Privacy Policy

Introduction

This Privacy Policy explains how MapleStay Guide Inc. (“MapleStay Guide”, “we”, “us”, or “our”) collects, uses, discloses, and safeguards information when you visit our website and use our tools. We provide a digital guide and discovery platform that organizes neutral, helpful information about accommodation ideas and neighborhoods across Canada. We are committed to protecting your privacy and handling personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable provincial laws, as well as internationally recognized standards such as the EU/UK GDPR where relevant.

By using this website, you agree to the practices described in this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you should discontinue use of the site. You can manage your cookie preferences at any time via the controls on this page or the link in our footer.

1) Cookie Categories

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate the site, understand performance, and deliver advertising. Cookies are small text files placed on your device. We divide cookies into the following categories:

Essential Cookies

Purpose: core site functionality, security, and session management. Examples include: session_id, csrf_token, cookie_consent_status. These cookies do not require consent and are activated automatically. Retention: for the duration of the session or up to 12 months when needed to remember preferences such as your cookie consent selections.

Analytics Cookies

Purpose: measuring traffic, understanding user behavior, and improving site performance. We use Google Analytics 4 to collect aggregated insights. Examples include: _ga, _ga_XXXXXXX, _gid, _gat. Consent required: yes. These cookies are activated only after you accept them. Retention: up to 14 months.

Marketing / Advertising Cookies

Purpose: remarketing, personalized ad delivery, and conversion tracking for our campaigns. Consent required: yes. These cookies are activated only after you accept them. Retention: up to 540 days, which is aligned with Google Ads defaults.

2) Marketing Cookies — Mandatory Disclosures

Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's previous visits to this website and other sites on the internet.

We may work with advertising partners such as Google and Meta to deliver advertisements tailored to your interests across various websites and platforms.

We may use remarketing services to advertise to previous visitors of our website. After visiting our site, you may see our ads on other websites, apps, or platforms you visit.

Advertisements may appear across Google services including YouTube, Gmail, and the Google Display Network.

We use the following tracking technologies on this website: - Cookies (first-party and third-party) - Tracking pixels (Google Ads tag / gtag.js, Meta Pixel) - Device identifiers (browser fingerprint, IP address) - Conversion event tags

We use conversion tracking to understand which advertisements lead to actions on our website — such as form submissions, calls, or purchases. This allows us to measure campaign effectiveness and allocate budget appropriately. Conversion data may be shared with Google Ads and Meta.

Advertising and analytics technologies active on this site: - Google Ads (gtag.js / Google Tag Manager) - Google Analytics 4 - Google Remarketing Tag - Meta Pixel (Facebook / Instagram)

You may opt out of personalized advertising at any time: - Google Ads Settings: https://adssettings.google.com - Your Online Choices (EU): https://www.youronlinechoices.eu - Network Advertising Initiative: https://optout.networkadvertising.org - Digital Advertising Alliance: https://optout.aboutads.info Opting out does not remove ads entirely; you will continue to see non-personalized advertisements.

Cookie preference management: Use the “Manage cookie preferences” control on this page to accept or reject Analytics and Marketing cookies independently.

3) Consent Requirements

Our cookie banner offers three options: “Accept All”, “Reject Non-Essential”, and “Manage Preferences”. Analytics and marketing cookies are not activated until you accept them. Your selection is stored in localStorage for 12 months. The banner can be dismissed without accepting; rejecting means only essential cookies remain active. A link to this Privacy Policy is accessible from the banner and next to any submission button on the site.

Consent statement: By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you consent to the storing of cookies on your device for analytics and advertising purposes, including personalized advertising delivered by Google and Meta. You may withdraw consent at any time through the cookie preferences panel without affecting the lawfulness of processing that occurred before withdrawal.

EEA/UK users: Users in the European Economic Area and the United Kingdom receive this consent notice in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and UK GDPR. Marketing and analytics cookies are activated solely after explicit, informed, freely given consent under GDPR Article 6(1)(a). Consent is recorded with a timestamp and may be audited upon request.

Withdrawal of consent: You may withdraw consent at any time by clicking “Manage cookie preferences” in the website footer, or by clearing cookies via your browser settings. Withdrawal does not affect processing that occurred while consent was valid.

4) Data Sharing with Advertising Partners

We share certain data with advertising partners for campaign delivery and measurement. Recipients and the data categories shared include:

• Google LLC: cookie identifiers, conversion events, anonymized behavioral data, remarketing lists. Governed by Google's Privacy Policy: https://policies.google.com/privacy
• Meta Platforms, Inc.: pixel events, conversion data, custom audiences. Governed by Meta's Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy

We do not sell personal data. All transfers to Google and Meta operate under Standard Contractual Clauses where applicable. Data is processed for ad targeting and campaign measurement only, and is not resold to unaffiliated third parties. Google and Meta may use this data across their platforms in accordance with their respective policies.

5) Lead Forms and Contact Requests

When you submit a contact form, request information, or otherwise register interest in our platform, we collect the information you provide. This typically includes: full name, email address, phone number, and your message.

Legal basis: consent (GDPR Art. 6.1.a) and, where a service relationship exists, performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6.1.b). We collect only the minimum information required to respond to your inquiry. Retention: up to 2 years from the date of submission, unless a longer period is required by applicable law. You may request deletion of your data at any time by contacting us at [email protected]. A link to this Privacy Policy appears adjacent to every submission button on this site.

