Privacy Policy
Effective date: September 15, 2026
McDonald Accounting & Advisory (“we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information entrusted to us. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and safeguard personal information through our website, mcdonaldaccounting.ca, and during general business inquiries.
This policy is intended to reflect our obligations under Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (“PIPA”) and other privacy laws that may apply. Additional terms in a client engagement letter may apply when you retain us for professional services.
1. Accountability
We are responsible for personal information under our control. Our Privacy Officer is:
Darlene McDonald, CPA, CA
McDonald Accounting & Advisory
Email: darlene@mcdonaldaccounting.ca
Phone: 780-213-5341
Questions, access requests, correction requests, or privacy concerns may be directed to the Privacy Officer using the contact information above.
2. Personal information we collect
Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:
Your name, email address, telephone number, and preferred contact method.
Your business name and general information about the accounting, tax, bookkeeping, payroll, compilation, or advisory services you are seeking.
Information you provide through website forms, intake forms, emails, telephone calls, or other communications.
Information required to establish and manage a professional relationship, provide requested services, meet legal and professional obligations, process payments, and maintain business records.
Website-use information such as browser and device information, referring pages, pages visited, clicks, scrolling, timestamps, cookie identifiers, and approximate geographic information.
Please do not send sensitive records—such as social insurance numbers, passwords, banking information, tax slips, tax returns, or financial statements—through our general website contact form or ordinary email unless we have specifically instructed you to use an approved secure method.
3. How we collect personal information
We collect personal information directly from you when you contact us, submit a form, request information, become a client, or otherwise communicate with us.
We may also collect information from authorized representatives and other sources when permitted or required by law.
Our website and service providers may automatically collect limited technical and usage information through cookies and similar technologies.
4. Why we use personal information
We may use personal information to:
Respond to inquiries and determine whether we can assist you.
Communicate with prospective and existing clients.
Provide accounting, tax, bookkeeping, payroll, compilation, financial reporting, and advisory services.
Establish identity, manage conflicts, open and administer client files, and meet professional, regulatory, legal, insurance, and record-retention obligations.
Issue invoices, receive payments, and maintain business records.
Operate, secure, troubleshoot, and improve our website and services.
Understand website traffic and how visitors use the website.
Prevent fraud, misuse, security incidents, or other unlawful activity.
We collect, use, and disclose only the personal information reasonably required for the identified purposes, unless otherwise permitted or required by law.
5. Consent
We obtain consent where required. Consent may be express or implied, depending on the sensitivity of the information and the circumstances.
You may withdraw consent, subject to legal, contractual, professional, or record-retention restrictions. Withdrawing consent may affect our ability to respond to an inquiry or provide services.
6. Cookies and analytics
Our website is hosted by Squarespace and uses cookies and similar technologies needed to operate securely. We also use Google Analytics to understand general website traffic and visitor interactions.
Non-essential analytics cookies are restricted until a visitor makes a selection through our cookie banner. You may accept or decline non-essential cookies and may change your selection through the Cookie Preferences control on the website.
Squarespace and Google may process technical information such as browser and device details, pages visited, interactions, timestamps, cookie identifiers, and approximate location. Google Analytics may use an Internet Protocol address to derive approximate location information, but Google states that individual IP addresses are not logged or stored in Google Analytics.
We do not use Google Analytics to intentionally collect names, email addresses, telephone numbers, social insurance numbers, or other information that directly identifies you.
7. When we disclose personal information
We do not sell or rent personal information. We may disclose information:
To employees, contractors, or professional advisers who require it for an authorized purpose and are subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.
To service providers supporting our website, communications, document management, analytics, software, payment processing, security, or professional services, including Squarespace, Google, and Microsoft.
With your consent or at your direction.
To comply with legal, regulatory, professional, insurance, court, or law-enforcement requirements.
Where otherwise permitted or required by law.
8. Processing outside Canada
Some service providers may process or store personal information outside Alberta or Canada, including in the United States.
When information is processed in another jurisdiction, it may be subject to that jurisdiction’s laws and may be accessible to courts, governments, law-enforcement agencies, or regulatory authorities in that jurisdiction.
We use reputable service providers and take reasonable steps to protect information handled on our behalf.
9. Safeguards
We use reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. These may include access controls, passwords and multi-factor authentication, secure systems, confidentiality requirements, software updates, backups, and procedures for securely handling and disposing of records.
No method of electronic transmission or storage is completely secure. If you believe personal information has been lost, misused, or accessed without authorization, please contact our Privacy Officer promptly.
10. Retention and disposal
We retain personal information only as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this policy and to satisfy legal, professional, tax, insurance, and business requirements.
When information is no longer required, we take reasonable steps to securely destroy, delete, or anonymize it.
11. Access and correction
You may request access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete. We may need to verify your identity before responding.
Access may be limited where permitted or required by law, including where disclosure would reveal information about another person, confidential commercial information, or information protected by legal privilege.
12. External websites
Our website may contain links to websites or services operated by third parties. Their privacy practices are governed by their own policies, and we are not responsible for their content or privacy practices.
13. Children’s privacy
Our website and services are not directed to children, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children through the website without appropriate authorization.
14. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy as our services, technology, or legal obligations change. The current version will be posted on this page with its effective date.
15. Contact us
For questions, requests, or complaints concerning privacy, contact:
Darlene McDonald, CPA, CA — Privacy Officer
Email: darlene@mcdonaldaccounting.ca
Phone: 780-213-5341
If a concern is not resolved to your satisfaction, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta.