Privacy Policy

A legal disclaimer

Privacy Policy for Bay Tide Cloud Bookkeeping

Effective Date: July 3, 2025

Bay Tide Cloud Bookkeeping (referred to as "we", "us", or "our") is committed to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information when you visit our website (baytidecloudbookkeeping.com, or any other website we operate that links to this policy) and utilize our bookkeeping services.

We operate remotely from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, and adhere to the principles of the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and other applicable privacy legislation in Canada.

1. What is Personal Information?

"Personal information" means any information about an identifiable individual, which includes information that can be used on its own or with other information to identify, contact, or locate a single person. This may include, but is not limited to:

Name
Contact information (email address, phone number, mailing address)
Financial information (e.g., banking details, transaction data, payroll information)
Business information (e.g., company name, registration details)
Information collected through our website (e.g., IP address, browser type, usage data)

2. How We Collect Your Personal Information

We collect personal information through various means, including:

Directly from you: When you contact us via our website forms, email, phone, or during consultations to inquire about or engage our services.
From your business operations: When you provide us with access to your financial records, bank statements, invoices, receipts, and other relevant documents for bookkeeping purposes.
Through technology on our website: As you navigate our website, certain information may be automatically collected using technologies like cookies, log files, and analytics tools. This helps us understand website usage and improve your experience.

3. Purposes for Collecting Your Personal Information

We collect and use your personal information solely for the following purposes:

To provide our cloud-based bookkeeping services (e.g., recording transactions, reconciling accounts, preparing financial statements, payroll processing).
To communicate with you regarding your services, inquiries, or updates.
To manage our client relationships and administer our services.
To comply with legal and regulatory obligations (e.g., tax reporting, anti-money laundering laws).
To improve our website and services (e.g., by analyzing website traffic and user behaviour).
For billing and payment processing related to our services.

We will always identify the purposes for which personal information is collected at or before the time of collection. If we intend to use your personal information for a new purpose not previously identified, we will obtain your consent first.

4. Consent

Your knowledge and consent are required for the collection, use, or disclosure of your personal information, except where inappropriate or required by law. By providing us with your personal information, you consent to our collection, use, and disclosure of that information as described in this Privacy Policy.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Please note that withdrawing consent may limit our ability to provide certain services to you.

5. Limiting Collection, Use, Disclosure, and Retention

We limit the collection of personal information to what is necessary for the purposes identified. We will not use or disclose personal information for purposes other than those for which it was collected, except with your consent or as required by law.

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected or as required by law (e.g., tax records). When personal information is no longer needed, we securely dispose of it.

6. Accuracy

We strive to ensure that the personal information we collect and use is accurate, complete, and up-to-date as is necessary for the purposes for which it is to be used. We encourage you to notify us of any changes to your personal information to help us maintain its accuracy.

7. Safeguards

We are committed to protecting your personal information. We implement appropriate physical, technological, and organizational safeguards to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These safeguards include:

Using secure, encrypted cloud-based accounting platforms (e.g., QuickBooks Online, Xero).
Implementing strong password policies and multi-factor authentication.
Restricting access to personal information to authorized personnel on a "need-to-know" basis.
Regularly reviewing our security practices.

8. Disclosure of Personal Information to Third Parties

We may disclose your personal information to third parties only in the following circumstances:

Service Providers: We may share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in providing our services (e.g., cloud software providers, payment processors, IT support). These third parties are contractually obligated to protect your information and only use it for the purposes for which we disclose it to them.
Legal Compliance: When required by law, court order, or governmental regulation.
With Your Consent: When you provide explicit consent for us to share your information for a specific purpose.
Business Transfers: In the event of a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of our assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you of any such transfer and the new privacy policy that will apply.

Please note that as we utilize cloud-based services, your data may be stored on servers located outside of Canada. While we choose reputable providers with strong security measures, it is important to understand that your data may be subject to the laws of the jurisdiction where the data is stored.

9. Your Rights

Under Canadian privacy laws, you have certain rights regarding your personal information, including:

Right to Access: You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you.
Right to Rectification: You have the right to request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
Right to Withdraw Consent: As mentioned above, you can withdraw your consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information, subject to legal or contractual restrictions.
Right to Lodge a Complaint: If you have concerns about our privacy practices, you have the right to contact us directly or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the contact information provided below. We may require specific information from you to help us confirm your identity and ensure your right to access your personal information.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for other operational, legal, or regulatory reasons. We will post the revised Privacy Policy on our website with an updated "Effective Date." We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically. Your continued use of our website or services after any changes indicates your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact Tanya Roy:

Tanya Roy Bay Tide Cloud Bookkeeping Moncton, NB, Canada info@baytidecb.com