Privacy Policy for Maple Hearth Culinary Studio

Effective Date: July 3, 2026

1. Introduction and Company Information

Maple Hearth Culinary Studio (“Maple Hearth Culinary Studio,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information we collect, use, disclose, and retain in the course of operating our cooking-studio business in Canada.

This Privacy Policy explains how Maple Hearth Culinary Studio handles personal information in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy laws, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where applicable, provincial privacy legislation. It applies to personal information collected through our website, by email, by telephone, in person at our studio, through booking and payment processes, during cooking classes and events, and through any other interaction with us.

Business and contact details:

• Legal name: Maple Hearth Culinary Studio
• Address: 2845 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M6P 1Y9, Canada
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +1 (416) 782-4593

2. Data Collection and Processing

We collect personal information that is necessary to operate our cooking-studio services, manage bookings, communicate with clients, process payments, and improve our offerings. Depending on how you interact with Maple Hearth Culinary Studio, we may collect the following categories of personal information:

• Identification and contact information: name, email address, phone number, mailing address, and emergency contact details where required for safety purposes.
• Booking and transaction information: class registrations, event attendance, purchase history, payment confirmation, billing details, and related communications.
• Preference and dietary information: food allergies, dietary restrictions, ingredient preferences, and accessibility needs that you choose to provide.
• Account and communication information: messages sent to us, customer service inquiries, feedback, survey responses, and newsletter preferences.
• Technical and usage information: IP address, browser type, device identifiers, website usage data, cookies, and similar analytics information collected when you visit our website.
• Media and event information: photographs or video recordings taken during classes or events, where notice is provided or consent is obtained as required.

We generally collect personal information directly from you. In some cases, we may collect information from third parties, such as payment processors, booking platforms, or referral partners, where permitted by law and necessary for the services you request.

We limit collection to what is reasonable and necessary for the purposes identified in this Privacy Policy. Where sensitive information is requested, such as allergy or health-related information, we collect it only when needed to provide safe and appropriate culinary services.

3. Purpose of Data Processing

Maple Hearth Culinary Studio uses personal information for the following purposes:

• to register you for classes, workshops, private events, and other studio services;
• to confirm bookings, send reminders, and manage cancellations or rescheduling;
• to process payments, refunds, and related accounting records;
• to communicate with you about your inquiries, purchases, and service updates;
• to accommodate dietary restrictions, allergies, accessibility needs, and safety considerations;
• to provide customer support and respond to complaints or requests;
• to improve our website, services, class offerings, and customer experience;
• to send marketing communications, promotions, and newsletters where permitted by law and subject to your preferences;
• to comply with legal, regulatory, tax, insurance, and recordkeeping obligations;
• to protect the security and integrity of our studio, systems, staff, and guests;
• to prevent fraud, misuse, or unauthorized access;
• to enforce our terms, policies, and contractual rights.

4. Legal Basis for Processing

Under Canadian privacy law, we generally rely on consent, contractual necessity, legal obligations, and legitimate business purposes where permitted. Depending on the circumstances, Maple Hearth Culinary Studio may process personal information on the following bases:

• Consent: where you voluntarily provide information or agree to specific uses, including marketing communications and optional media use, subject to applicable law.
• Contractual necessity: where processing is required to register you for a class, provide a service, manage a booking, or fulfill a purchase.
• Legal or regulatory obligation: where we must retain or disclose information to comply with tax, accounting, health and safety, consumer protection, or other legal requirements.
• Legitimate business purposes: where permitted by law, including to operate, secure, and improve our business, prevent fraud, and manage customer relationships.

Where consent is required, we will seek it in a meaningful way. You may withdraw consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice.

