Privacy Policy
R. Anderson & Associates Inc. (“we,” “our,” “us”) is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of personal information in accordance with British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and the professional standards of the Chartered Professional Accountants of British Columbia (CPABC).
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This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect personal information in the course of operating our accounting practice and this website.
If you have any questions about this Policy or our privacy practices, please contact our Privacy Officer.
1. What is “personal information”?
“Personal information” means information about an identifiable individual, such as a name, address, email, phone number, Social Insurance Number, financial information, or other details relating to a person. It does not include business contact information (e.g., business address, business email, business phone) used solely for work-related purposes and/or publicly available infomrmation.
2. What personal information we collect
The personal information we collect depends on your relationship with us and how you interact with us. Generally, we may collect:
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Clients and potential clients
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Contact information (name, address, phone number, email, etc.)
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Identification numbers (SIN, business numbers) where required for tax, regulatory, or compliance purposes
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Financial information and records (income, expenses, banking details, tax slips, investment information, etc.)
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Information about your business, not-for-profit, or charity (financial statements, governance documents, payroll data, etc.)
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Communications with us (emails, letters, meeting notes, etc.)
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Website visitors
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Information submitted through our contact forms (name, email, phone, message, etc.)
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Technical information such as IP address, browser type, and basic usage data through standard web server logs or analytical tools, where used (we strictly do not attempt to identify individuals from this technical data).
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Job applicants
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Contact details (name, address, email, phone, etc.)
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Résumés, cover letters, academic history, employment history, professional qualifications, and references
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We collect personal information directly from you wherever possible, and may also receive information from third parties (prior accountants, financial institutions, CRA, legal counsel, etc.) with your consent or as permitted by law.
3. How we use personal information
We use personal information to:
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Provide accounting, tax, assurance, advisory, governance, and related professional services
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Communicate with you about your engagement, deadlines, and appointments
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Prepare and file tax returns and other filings on your behalf
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Issue invoices and process payments
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Manage our client relationships and practice operations
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Respond to inquiries and requests submitted through our website or by email/phone
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Consider applications for employment or contract opportunities
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Comply with legal, regulatory, and professional requirements, including CPABC and CPA Canada standards
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We do not sell personal information and we do not use it for unrelated purposes without your consent or as permitted by law.
4. Consent
In most cases, we collect, use, and disclose personal information with your consent only, which may be express (oral or written) or implied, depending on the circumstances and the sensitivity of the information.
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By engaging us to provide services, communicating with us, or providing personal information to us, you consent to our handling of that information in accordance with this Policy and applicable law.
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You may withdraw your consent for certain uses or disclosures, subject to legal, contractual, or professional restrictions and reasonable notice. However, withdrawing consent may affect our ability to provide some services.
5. When we share personal information
We may disclose personal information to:
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Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), other tax authorities, regulators, or other government bodies as required by law or with your consent.
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Banks, lawyers, investment advisors, or other professional advisors, where reasonably necessary and with your consent or as permitted by law.
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Third-party service providers who support our operations (IT providers, cloud service providers, secure client portal, document management, data backup, etc.), who are bound by confidentiality obligations and privacy protections.
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CPABC or other regulatory bodies in the context of practice inspections or professional conduct processes, as required by professional standards and law.
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We limit disclosures to those necessary for the purpose and we do not share personal information for unrelated marketing purposes without your consent.
6. How we protect personal information
We take reasonable physical, organizational, and technological measures to safeguard personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification.
Security measures may include:
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Restricted access to our offices and secure storage for physical records
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Role-based access controls for electronic records
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Use of secure client portal and encryption where appropriate for transmitting and storing sensitive documents
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Password policies and secure authentication procedures
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Regular staff training on confidentiality, privacy, and security practices
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While we use reasonable safeguards, no method of transmission or storage is completely risk-free. We encourage clients to use our secure portal or other agreed secure methods for sensitive documents and to avoid sending highly confidential information by regular email.
7. Retention and destruction of personal information
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected and to satisfy legal, regulatory, and professional record-keeping requirements.
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When personal information is no longer required, we securely destroy, erase, or anonymize it, in accordance with our record retention policies and professional standards.
8. Access to and correction of personal information
You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you, subject to limited exceptions under PIPA (for example, where disclosure would reveal personal information about another individual or confidential business information).
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You may also request corrections to any inaccurate or incomplete personal information we hold about you.
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To make an access or correction request, please contact our Privacy Officer in writing. We may ask for sufficient information to verify your identity before responding.
9. Our website and cookies
Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to improve functionality and understand general usage patterns. These technologies typically do not identify individuals and are used to:
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Remember user preferences (e.g. language settings)
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Monitor aggregate site traffic and performance
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You can adjust your browser settings to refuse or remove cookies; however, this may affect your experience with our website.
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Our website may contain links to external sites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those third-party websites.
10. Client portal
We provide a secure client portal to facilitate the exchange of documents and information. Personal information transmitted through the portal is protected by the security measures of the portal provider and by our own access controls.
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We encourage clients to use the portal for sharing sensitive financial and tax information rather than regular email.
11. Changes to this Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal requirements, or technology. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page indicates when the Policy was last revised.
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We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Your continued use of our services or website indicates your acceptance of the updated Policy.
12. Contacting our Privacy Officer
If you have any questions or concerns about this Privacy Policy or our handling of personal information, or if you wish to make an access or correction request, please contact:
Privacy Officer
R. Anderson & Associates Inc.
3483 3rd Ave
Port Alberni, BC V9Y 4E4
Phone: (250) 724‑5717
Email: [info@andersonassociates.pro]
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (OIPC) for further guidance.
Last Updated: 2026-01-29