Privacy policy

Version compliant with Québec’s Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector, as amended by Bill 25 (“Law 25”)

Last updated: August 10, 2026

1. Purpose and Scope

This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) describes the practices of C.A.T.A.Q. Assurances inc. (“CATAQ,” “we,” “us,” “our”) regarding the collection, use, disclosure, retention and destruction of personal information gathered from visitors to cataq.ca, our clients, prospects, and anyone else who contacts us.

It applies to any personal information collected through a technological means (website, online forms, email, telephone) and is drafted in accordance with Law 25, which amends Québec’s Act Respecting the Protection of Personal Information in the Private Sector.

2. Who We Are

CATAQ Assurances has researched and offered insurance coverage and pricing to its clients since 1992. The company specializes in life and group insurance for individuals and businesses, and also serves associations and other groups.

Company contact information:
3798 Roi-Georges St., Jonquière, Quebec G7X 1T3
Phone: 418 547-5355
Toll-free: 1 800 363-1809
Fax: 418 547-5852
Email: cataq@videotron.ca

3. Person in Charge of the Protection of Personal Information

In accordance with Law 25, the person with the highest authority within CATAQ is, by default, responsible for the protection of personal information (the “Privacy Officer”). This function may be delegated, in whole or in part, in writing, to a member of staff.

Designated Officer:
Allen Basque
C.A.T.A.Q. Assurances inc.
3798 Roi-Georges St., Jonquière, Quebec G7X 1T3
Phone: 418 547-5355
Toll-free: 1 800 363-1809
Fax: 418 547-5852

Any question, request or complaint regarding this Policy or your personal information should be directed to the Privacy Officer using the contact information above.

4. Personal Information We Collect

Depending on your relationship with us, we may collect the following categories of information:

• Identification and contact information: name, address, date of birth, phone number, email address;
• Financial information: income, banking or billing details, for pricing and premium collection purposes;
• Sensitive health-related information: required for the assessment, underwriting and pricing of life, disability and critical illness insurance products;
• Technical information automatically collected while browsing the site (IP address, browser type, pages visited), where applicable;
• Any other information you voluntarily provide through a quote or contact form.

Health-related information constitutes sensitive personal information under Law 25. Its collection and use for a purpose other than the one identified at the time of collection require your express consent.

5. Purposes of Collection

We collect your personal information for the following purposes:

• To prepare a quote or assess your eligibility for an insurance product;
• To underwrite, administer, modify or renew an insurance policy;
• To process a claim;
• To respond to you when you contact us (contact form);
• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations (including those owed to the Autorité des marchés financiers);
• To improve our products, services and website.

6. Means of Collection

Your information is collected directly from you through the quote and contact forms available on cataq.ca, by phone, or by email. The insurance quote form transmits your information directly to our insurance partner, Viaction Assurance, which is responsible for its security and processing as an authorized third party.

7. Consent

We obtain your manifest, free and informed consent before collecting, using or disclosing your personal information, for specific purposes communicated to you at the time of collection.

• Consent to the collection of sensitive information (health) is express.
• You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions; withdrawal may prevent us from offering certain products or services and will be recorded in your file.
• Personal information concerning a minor under 14 years of age is not collected from the minor without the consent of the person holding parental authority or the minor’s tutor.

8. Disclosure to Third Parties

We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose it, only to the extent necessary, to the following categories of third parties:

• Insurers and co-insurers (including Viaction Assurance) for underwriting and claims-management purposes;
• Cloud and technology service providers who host our website and systems;
• Regulatory or judicial authorities, where required by law.

These third parties are bound by contractual agreements ensuring a level of protection for personal information equivalent to that required by Law 25.

The cataq.ca website and the personal information that passes through it are hosted on a server located in Beauharnois, Quebec (Canada), operated by OVH. No personal information is transferred or stored outside Québec as part of the website’s hosting; accordingly, no privacy impact assessment (PIA) related to a cross-border transfer is required in this respect.

Should another service provider be used in the future (partner insurers, cloud tools, etc.) that involves disclosing personal information outside Québec, a PIA will be carried out before such disclosure, in accordance with Law 25.

9. Retention and Destruction of Personal Information

We retain your personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by our legal and regulatory obligations. We apply the following retention periods:

• Client files and underwriting documentation: retained for the duration of the contractual relationship, then for five (5) years following the end of that relationship, in accordance with the record-retention requirements of the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) applicable to insurance firms and representatives;
• Quote requests that did not result in a policy: retained for twelve (12) months following the last contact with the prospect, then securely destroyed;
• Contact forms and general correspondence: retained for twenty-four (24) months following the last interaction, unless a contractual relationship results from it;
• Comments posted on the website: retained for as long as the associated content remains published, unless removal is requested by their author.

At the end of these periods, information is securely destroyed or anonymized, subject to regulatory requirements applicable to the insurance sector.

10. Security Measures

We protect your personal information using security measures proportionate to their sensitivity, including:

• SSL/TLS encryption protocol on the website;
• Access management limited to authorized personnel in the course of their duties;
• Regular data backups;
• Confidentiality commitments from staff and subcontractors who have access to personal information.

11. Privacy Settings and Tracking Technologies

By default, the privacy settings of our technological tools ensure the highest level of confidentiality, without any action required on your part. The cataq.ca website only uses cookies that are strictly necessary for it to function, which do not identify you for profiling purposes or track your location:

• Session and security cookies (e.g., protection against unwanted form submissions);
• Login cookies, for users with administrative access to the site (lifespan: 2 days, or 2 weeks if the “Remember Me” option is selected);
• Comment-related cookies, where applicable, to save visitors from re-entering their information (lifespan: 1 year).

No analytics (e.g., Google Analytics), advertising-tracking, or profiling cookies are currently deployed on the site. Should such a tool be added in the future, this section will be updated and, where applicable, a consent banner will be implemented so that these cookies are never enabled by default.

12. Your Rights

Subject to exceptions provided by law, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you;
• Have any inaccurate, incomplete or ambiguous information corrected;
• Withdraw your consent to the collection, use or disclosure of your information;
• Request the portability, in a structured, commonly used technological format, of computerized personal information you have provided to us;
• Request the de-indexing or de-listing of information concerning you, in the cases provided by law;
• Be informed of any decision based exclusively on automated processing of your information and to submit comments in that regard, where applicable.

To exercise any of these rights, contact the Privacy Officer using the contact information in Section 3. We will respond to your request within the time limits prescribed by law.

13. Confidentiality Incidents

CATAQ maintains a register of any confidentiality incident involving personal information in its possession. Where an incident presents a risk of serious harm to an affected individual, CATAQ notifies the Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec (CAI) as well as the affected individuals, in accordance with Law 25.

14. Complaints

If you believe your personal information has not been handled in accordance with this Policy or applicable law, you may file a complaint with the Privacy Officer (Section 3). You may also file a complaint with:

Commission d’accès à l’information du Québec (CAI) — www.cai.gouv.qc.ca

15. Changes to This Policy

We may amend this Policy at any time to reflect changes in our practices or in legal requirements. Any material change will be published on this page with a revised update date, and affected individuals will be notified through an appropriate means.

16. Contact Us

For any question regarding this Privacy Policy:
C.A.T.A.Q. Assurances inc.
3798 Roi-Georges St., Jonquière, Quebec G7X 1T3
Phone: 418 547-5355
Toll-free: 1 800 363-1809
Fax: 418 547-5852
Email: cataq@videotron.ca