Privacy Policy
Last updated: July 18, 2026
Quay Street Books ("we," "us," or "our") operates an independent bookshop at 18 King Street West, Cobourg, Ontario K9A 2M1, Canada. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, and safeguard personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Ontario privacy requirements.
1. Who is responsible for your information
The organization responsible for personal information under this policy is:
Quay Street Books
18 King Street West
Cobourg, Ontario K9A 2M1
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 905-372-8841
Helen Marsh is our privacy contact for requests relating to this policy.
2. What information we collect
We collect only the personal information reasonably necessary to operate our bookshop and website. This may include:
- Contact details — name, email address, phone number, and mailing address when you subscribe to our newsletter, register for an event, place a special order, or contact us through our website form.
- Transaction information — purchase history, special order details, and payment-related records when you buy books or gift cards in store. We do not store full credit card numbers on our systems.
- Website usage data — limited technical information such as browser type, pages visited, and cookie preferences when you use our website. See our Cookie Policy for details.
- Communications — content of emails or messages you send us, and our replies.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. Story time and youth programmes may involve collecting a guardian's contact information only.
3. How we use your information
We use personal information to:
- Respond to enquiries and provide customer service
- Process orders, special requests, and event registrations
- Send our monthly newsletter, if you have subscribed
- Improve our website and shop operations
- Comply with legal and accounting obligations under Ontario and Canadian law
We will not use your information for purposes materially different from those described above without obtaining your consent, except where permitted by law.
4. Legal basis and consent
Under PIPEDA, we rely on your knowledge and consent to collect, use, and disclose personal information, except where the law allows otherwise. Consent may be express (for example, checking a box to subscribe) or implied (for example, providing your phone number to check on a special order).
You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawal may limit our ability to provide certain services.
5. When we share information
We do not sell or rent personal information. We may share information with:
- Service providers — such as email delivery services, payment processors, or website hosting providers, bound by confidentiality obligations and permitted to use data only to perform services for us
- Publishers and distributors — limited order information needed to fulfil special orders
- Legal authorities — when required by law, court order, or to protect our rights and safety
Some service providers may process data outside Canada. When information is transferred across borders, we take reasonable steps to ensure comparable protection.
6. Retention
We retain personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, or as required by law (for example, tax and business records under Ontario regulations). Newsletter subscriptions are kept until you unsubscribe.
7. Security
We use reasonable physical, organizational, and technical safeguards to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. No method of transmission over the internet is completely secure; we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8. Your rights
Under PIPEDA, you have the right to:
- Access personal information we hold about you
- Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
- Withdraw consent, where applicable
- Challenge our compliance with PIPEDA
To make a request, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within a reasonable time, generally within 30 days. We may need to verify your identity before processing a request.
9. Complaints
If you have concerns about our privacy practices, please contact us first. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada at www.priv.gc.ca.
10. Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top will reflect changes. Continued use of our website or services after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy, where permitted by law.