1. Introduction
This Privacy Policy explains how Melicaa Management Consulting Inc. (“Melicaa,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) collects, uses, and protects personal information when you visit melicaa.com or otherwise interact with us.
We are a boutique management consulting firm based in Ottawa, Ontario, working bilingually in English and French with clients across Canada. We handle personal information in accordance with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), and, where it applies to residents of Quebec, the province’s Law 25.
This policy covers personal information collected through our website. Personal information we handle while delivering consulting services to a client is governed by our agreement with that client, and, where the client is a public body, by the privacy legislation that applies to them.
2. Information We Collect
We collect information in three ways: you give it to us, your device shares it automatically, and we observe it through cookies.
Information you give us
- Your name, email address, phone number, and organization when you contact us, request a proposal, or submit our contact form.
- Your email address when you subscribe to our Insights mailing list.
- Any details you choose to include in messages, calls, documents, or forms, including information about a project or procurement you want to discuss.
Information collected automatically
- Technical data such as your IP address, browser type, device type, language preference, and operating system.
- Usage data such as the pages you visit, the time spent on each, and the link or search that brought you to us.
Information from cookies
See section 5 below, or read our Cookie Policy for the full list and how to manage them.
We do not knowingly collect sensitive personal information through our website, and we do not collect personal information from children.
3. How We Use It
We use the personal information we collect to:
- Respond to your inquiries and prepare proposals or statements of work.
- Deliver, coordinate, and follow up on the consulting work you engage us for.
- Send our Insights newsletter, only with your consent, and only until you unsubscribe.
- Maintain records for contractual, accounting, insurance, and professional-obligation purposes.
- Understand how our website is used so we can improve it.
- Comply with our legal obligations and respond to lawful requests from authorities.
We do not use your information for automated decision-making that produces a legal or similarly significant effect on you.
4. Consent & Legal Basis
Under PIPEDA, we collect, use, and disclose personal information only for purposes a reasonable person would consider appropriate, and we rely on your consent. The form your consent takes depends on the sensitivity of the information and the context in which it is collected.
Express consent applies where you actively give us information, for example by submitting a form or subscribing to our newsletter. Under CASL, we send commercial electronic messages only to people who have consented to receive them, and every message includes a clear way to unsubscribe.
For residents of Quebec, where Law 25 applies, we obtain the consent it requires, including separate, clear consent before placing non-essential cookies. You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual limits. Withdrawing consent may mean we can no longer provide a service that depends on it.
5. Cookies & Analytics
Cookies are small text files stored on your device that help the site function, remember your preferences, and let us understand how the site is used. We use the following categories:
- Strictly necessary cookies for core site functions. These cannot be disabled.
- Analytics cookies to count visits and measure how the site performs.
- Marketing cookies only if and when we run advertising campaigns.
We ask for your consent before setting non-essential cookies. You can also manage or disable cookies in your browser settings, though disabling some may affect how the site works. For the full list, see our Cookie Policy.
6. How We Share Information
We do not sell your personal information.
We share information only in these specific situations:
- Service providers who help us operate, such as our email host, website host, and analytics provider. They are bound by confidentiality and may use your data only for the purpose we share it for.
- Project partners. Where a project requires it and you would reasonably expect it, we may share information with the partners on a Melicaa-led team, under confidentiality.
- Legal compliance. If a law, court order, or regulator requires disclosure, we will comply, and will tell you where we are legally permitted to.
- Business transfers. If Melicaa is ever reorganized, merged, or acquired, information may transfer as part of that transaction, subject to this policy.
- With your consent in any other case.
7. Data Retention
We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purpose it was collected, or as required by law:
- Inquiries that did not become engagements: up to 24 months, then deleted.
- Client and engagement records: for the life of the engagement plus the period required by contract, tax, insurance, and professional obligations.
- Newsletter subscribers: until you unsubscribe, then removed from active lists.
- Website analytics: retained according to our analytics provider’s default settings; aggregated, non-identifying data may be kept longer.
When retention ends, information is securely deleted or anonymized.
8. Safeguards
We protect personal information with security measures appropriate to its sensitivity, including access controls, reputable hosting and email providers, and the confidentiality obligations that apply to a small senior team. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect your information and to limit access to those who need it.
9. Your Rights
Under Canadian privacy law you have the right to:
- Access the personal information we hold about you.
- Correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.
- Withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual limits.
- Unsubscribe from our communications using the link in any message.
- Complain to a regulator. Federally, this is the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada. Residents of Quebec may also contact the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec.
To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details in section 12. We will respond within 30 days.
10. Storage & Cross-Border Transfers
We aim to keep personal information in Canada. Some of our service providers may store or process data outside Canada, in which case it is subject to the laws of that jurisdiction, including lawful access by local authorities. Where this happens, we use providers that offer a comparable level of protection and contractual safeguards.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy to reflect changes in our practices or legal obligations. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page shows the most recent revision. For material changes that affect how we collect or use your information, we will post a prominent notice on our website and, where appropriate, notify you by email.
12. Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your rights, or want to make a complaint, contact our privacy officer: