Privacy Policy

About Snow Guardians

Snow Guardians (in French, Gardiens de la neige) is a certification program and public directory for snow-removal contractors, operated by FolloSoft (9263-7040 Quebec Inc.), a Quebec software company. Homeowners use this website to find contractors that have been verified, accredited or certified by the program and to send them quote requests. Contractors apply to the program, maintain a public profile, and receive the quote requests that match their service area. The site is bilingual (English/French) and serves Canada and the United States.

Context

As a company committed to respecting privacy rights and protecting personal information, we've adopted a Privacy Policy in line with the Personal Information Protection Act in the private sector (RLRQ, c. P-39.1, hereafter referred to as the Act).

By providing us with personal information (including but not limited to quote requests, contractor applications, account registration, inquiries and online forms), you agree to our processing of this information as outlined in this Privacy Policy.

Responsibility

FolloSoft is responsible for the personal information it holds. Our staff must take necessary measures to ensure the security of personal information across all forms of media: written, graphic, audio, visual, computerized, or otherwise.

Objectives

The Act protects an individual's personal information to prevent and address identity theft, financial fraud, or reputational harm.

To promote sound, rigorous, and preventative practices, the Act requires a designated individual to oversee personal information protection. Within our company, Ms. Isabelle Lorrain, General Manager, ensures compliance and implementation of the Act.

Definitions

Anonymized Information: Information that no longer allows for the direct or indirect identification of an individual.

Personal Information: Information about an individual that directly or indirectly identifies them. For example, names, social insurance numbers, birth dates, or addresses.

Sensitive Information: Personal information considered sensitive due to its medical, biometric, or intimate nature, or because of the context of its use or disclosure, warrants a high expectation of privacy.

Information We Collect

We collect only the information necessary for the purposes determined before collection, and we prioritize transparency at the moment of collection so that consent is informed. Access to personal information is limited to authorized employees as part of their duties. Depending on how you use the site, we collect:

• Quote requests (homeowners): your name, email address, phone number, the address or postal code of the property to be serviced, and the details you provide about the work requested;
• Directory searches: the city or postal code you search for, used to match you with contractors serving that area;
• Contractor applications and profiles: business name and contact details, the name and contact information of a representative, the service area, and the supporting documents required for verification and certification (such as proof of insurance, licences and registrations), along with the photos and logos submitted for the public profile;
• Accounts: the email address and password (stored in hashed form) used to sign in;
• Technical information: connection data required to operate and secure the site, such as anti-spam verification and rate-limiting data derived from your IP address.

Roles and Responsibilities

Protecting personal information is a shared responsibility within FolloSoft:

• Management approves this policy, supports its implementation, and facilitates the work of the Personal Information Protection Officer;
• The Personal Information Protection Officer oversees compliance with the Act and this policy, handles access, rectification, and complaint requests, and assesses the privacy factors of any project involving personal information — including any communication of personal information outside Quebec;
• Managers ensure that the personal information under their responsibility is collected, used, kept, communicated, and destroyed securely by their teams;
• All staff access only the personal information their duties require, use it only for the purposes for which it was collected, and report any incident to the Officer.

Use and Security Measures

We use personal information for purposes that include operating the directory, matching quote requests to contractors and relaying them, assessing and auditing certification applications, publishing contractor profiles, communicating with you about your requests or your account, and keeping the service secure. We implement strict security measures to protect personal information from theft, loss, unauthorized access, use, and disclosure, considering the information's nature, purpose, sensitivity, quantity, and storage medium.

While no method of transmission or storage over the Internet is completely secure, we continuously review and improve our safeguards.

How Quote Requests Are Shared with Contractors

Relaying quote requests is the core function of this site. When you submit a quote request, the information it contains — your name, contact details, the service address and the description of the work — is transmitted to the participating contractor or contractors whose service area matches your location, so that they can respond to you directly.

Contractors receiving a quote request are required to use it only to respond to your request, and remain responsible for their own handling of your information once you engage with them. We do not sell your personal information, and we do not share quote requests with anyone other than the matched contractors and the service providers that process data on our behalf.

Contractor Profiles Are Public

The directory exists to publish information about participating businesses. A contractor's public profile — business name, certification status, service area, description, photos and logo — is visible to anyone and may appear in search engines. Personal information that is not intended for the public profile (such as the supporting documents submitted for certification and the personal contact details of a representative) is not published; it is used only to assess and administer participation in the program.

Consent

FolloSoft ensures that consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of an individual's personal information to a third party is explicit, free, informed, and given for specific purposes. Consent must be clear, provided willingly, with full awareness, and be precise. It is requested for each of these purposes in simple and clear terms. The individual concerned must be well informed. In the case of sensitive information, consent must be expressly given.

When consent is requested in writing, it must be presented distinctly from any other information provided to the individual concerned. They may request assistance to understand the scope of the consent being requested. It is valid only for the duration necessary to achieve the purposes for which it was requested.