5. Data Sharing and Third Parties

We do not sell personal information. We may share personal information with trusted third parties only as necessary to operate our business and provide services. These third parties may include:

• Payment processors and financial institutions: to process transactions and refunds.
• Booking, scheduling, and customer management platforms: to manage registrations and communications.
• Website hosting, analytics, and IT service providers: to maintain our website, systems, and data security.
• Email and marketing service providers: to send transactional or promotional communications, where permitted.
• Professional advisors: including accountants, insurers, auditors, and legal counsel.
• Government, regulatory, or law enforcement authorities: where required or permitted by law.
• Event partners, instructors, or venue collaborators: where needed to deliver a class or event you have registered for.

We require service providers to handle personal information in a manner consistent with applicable privacy obligations and to use it only for the purposes for which it was disclosed.

6. Data Transfer to Third Countries

Some of our service providers may store or process personal information outside Canada, including in the United States or other jurisdictions. As a result, your information may be subject to the laws of those jurisdictions and may be accessible to courts, law enforcement, or regulatory authorities in those countries.

Where personal information is transferred outside Canada, Maple Hearth Culinary Studio takes reasonable steps to ensure that appropriate contractual, technical, and organizational safeguards are in place to protect the information in a manner appropriate to its sensitivity.

7. Storage Duration

We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to comply with legal and accounting requirements, to resolve disputes, and to enforce our agreements.

Retention periods vary depending on the type of information and the purpose for which it is used. For example:

• booking and transaction records may be retained for the period required by tax and accounting laws;
• customer correspondence may be retained for a reasonable period to support service and dispute resolution;
• marketing preferences are retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent;
• health, allergy, or safety-related information is retained only as long as needed for the relevant class or event and any follow-up obligations.

When personal information is no longer required, we will securely delete, anonymize, or destroy it in accordance with our retention practices and applicable law.

8. User Rights

Subject to applicable law, you may have the following rights regarding your personal information held by Maple Hearth Culinary Studio:

• Access: to request confirmation of whether we hold personal information about you and to obtain a copy of that information.
• Rectification: to request correction of inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated information.
• Erasure: to request deletion of personal information in certain circumstances, subject to legal retention obligations.
• Restriction: to request that we limit the use or disclosure of your information in certain circumstances.
• Data portability: where applicable, to request a copy of certain information in a structured, commonly used format.
• Objection: to object to certain processing activities, including some forms of direct marketing.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact Information section below. We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within a reasonable time and in accordance with applicable legal requirements.

9. Withdrawal of Consent

Where we rely on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time by contacting us or using any available unsubscribe or preference-management mechanism. Withdrawal of consent will not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

Please note that if you withdraw consent for certain information that is necessary to provide a service, we may no longer be able to offer that service or complete your booking. In such cases, we will explain the implications where appropriate.

10. Right to Complain

If you have concerns about how Maple Hearth Culinary Studio handles your personal information, we encourage you to contact us first so we can try to resolve the issue promptly and fairly.

You may also have the right to file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada or, where applicable, a provincial privacy regulator. Contact details for the appropriate regulator can be found on its official website.

11. Data Security

Maple Hearth Culinary Studio uses reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These safeguards may include:

• restricted access to personal information on a need-to-know basis;
• password protection and access controls for digital systems;
• secure payment processing through reputable third-party providers;
• staff awareness and confidentiality practices;
• reasonable monitoring of systems for security incidents;
• secure storage and disposal of paper records.

However, no method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we strive to protect personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

12. Contact Information

If you have questions, requests, or complaints regarding this Privacy Policy or our privacy practices, please contact:

• Maple Hearth Culinary Studio
• 2845 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON M6P 1Y9, Canada
• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: +1 (416) 782-4593

Please include enough detail for us to understand and respond to your request. We may ask for additional information to verify your identity and protect your privacy.

13. Changes to Privacy Policy

Maple Hearth Culinary Studio may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, legal requirements, or technology. When we make material changes, we will post the updated policy on our website and revise the effective date above, and we may provide additional notice where required by law.

Your continued use of our services after an updated Privacy Policy is posted means that you acknowledge the revised policy to the extent permitted by law. We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.

Maple Hearth Culinary Studio is committed to handling personal information responsibly and transparently while providing a safe and enjoyable culinary experience.