We respond to inquiries for informational purposes only and do not provide professional, financial, legal, or health advice. For general information about our site and usage rules, see our Terms of Service or contact us via the Contact page.

6) Google Services and Advertising

This website uses the following Google services:

• Google Analytics 4: collects anonymized usage data, device info, and behavioral signals. IP anonymization is enabled. Data retention is set to 14 months. Users may opt out via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on: https://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
• Google Ads Conversion Tracking: records when a user completes a defined action (for example, a form submission) after interacting with one of our ads. The data is used solely to measure campaign performance.
• Google Remarketing: enables ads to previous visitors across Google’s network. Remarketing lists are not created from sensitive categories.
• Google Tag Manager: deploys tracking tags on our behalf. GTM does not collect personal data; it serves as a container for the tags listed above.

For information on Google advertising products and technologies, see: https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads

7) Meta Advertising Services

We use the Meta Pixel to measure the effectiveness of our advertising on Facebook and Instagram. The pixel may record page views, time on site, specific conversion events (such as form submissions), and custom audience membership for retargeting purposes. We do not use the Meta Pixel to collect sensitive personal data or to target users based on special-category attributes.

Meta acts as an independent data controller for data collected via its Pixel and processed within its platform. See Meta’s Data Policy: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/policy. To manage your ad preferences on Meta platforms, visit: https://www.facebook.com/adpreferences/

8) Prohibited Content Self‑Declaration

This website does not promote, sell, or facilitate access to prohibited product or service categories including but not limited to weapons, controlled substances, counterfeit goods, gambling services (unlicensed), adult content, or services that make misleading health or financial claims. All advertising conducted through Google Ads and Meta Ads complies with the respective platform policies in full.

9) Landing Page Integrity Statement

The content of this website accurately represents the products and services advertised. No bait-and-switch practices are used. The experience for users arriving from paid advertisements is identical to the experience for all other visitors. We do not employ cloaking, automatic redirects, or content variation by traffic source.

10) Children’s Privacy

This website is not directed at individuals under the age of 16, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we discover that data has been collected from a person under 16 without verifiable parental consent, we will delete it promptly. If you believe we have received data from a minor, please contact us at [email protected] so we can investigate and take appropriate action.

11) International Data Transfers

Personal data collected through this website may be transferred to and processed in countries outside Canada and the European Economic Area, including the United States where Google LLC and Meta Platforms, Inc. are based. These transfers are conducted under Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the European Commission, which provide appropriate safeguards for personal data. You can request a copy of the applicable clauses by contacting us at [email protected].

12) Your Rights (GDPR Articles 15–22)

If you are located in the EEA or UK, you have the following rights: Access (Art. 15), Rectification (Art. 16), Erasure (Art. 17), Restriction (Art. 18), Portability (Art. 20), Objection (Art. 21), and Withdraw Consent (Art. 7.3). To exercise any of these rights, email us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days where required by law. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. EU users: https://edpb.europa.eu • UK users: https://ico.org.uk

Canadian users may also request access to or correction of personal information in accordance with PIPEDA. We will make reasonable efforts to address requests and will notify you if we cannot fulfill a request due to legal, security, or proprietary reasons, or where a request would disclose personal information of another individual.

13) What Data We Collect

We collect information that you provide directly and information generated from your use of the website. Depending on your interactions, we may collect:

• Full name
• Email address
• Phone number
• IP address
• Browser type and version
• Device type and operating system
• Cookies and tracking identifiers
• Usage data (pages visited, time on site, click paths)
• Form submission content
• Conversion events (form submits, calls, purchases)

We do not collect sensitive categories of personal data such as health information, financial account numbers, or political opinions through this website.

14) Legal Basis for Processing

• Contact form data: consent (GDPR Art. 6.1.a) and, where applicable, performance of a contract (GDPR Art. 6.1.b).
• Analytics data: consent (GDPR Art. 6.1.a).
• Marketing/remarketing data: consent (GDPR Art. 6.1.a).
• Security and fraud prevention (for example, server logs and abuse detection): legitimate interest (GDPR Art. 6.1.f).

Where Canadian privacy law applies, we rely on your consent for non-essential cookies and use reasonable purposes for essential operations such as security and service integrity. You may withdraw consent at any time using the controls on this page.

15) Retention Periods

• Contact form submissions: 2 years
• Analytics data (Google Analytics 4): 14 months
• Marketing cookies (Google Ads): up to 540 days
• Email communications: duration of relationship + 1 year
• Server logs: 90 days
• Cookie consent records (localStorage record of consent status): 3 years for audit purposes

We may retain data longer if required by law, to resolve disputes, or to enforce our agreements. When retention periods expire, we delete or anonymize data in a secure manner.

16) Security

We apply reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards to protect personal information under our control. No method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is fully secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your data, we cannot guarantee absolute security. We recommend using up-to-date browsers and operating systems and exercising caution when sharing information online.

Third‑Party Links

Our website may reference external resources for your convenience. We do not control and are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party websites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies. This Privacy Policy applies only to data collected by MapleStay Guide on this website.

Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be notified via a banner on the homepage at least 14 days before taking effect. The “Last Updated” and “Effective Date” at the top of this page will reflect the current versions. Continued use of the site after an update signifies your acceptance of the revised policy.

Contact Us

If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, contact MapleStay Guide Inc. at the address and email shown above, or send us a message via the Contact page. For general information about how we operate, you may also review our About page and Terms of Service.