Privacy Policy

SettleEasy ("we," "our," or "us") is a Canadian technology service based in Ontario, Canada. We operate the SettleEasy web application at www.settleeasy.ca, which helps newcomers and permanent residents in Canada discover federal and provincial benefit programs they may be eligible for.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect your personal information in accordance with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and the Canada Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL).

We collect only the information necessary to provide our service. This includes:

• Province of residence (to match provincial programs)
• Immigration status category (e.g., permanent resident, work permit holder)
• Household composition (number of adults and children)
• Annual household income range (a bracket, not an exact figure)
• Tax filing history (whether you have filed a Canadian tax return)
• Email address (only if you voluntarily join our waitlist or opt in to annual benefit update alerts)
• Name (only if provided voluntarily when joining the waitlist)

We do not collect your Social Insurance Number (SIN), government ID, passport, date of birth, banking information, or any other sensitive government identifiers. We do not require you to create an account to use the core benefit-matching feature.

We use the information you provide solely to:

• Match your profile against a database of federal and provincial benefit programs and return a personalized list of programs you may qualify for
• Send you annual benefit update alerts if you explicitly opt in (CASL-compliant — you can unsubscribe at any time)
• Notify you of early access availability if you join our waitlist
• Improve the accuracy and relevance of our benefit-matching algorithm using anonymized, aggregated data

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to any third party. We do not use your information for advertising, profiling, or any purpose beyond what is described above.

Under CASL, we only send commercial electronic messages (such as benefit update alerts or waitlist notifications) when you have provided express consent by voluntarily entering your email address and checking an opt-in checkbox. Every email we send includes a clear, one-click unsubscribe link. We honour all unsubscribe requests within 10 business days as required by CASL.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in any email we send, or by contacting us at [email protected].

Your data is stored on secure cloud infrastructure hosted in Canada and the United States. We use industry-standard encryption (TLS 1.2+) for all data in transit and at rest. Access to personal data is restricted to authorized personnel only.

Intake questionnaire responses (province, immigration status, income range, etc.) are retained for up to 12 months to allow you to retrieve your results via a shareable link. After 12 months, intake data is anonymized or deleted. Email addresses collected for waitlist or alert purposes are retained until you unsubscribe or request deletion.

We do not share your personal information with third parties except in the following limited circumstances:

• Service providers: We use trusted third-party services (such as email delivery providers) that process data on our behalf under strict data processing agreements. These providers are prohibited from using your data for their own purposes.
• Legal requirements: We may disclose information if required by law, court order, or government authority.
• Business transfers: If SettleEasy is acquired or merges with another entity, your information may be transferred as part of that transaction, subject to the same privacy protections.

As a Canadian resident, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
• Withdraw consent for the collection, use, or disclosure of your information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• File a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) at www.priv.gc.ca

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days.

SettleEasy uses minimal, privacy-respecting analytics to understand how users interact with the application. We use Umami Analytics, a GDPR-compliant, cookie-free analytics tool that does not track individual users across sessions and does not share data with advertising networks.

We do not use third-party advertising cookies, tracking pixels, or behavioural profiling tools.

SettleEasy is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will notify users via email (if you have provided one) or via a notice on our website. Continued use of SettleEasy after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact our Privacy Officer at: