How we handle your information.

What we collect

When you use the site or submit an application, we may collect: your name and contact details; business information (legal name, industry, address, revenue, time in business); the amount and use of funds you request; and information you provide about owners for a funding application. We also collect limited technical data (see Cookies).

If you submit an application, we also record how you reached us: the first page of ours you opened, any campaign or link labels in its web address, and the domain name of the site that sent you (for example google.com — never the search you typed or the full address of the page you came from). We keep this only to learn which of our guides are worth writing. It is stored with your application, it is discarded if you never apply, and it is not used to build a profile of you or shared with advertisers.

How we use it

We use your information to:

• Match you with suitable third-party funding partners;
• Assess and route your enquiry;
• Contact you about your application and financing options;
• Operate, secure, and improve the site.

Consent (PIPEDA & CASL)

By submitting an application, you consent to Crewline collecting, using, and disclosing your information for the purposes above. Where we send commercial electronic messages, we comply with Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL); you can withdraw consent or unsubscribe at any time. Withdrawing consent may limit our ability to match you with financing.

Who we share it with

To arrange financing, we share your application with third-party funding partners who assess it on their own criteria. We may also use trusted service providers (for example, hosting and communications) bound to protect your information. We do not sell your personal information.

Your application is transmitted to our funding partner in the United States. Information stored or processed in the United States is subject to the laws of that country, including lawful requests for access by US courts and government authorities. We share your application only after you have given each consent shown on the application form.

Retention

We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described here or as required by law, after which it is securely deleted or de-identified. Specifically:

• Your application is erased after 24 months. Everything you told us about your business — revenue, time in business, the amount you asked for, owner details, and the masked identifiers — is deleted permanently.
• A record of the consents you gave is kept for 5 years, then deleted. This is only your email address, the telephone number the consent applied to, the exact wording you agreed to, and the date. We keep it so that we can show what you did and did not agree to if it is ever disputed — telephone-consent claims can be brought years after the call.
• Messages you send us through the contact form are deleted after 24 months. Anonymous counts of how visitors move through the site are deleted after 12 months.

Security

We use reasonable technical and organizational safeguards to protect your information. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, but we work to protect data in transit and at rest.

Your rights

Under PIPEDA you may request access to the personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or withdraw consent. To make a request, contact our privacy contact below. You may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.

Cookies

We use cookies to operate the site and, with your consent, to measure usage. You control non-essential cookies through the banner or the Cookie Policy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The “last updated” date above reflects the current version.

Contact

For privacy questions or requests, including access, correction, or deletion of your personal information, send us a message and choose the “Privacy request” topic. Requests reach our privacy contact directly and are acknowledged in writing.