Privacy Policy

1. Overview

The Association of Romanian Engineers in Canada ("AREC") respects your privacy. This policy explains how we handle personal information collected through this website, in line with Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). We collect only what we need to run the association and its activities.

2. What we collect

Membership applications: name, email, phone, address, education and profession, employer and role, professional licence status, what you can offer to and hope to gain from the community, and your newsletter preference. We do not collect diplomas or certificate scans.

Event tickets: name, email, number of guests and, where relevant, meal choices. Jobs board: employer contact details and postings; for members who opt in, a resume and contact details. Sponsors: company and contact details, and the materials you upload.

Payments: the amount, date, method and a payment reference. Card details are entered directly with Stripe and never reach AREC. For Interac e-transfers we see the sender name shown by our bank.

Technical: the cookies described below and standard server logs (IP address, browser, pages visited) kept by our hosting provider for security and reliability.

3. Why we use it

To review and manage memberships, issue membership cards and receipts, register you for events and issue tickets, run the jobs board and sponsor programme, answer your messages, and send you information about AREC activities. We send newsletters only if you asked for them, and every one has an unsubscribe option.

4. Who we share it with

We do not sell personal information. We share it only with service providers that help us run the Site, each bound to protect it: Stripe (card payments), Vercel (website hosting), Sanity (content and member database), and Resend (transactional email). Some of these providers store data outside Canada, including in the United States and the European Union, where it may be subject to local law.

Within AREC, member information is visible only to the executive members who administer the association. If you make your resume visible on the jobs board, approved employers can see it. Your name may appear on an attendee list for an event you registered for.

5. Cookies

The Site uses only strictly necessary cookies: a session cookie that keeps you signed in to the member, employer or sponsor area, and a language preference. We do not use advertising or third-party tracking cookies. Stripe sets its own cookies on its payment page, covered by Stripe’s privacy policy.

6. How long we keep it

Membership records are kept while you are a member and for up to seven years afterwards, as required for our financial records. Ticket records are kept for the same period. Job postings and resumes are removed when they expire or when you delete them. You can ask us to delete your account at any time; we will keep only what the law requires.

7. Security

Passwords are stored only as salted hashes. Data travels over encrypted connections. Access to member data is limited to the executives who need it. No system is perfectly secure; if we learn of a breach affecting you we will tell you as the law requires.

8. Your choices and rights

You can see and update most of your information in your account. You may ask us to access, correct or delete your personal information, withdraw consent (for example to the newsletter or to a visible resume), or ask how we handle your data, by writing to info@arec.ca. We will respond within 30 days.

If you are not satisfied with our answer you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

9. Children

The Site is intended for adults and post-secondary students. We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under 16.

10. Changes and contact

We may update this policy; the date at the top shows the latest revision. Privacy questions or requests: info@arec.ca.