Privacy Policy

Last Updated: October 22, 2025

Look, we get it. Privacy policies can be a bit of a slog to read through, but we're gonna be straight with you about how we handle your info. We're architects, not data miners - your information stays between us and the project at hand.

What We Collect

When you reach out to us or use our website, we might collect a few basics - your name, email, phone number, and whatever project details you wanna share. If you're inquiring about heritage restoration or adaptive reuse work, you might send us site photos, building addresses, or historical documentation. We only grab what's actually useful for understanding your project and getting back to you with something meaningful.

Our website also picks up some technical stuff automatically - IP addresses, browser types, pages you visit. Pretty standard internet housekeeping that helps us keep the site running smoothly and figure out what content folks actually care about.

How We Use Your Information

We're not in the business of selling your data or spamming you with nonsense. Here's what we actually do with it:

  • Respond to your inquiries about projects, consultations, or services
  • Send you proposals, quotes, and project documentation
  • Keep you updated on ongoing projects if you're a client
  • Improve our website and services based on how people use them
  • Comply with legal requirements - we're licensed professionals in Ontario, after all

That's it. We're not gonna sell your email to some marketing list or flood your inbox with newsletters you didn't ask for. If we do send updates, there'll always be an easy way to opt out.

Who We Share It With

Most of the time, your information stays right here with our team. But there are a few situations where we might need to share it:

  • Engineering consultants, structural specialists, or heritage experts we bring onto your project
  • Contractors and trades who'll be doing the actual restoration or construction work
  • Municipal authorities when we're filing permits or dealing with heritage designations
  • Our lawyers or accountants if there's a legal or financial need

Everyone we work with is bound by confidentiality agreements and professional standards. We're careful about who gets access to project info - it's part of maintaining trust in this business.

Cookies and Tracking

Yeah, we use cookies. Not the good kind you eat with coffee, unfortunately. These are little bits of data that help the website remember you and work properly. Some are essential - they keep you logged into contact forms and that sort of thing. Others help us understand what pages people look at, which lets us improve the site.

You can disable cookies in your browser if you want, though it might make some features wonky. We're not tracking you across the internet or anything creepy like that - just seeing how folks use our own site.

Your Rights

Under Canadian privacy laws (PIPEDA and all that), you've got some solid rights when it comes to your personal information:

  • Access: You can ask us what information we've got on file about you
  • Correction: If something's wrong or outdated, we'll fix it
  • Deletion: Want us to delete your info? We'll do it, unless we're legally required to keep it
  • Portability: You can request a copy of your data in a usable format
  • Withdrawal: You can withdraw consent for us to use your info anytime

Just shoot us an email at studio@duskthornforge.info if you wanna exercise any of these rights. We'll get back to you within 30 days, usually much faster.

How We Protect Your Data

We take security seriously. Your information is stored on secure servers with encryption, firewalls, and all the technical safeguards you'd expect. Our team's trained on privacy practices, and we limit access to only the people who actually need it for your project.

That said, nothing's 100% bulletproof. We do our best to protect your data, but if you're emailing us sensitive documents, maybe use encrypted email or file-sharing services. Better safe than sorry, especially with historical building plans or proprietary project details.

Third-Party Links

Sometimes we link to other websites - maybe a supplier's site, a heritage organization, or project documentation. Once you click through to someone else's site, their privacy policy takes over, not ours. We try to only link to reputable places, but we can't control what they do with your data.

How Long We Keep Your Info

If you just make an inquiry and don't move forward, we'll typically keep your info for a year or so in case you change your mind or have follow-up questions. For actual clients and completed projects, we hang onto records for at least seven years - that's partly legal requirements around architectural work and partly because heritage projects often need long-term documentation.

Project photos and design work might stick around longer in our portfolio (with your permission, obviously). Historical documentation and heritage research sometimes becomes part of the permanent record because it's useful for future preservation work.

Children's Privacy

Our services aren't really aimed at kids, and we don't knowingly collect information from anyone under 13. If you're a parent and think your kid's somehow given us their info, let us know and we'll delete it pronto.

Changes to This Policy

Laws change, our practices evolve, and sometimes we need to update this policy. When we do, we'll post the new version here with an updated date at the top. If there's something major, we'll try to give existing clients a heads-up via email.

It's worth checking back here occasionally, especially if you're working with us on an ongoing project.

Questions or Concerns?

If you've got questions about this privacy policy or how we handle your information, don't hesitate to reach out. We'd rather clear things up than have you wondering.

Email: studio@duskthornforge.info

Phone: (416) 555-0147

Mail: 1247 King Street West, Toronto, ON M6K 1G2

This privacy policy is governed by Canadian federal and Ontario provincial privacy legislation. If you're not satisfied with how we've handled a privacy concern, you can file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.