in a form, make a request or browse our website or other online platforms;
• your participate in our training courses or events;
• you request information about these courses or events;
• we ask you, your company, companies with which you have a relationship (including former employers and educational institutions you have attended) or third parties (such as government agencies) to provide us with your personal information.

2.5 Refusal to Disclose Information

You may refuse to provide us with certain personal information, in which case we may not be able to provide the services you have requested, implement your instructions or carry out a contract entered into or to be entered into with yourself or your company. In this event, we may have to withdraw our commitment. You will, however, be notified of any such situation should it arise.

2.6 Limits on Information Collection

EcoMaris limits its collection of personal information to that which is necessary for the management of our organization's activities.

2.7 Collection of Information from Third Parties

We only collect personal information from third parties with the consent of the individuals who are concerned, or where permitted by law. 

An individual may need to provide us with personal information about others. In such cases, EcoMaris will obtain the consent of each individual that is concerned, to allow the disclosure and use of information before that information is collected - unless otherwise permitted by law.

In some cases, EcoMaris may be required by law (or applicable codes of ethics) to collect, use or disclose personal information without the knowledge or consent of the individual who is concerned. Where personal information has not been disclosed to EcoMaris by the individual to whom it relates, our organization will provide that individual with :

• the source of any information collected, whether public or not;
• the categories of personal information involved;
• the identity and contact information of the person responsible for the protection of personal information (and, if applicable, of his or her representative.s);
• the recipients or categories of recipients of the personal information, if applicable;
• the purpose for which personal information will be used;
• the length of time personal information will be kept and the reason for its storage;
• if applicable: EcoMaris's intention to disclose personal information to foreign recipients, along with a description of safeguards in place and the manner in which an individual may obtain a copy of their personal information;
• information on a individual’s rights to access their personal information as well as to object to its handling, in addition to their rights concerning the modification, deletion and portability of information collected;
• information on an individual’s right to withdraw their consent at any time, without affecting our legal obligations related to prior handling of data collected where it is based on consent.

Please note, however, that our organization does not have to inform an individual of the above if:

• the person is already informed of the above;
• informing someone of the above proves impossible or would require disproportionate effort;
• the law already already makes the above public knowledge;
• information must remain confidential as it is subject to a legal obligation of professional secrecy.

2.8 Handling of Information when Using our Website

2.8.1 Information Collected During Use of the Website

In order to facilitate navigation on our website as well as future communications, our organization and suppliers may use cookies to collect information about your Internet connection, as well as time and manner of usage. Such information includes, but is not limited to: IP address, location, weblogs, time, date, language preferences, browsers used, Internet addresses referred to/from, searches performed and pages visited. In addition, note that any promotional email from EcoMaris may contain a ‘web beacon’ associated with the advertising campaign it mentions - the purpose of which is to confirm that the message has been opened and, when combined with other technologies, to show whether you have clicked on links in the email in question. EcoMaris may use this information to better identify emails of interest to you. Deletion of emails containing web beacons also suppresses beacons. If you do not wish to have a web beacon downloaded to your device, do not download images we send you.

2.8.2 Social Media Widgets and Associated Features

The EcoMaris website may include social media features such as "Share" buttons and integrated mini-programs. Such features can be hosted by third parties or the EcoMaris platform. They may collect information such as an individual's IP address and pages they visit on the EcoMaris website. They may also use cookies to better operate. Note that interactions with these features are governed by external privacy policies associated with social media.

2.8.3 Links to Third-Party Websites

The EcoMaris platform may include links to other websites which are governed by external privacy policies. Such policies may differ from that of EcoMaris. If an individual submits personal information to third-party websites, that information will then be handled according to privacy policies associated with the sites in question. EcoMaris is not responsible for third-party websites; we therefore recommend that you read privacy policies posted on third-party websites which you access through our platform prior to submitting any information to these third-party websites.

2.9 Transmission and Storage of Personal Information

2.9.1 Transmission

EcoMaris may disclose your personal information to :

• customers, if we have collected your information in the course of providing a service;
• third parties such as service providers, including those we use within or outside EcoMaris - both at home and abroad;
• third parties who help us assess, improve and promote our services (on a confidential basis only);
• legal or other authorities where necessary to initiate or oppose legal proceedings.

Please note that our organization, as well as all suppliers and third parties to whom we disclose personal information in accordance with our privacy policy, may, in some cases, operate outside of Canada. Any personal information accessed, used or stored in a foreign country is subject to the laws of that country. Personal information may, for example, be disclosed to meet requests from governmental or legal authorities based outside of Canada.

If you have any questions about the collection, use, transmission or storage of personal information outside of Canada, please contact EcoMaris’ Privacy Officer whose information is listed in section 2.1.

2.9.3 Storage of Personal Information

EcoMaris will retain personal information only as long as necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes for which it was collected - including transmitting such information or meeting legal/accounting requirements in order to enforce its rights. Once the storage period is over, we destroy personal information in accordance with applicable laws and our own policies.

2.10 Modification of Personal Information

EcoMaris makes every effort to ensure and maintain the accuracy of personal information. We do our best to keep personal information up-to-date and complete. Please note, however, that we only update personal information when necessary. To change, correct or update your personal information, please contact us (see 2.1).

2.11 Protection of Personal Information

EcoMaris protects the confidentiality, integrity and availability of your personal information through security safeguards that are both reasonable and appropriate to the nature of the information collected. We use physical, electronic and organizational measures to this end.

