Privacy Policy

Information we collect

When you contact us through our website, we may collect the following information:

• Your name.
• Your email address.
• Your phone number (optional).
• Your project address (optional).
• Details and descriptions of your project or engineering enquiry.

Please provide only the information necessary for us to understand and respond to your enquiry. File uploads are currently disabled through our website contact form.

If you become a client, we may collect additional information necessary to assess your project and provide engineering services. This may include property addresses, architectural drawings, structural drawings, building plans, photographs, measurements, construction details and other technical project information.

Our website hosting provider may also automatically process certain technical information, including IP addresses, browser information and server request logs, to operate, maintain and secure the website.

How we use your information

We collect and use personal information for the following purposes:

• Responding to enquiries and communicating with prospective clients.
• Understanding project requirements and determining the scope of engineering services.
• Preparing proposals, quotations and engagement documents.
• Providing structural engineering and related professional services.
• Communicating with clients, contractors, consultants and other authorized project participants.
• Maintaining business, financial and project records.
• Meeting applicable legal, regulatory and professional obligations, including those established by Professional Engineers Ontario (PEO).

We do not sell, rent or trade personal information. We do not automatically add individuals who contact us to marketing or promotional mailing lists. We will only send commercial electronic messages where we have the appropriate consent or other legal authorization.

Consent

By submitting an enquiry through our website, you consent to Stepcon Engineering Inc. collecting and using the information you provide to respond to your enquiry and discuss your project.

Where additional information or consent is required for a new purpose, we will seek your consent as required by applicable privacy legislation.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal, contractual and professional obligations. Please understand that withdrawing consent may affect our ability to continue providing certain services or responding to your requests.

Sharing of information and third-party service providers

We use trusted third-party service providers to operate our website and manage business communications. These providers may process personal information on our behalf.

Our current service providers include:

• Vercel: a United States-based hosting provider used to host and operate our website.
• Resend: a United States-based email delivery provider used to transmit website contact form submissions.
• Microsoft Outlook: used to receive and manage contact form submissions and business communications.

Contact form submissions are transmitted through Resend to our Microsoft Outlook mailbox. Our website does not maintain a separate database of contact form submissions. Copies of communications may be retained within our email systems.

We may also share information with authorized project participants, such as contractors, architects, consultants or other professionals, when necessary to deliver our engineering services and where authorized or otherwise permitted by law.

We may disclose personal information when required or permitted by applicable law, regulation, court order or legal process.

Stepcon Engineering Inc. remains responsible for personal information handled by service providers on our behalf and takes reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate safeguards are in place.

Processing and storage outside Canada

Some of our third-party service providers operate outside Canada, including in the United States.

As a result, personal information submitted through our website or handled through these services may be processed or stored outside Canada.

Personal information held in another jurisdiction may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction and may be accessible to foreign courts, law enforcement agencies or government authorities in accordance with applicable laws.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that personal information transferred to service providers receives an appropriate level of protection.

Retention and protection of personal information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including:

• Responding to enquiries.
• Providing engineering services.
• Maintaining client and project records.
• Meeting applicable legal, regulatory and professional record-keeping obligations.

Retention periods may vary depending on the nature of the project and applicable requirements.

When personal information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely delete, destroy or dispose of it.

We use administrative, technical and organizational safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we handle. Access to personal information is limited to authorized personnel and service providers who require it to perform their responsibilities.

We take reasonable steps to ensure that individuals handling personal information understand their confidentiality and privacy responsibilities.

Although we take reasonable precautions to protect personal information, no method of electronic transmission or storage can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

Privacy breaches

In the event of a privacy breach involving personal information under our control, we will assess the circumstances, take appropriate steps to contain the breach and reduce potential harm, and comply with applicable legal reporting and notification requirements.

Where required by law, we will notify affected individuals and report the breach to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Cookies, analytics and website technologies

Our website uses Vercel Web Analytics to understand general website traffic and improve the visitor experience.

Vercel Web Analytics does not use cookies or persistent identifiers to track visitors across different days or websites. Certain technical information, such as page views, referring websites, approximate geographic location, device type, operating system and browser information, may be processed for statistical purposes.

Our website does not use advertising cookies, tracking pixels or third-party advertising trackers.

The website may temporarily store a display preference in your browser session. This information is limited to the current browsing session, is cleared when the browser tab is closed and does not contain information entered into the contact form.

Our website's fonts and map images are served directly from our website. We do not embed third-party maps or social media content. If you choose to follow a link to Google Maps, Google's own privacy policy and practices will apply.

Your privacy rights

Under applicable privacy legislation, you may have the right to:

• Request access to personal information we hold about you.
• Request corrections to inaccurate or incomplete personal information.
• Withdraw consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your personal information, subject to legal and contractual limitations.
• Ask questions or raise concerns about how we handle your personal information.

We may need to verify your identity before responding to a request. Certain information may be retained or disclosed where required or permitted by law or applicable professional obligations.

Privacy officer and contact information

The principal of Stepcon Engineering Inc., Lubomir Stepus, P.Eng., is responsible for overseeing our privacy practices and handling privacy-related enquiries.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, wish to request access to your personal information, request a correction or raise a privacy concern, you may contact us through our website's Contact page or by telephone.

Stepcon Engineering Inc., Whitby, Ontario, Canada. Telephone: (647) 693-9884.

We will make reasonable efforts to respond to privacy-related requests and concerns in a timely manner.

You also have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you have concerns about how your personal information is handled. Website: www.priv.gc.ca.

Children's privacy

Our website and professional services are not directed toward children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children through our website.

If you believe a child has provided personal information to us, please contact us so that we can review the matter and take appropriate steps.

Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business practices, website technologies or applicable privacy legislation.

Any revisions will be published on this page with an updated revision date.

Where required by applicable privacy legislation, we will obtain consent before using previously collected personal information for a new purpose.

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact Stepcon Engineering Inc. using the contact information provided above.