In certain situations, FolloSoft may use personal information without the consent of the individual concerned, specifically:

• When its use is for purposes compatible with those for which it was collected;
• When its use is clearly in the benefit of the individual concerned;
• When its use is necessary for the prevention and detection of fraud or for evaluating and improving security measures;
• When its use is necessary for the delivery of a product or the provision of a service requested by the individual concerned;
• When its use is necessary for research, study, or the production of statistics, and it is depersonalized.

Right to Withdraw Consent

You have the right to withdraw your consent to the communication or use of the information collected. To withdraw your consent, please click the unsubscribe links in any marketing email sent to you, or contact our personal information protection officer.

Holding and Use

FolloSoft ensures that personal information is accurate, up-to-date, and used only for its collected purposes. If inaccuracies are found or personal information changes, we should be notified immediately. Contractors can update their own profile information at any time from their dashboard.

Conservation, Destruction, and Anonymization

Personal information is kept as long as necessary for its collected purposes and according to applicable laws and regulations. When no longer needed, information is destroyed or anonymized.

Communication

An employee of FolloSoft cannot disclose personal information they hold about someone else unless the individual concerned consents or the law requires it.

FolloSoft may, without the consent of the individual concerned, disclose personal information to any person or organization if such communication is necessary for carrying out a mandate or for executing a service or business contract to be entrusted to that person or organization. In such cases, FolloSoft commits to ensuring that the mandate, service contract, or business agreement is documented in writing and specifies measures for protecting the confidentiality of the communicated personal information.

Similarly, without the consent of the individual concerned, FolloSoft may disclose personal information it holds about someone else, specifically to:

• Its attorney;
• The director of criminal and penal prosecutions if the information is required for prosecuting a violation of a law applicable in Quebec;
• A person to whom the information must be disclosed under a law applicable in Quebec or for the enforcement of a collective agreement;
• A person who, by law, can collect debts on behalf of others and requires the information for performing their duties;
• A person if the information is necessary for recovering a debt owed to the company.

Communication of Information Outside Quebec

Some of the service providers we rely on to operate this website host or process personal information on servers located outside Quebec, including elsewhere in Canada and in the United States. These providers include cloud hosting and database services, content delivery and file storage, email delivery, and error-monitoring and analytics services.

Before communicating personal information outside Quebec, we conduct an assessment of the privacy-related factors as required by the Act, and we proceed only where the information will receive adequate protection, including through written agreements that impose confidentiality and security obligations on our providers.

Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies that are necessary for it to function — notably to keep contractors signed in to their account and to protect our forms against automated abuse. We also use analytics and error-monitoring tools to measure how the site is used and to detect problems; these tools are configured to minimize the personal information they receive, and we do not use them for advertising or to sell data.

You can configure your browser to block or delete cookies. Blocking cookies does not prevent you from browsing the directory, but signing in to a contractor account requires them.

Electronic Communications

We send transactional emails that are necessary for the services you request: confirmations and follow-ups on your quote requests, notifications to contractors about leads and their certification, account verification and password-reset messages. Marketing emails are sent only with your consent and always include an unsubscribe link; transactional emails may continue to be sent when they are necessary for the delivery of the services requested.

Incident Management

A confidentiality incident includes unauthorized access, use, disclosure, loss, or any other compromise of personal information. Significant risk incidents must be promptly reported to the Quebec Access to Information Commission and affected individuals, except where it might hinder an investigation.

Access Requests and Complaints

You may ask to access the personal information we hold about you, have it rectified if it is inaccurate or incomplete, withdraw your consent, or receive the computerized personal information you have provided to us in a structured, commonly used technological format. For any of these requests, or for questions and complaints about this policy, contact our Personal Information Protection Officer:

• Ms. Isabelle Lorrain, General Manager
• Email: support@follosoft.com
• Phone: +1 (514) 933-9777
• Mail: FolloSoft, 935 Lippmann, Laval (Quebec) H7S 1G3, Canada

We respond to access and rectification requests within the time limits provided by the Act.

Complaint Handling Procedure

Reception of Complaints

Complaints can be submitted in writing, by phone, email, or any other official communication channel, addressed to our personal data protection officer. Upon receipt, they will be logged in a centralized register accessible only by the officer.

Preliminary Evaluation

The designated responsible person reviews each complaint to assess its relevance and seriousness. Frivolous, defamatory, or baseless complaints may be dismissed, but an explanation will be provided to the complainant.

Investigation and Analysis

The responsible person conducts a thorough investigation, collecting evidence, interviewing involved parties, and gathering all relevant documents. They remain impartial with the authority to resolve the complaint, ensuring confidentiality and fair treatment of all parties involved.

Complaint Resolution

The responsible person proposes suitable solutions to resolve the complaint promptly.

Communication with the Complainant

The responsible person regularly updates the complainant on the investigation's progress and the complaint's resolution. All communications must be professional and respectful.

Closure of Complaint

Once resolved, the responsible person provides the complainant with a written summary of the actions taken and solutions offered. All information and documents related to the complaint are kept in a confidential file.

Policy Modification and Update

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, in particular to reflect changes in our practices or in our legal obligations. The current version, along with its last-updated date, is always published on this page. If we make material changes, we will post a notice on our website.