2.12 Transparency

EcoMaris is committed to openness and transparency with respect to its policies. Our organization invites anyone with questions in this regard to contact the EcoMaris PO (see 2.1) or to visit our website.

2.13 Your Rights

You have a number of rights with respect to the use of your personal information. These rights include:

• Right of Access: You may request a copy of your personal information. Please note, however, that we may only disclose your personal information if doing so does not reveal information specific to another individual nor violate the law. If you wish to obtain a copy of your information, please contact us (see 2.1).
• Right of Amendment: We encourage you to contact us to request corrections, should you notice inaccuracies in your personal information.
• Right of Objection: In some cases, you may object to the handling and processing of your personal information by asking us to block, delete or restrict access to it.
• Right of Limitation: In some cases, you have the right to ask us to limit the use of your personal information.
• Right of Portability: You have the right to request that some of your personal information be communicated to you in a structured, readable and commonly used format - or transmitted to a person responsible for the protection of privacy in such a format.
• Right of Deletion: You have the right to request that your personal information be deleted when no longer required for the purposes for which it was collected, or when used unlawfully.
• Right of Recourse: If you feel that your right to privacy has been violated, you may file a complaint with appropriate legal authorities.

You may, at any time, exercise any of the above rights by contacting the EcoMaris PO (see 2.1).

2.13.2 Access to Personal Information

Any person who has provided us with personal information may inquire about the status of that information by contacting us. EcoMaris generally responds to access requests within one month. If we are unable to provide access, or if additional time is required to fulfill your request, we will inform you of the situation in writing. Note that EcoMaris may withhold some information due to legal exceptions. In some cases (excessive or unfounded requests, etc.), EcoMaris may also charge an administration fee to the requester (after notifying them).

2.13.3 Right to Withdraw Consent

If you have given consent to the collection, handling or transmission of your personal information, you still have the right to withdraw your consent in whole or in part. To do so, please click on the unsubscribe link included in any promotional email and/or contact us. Once we receive your withdrawal of consent, we will stop using your personal information for the purposes for which it was collected. Note that the withdrawal of consent to receive promotional emails does not affect the handling of personal information in connection with the provision of legal services.

2.14 Handling of Complaints

Insofar as possible, EcoMaris treats all reports and complaints relating to its Privacy Policy as entirely confidential. However, transmission of personal information may be required for investigation purposes and to address the problems raised.

2.14.1 Disputes and Disagreements

EcoMaris takes any current or potential violation of privacy seriously. Individuals may address concerns about the collection, use, transmission, storage or destruction of personal information to EcoMaris' Privacy Officer, who will involve appropriate authorities when needed, in order to resolve the issues raised.

2.14.2 Additional Measures

While we are committed to resolving privacy issues internally, nothing in our policy prevents an individual from contacting the appropriate provincial and/or federal privacy commissioner.s.

2.14.3 Non-Retaliation Provision

EcoMaris will not retaliate against an individual who, in good faith and on reasonable grounds, raises a privacy concern or question.

3. MONITORING AND CONTROL

EcoMaris’ Privacy Officer conducts annual reviews of privacy issues, in order to remedy systemic deficiencies.

4. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

EcoMaris is responsible for communicating its privacy policy and ensuring that its employees fully comply with it.

5. UPDATE AND REVISION

This policy comes into effect on May 1, 2023, replacing all previous versions. Recognizing the fact that privacy laws constantly evolve, EcoMaris reserves the right to interpret this policy at its sole discretion, and to amend it without notice or liability. The collection, use and transmission of personal information by EcoMaris is governed by the version of this notice that was in effect at the time of such collection, use or transmission.

COOKIES POLICY 

1. INTRODUCTION

EcoMaris wishes to handle the data it collects in a lawful and transparent way.

2. SCOPE

This policy describes our use of cookies and the personal information collected and stored by those cookies.

3. COOKIES USED BY ECOMARIS

We use cookies to facilitate navigation on our website. You can set your browser to block cookies at any time. Please note, however, that doing so may deprive you of some of the features we offer. If you are using a computer in a public place or sharing a device with others, be sure to erase your browser's history before closing each session.

 We use cookies for the following purposes:

• Authentication - to identify you when you visit our website.
• Content management - to facilitate the management of content specific to our website.
• Development - to facilitate the management of our website by developers as it is being launched.
• Personalization - to store information on your preferences to help us tailor our site to your needs. 
• Advertising - to manage the visibility of the EcoMaris brand.
• Analysis - to analyze the use of our website and services in order to assess performance.

4. COOKIES USED BY ECOMARIS’ SUPPLIERS

Our suppliers and service providers use cookies that may be stored on your computer as you visit our website.

We specifically use Google Analytics to understand how our site is being used. Google Analytics uses cookies. Information collected by these cookies are reflected in website usage reports. Google's privacy policy is available here.

5. CONTACT INFORMATION

This website is owned and operated by EcoMaris. Our head office is located in Montreal. 

You can contact us by mail:

EcoMaris

5429 Waverly Street

Montreal QC H2T 2X8

CANADA

by phone: +1 418 800-1126

by email: info@ecomaris.org

6. UPDATE AND REVISION

This policy comes into effect on May 1, 2023, replacing all previous versions. Recognizing the fact that privacy laws constantly evolve, EcoMaris reserves the right to interpret this policy at its sole discretion, and to amend it without notice or liability. The collection, use and transmission of personal information by EcoMaris is governed by the version of this notice that was in effect at the time of such collection, use or transmission.