At EverBooks Inc., protecting your personal and financial information is fundamental to how we operate. As a firm providing bookkeeping, tax preparation, payroll, and business consulting services, we handle sensitive information every day, and we take that responsibility seriously.
This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, why we collect it, how we use and protect it, and what rights you have. It applies to our website (everbooks.ca) and to all services we provide. We comply with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial privacy legislation.
Information We Collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
- Contact details — your name, business name, mailing address, email address, and telephone number.
- Identification information — date of birth, Social Insurance Number (SIN), and Business Number (BN), where required to prepare or file tax returns.
- Financial and accounting records — bank and credit card statements, invoices, receipts, payroll records, GST/HST filings, and prior-year tax returns.
- Employee information — where we provide payroll services, we collect data about your employees on your behalf.
- Website usage data — IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, and referring website, collected automatically through cookies and analytics tools.
How We Collect Information
We collect information directly from you when you contact us, request a consultation, submit a form on our website, subscribe to our newsletter, engage us for services, or send us documents. We may also collect information from third parties when you have authorized us to do so — for example, from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) under a Represent a Client authorization, from your financial institution, or from accounting software you have connected to us.
Why We Collect and How We Use It
We use your information to:
- Provide the accounting, tax, payroll, and consulting services you have engaged us for
- Prepare and file returns and remittances with the CRA and other authorities on your behalf
- Communicate with you about your file, deadlines, and requests
- Issue invoices and process payments
- Send newsletters or updates, where you have subscribed (you can unsubscribe at any time)
- Meet our legal, regulatory, and professional obligations
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to anyone, for any purpose.
Consent
We collect, use, and disclose your personal information with your consent, except where the law permits or requires otherwise. By providing us with your information and engaging our services, you consent to the practices described in this policy. You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice — though doing so may mean we can no longer provide certain services.
Cookies and Website Analytics
Our website uses cookies — small text files stored on your device — to keep the site functioning correctly, remember your preferences, and understand how visitors use our pages. We may use third-party analytics services, such as Google Analytics, which collect aggregated, non-identifying usage data.
You can disable or delete cookies through your browser settings. Please note that some parts of the site may not function properly if cookies are turned off.
Third-Party Service Providers
We use trusted third-party platforms to deliver our services, including accounting and payroll software (such as QuickBooks Online, Xero, and Wagepoint), secure document-sharing tools, email and cloud storage providers, and payment processors. These providers may store or process data on our behalf and are bound by confidentiality obligations. We share only the information necessary for them to perform their function.
Disclosure of Information
We may disclose your personal information:
- To the Canada Revenue Agency or other tax and regulatory authorities, as authorized by you or required for filings we make on your behalf
- To our service providers, as described above
- To professional advisors, such as legal counsel or auditors, where necessary
- Where required by law, court order, subpoena, or regulatory authority
How Long We Keep Your Information
We retain client records for as long as necessary to provide our services and to meet legal and regulatory requirements. Canadian tax legislation generally requires that books, records, and supporting documents be retained for a minimum of six years from the end of the last tax year to which they relate. Once retention periods expire, records are securely destroyed or permanently deleted.
How We Protect Your Information
We maintain physical, technical, and administrative safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information we hold. These include encrypted file transfer and storage, access controls limiting staff access to what is necessary for their role, secure disposal of paper and digital records, and confidentiality obligations for all personnel.
While we take security seriously, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. We therefore ask that you avoid sending sensitive documents — such as anything containing a SIN — by ordinary email, and use the secure portal or transfer method we provide instead.
Your Rights
You have the right to:
- Request access to the personal information we hold about you
- Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete
- Withdraw your consent to certain uses of your information
- Ask questions about how your information is handled
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details below. We will respond within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before releasing information, and in limited circumstances we may be unable to provide access — for example, where doing so would reveal information about another person or where the information is subject to legal privilege. If we refuse a request, we will explain why.
Links to Other Websites
Our website may contain links to third-party sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of any website we do not own or operate. We encourage you to read the privacy policy of any site you visit.
Children’s Privacy
Our services are directed to businesses and adults. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18 except where it is provided by a parent or guardian in the course of preparing a family tax filing.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. The revised version will be posted on this page with a new “Last Updated” date. Material changes will be communicated to active clients directly.
Contact Us and How to Make a Complaint
If you have questions about this policy, wish to access your information, or want to make a complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer:
EverBooks Inc.
607 Waterloo St, Winnipeg, MB R3N 0T2
Email: info@everbooks.ca
Phone: +1 (204) 817-3220
We will acknowledge your complaint and aim to complete our investigation within 15 business days. Some matters may take longer, in which case we will keep you informed of our progress.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at 1-800-282-1376 or priv.gc.ca.