Privacy Policy

1. Introduction

Welcome to Giant Distributions ("we," "us," or "our")—a Canadian wholesale marketplace operating at https://www.giantdistributions.com/ (the "Website"). This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, disclose, and protect personal information and business information in compliance with Canada’s federal privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), provincial privacy laws (e.g., British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), Alberta’s PIPA, Ontario’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act), and Canada’s Tobacco and Vaping Products Act (TVPA)—the primary regulation governing vaping product sales and data handling in Canada.

By accessing or using our Website, registering as a wholesale client, placing orders, or interacting with our services, you (whether an individual authorized representative of a business or a business entity) acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to the terms of this Privacy Policy. This Policy applies exclusively to our Canadian wholesale operations and data processing activities within Canada.

2. Information We Collect

As a Canadian vaping wholesale marketplace, we collect information necessary to facilitate wholesale transactions, comply with regulatory requirements, and maintain business relationships. We distinguish between personal information (as defined by PIPEDA: information about an identifiable individual) and business information (non-personal information related to your business operations).

2.1 Personal Information

We collect personal information only where it is reasonably necessary for our wholesale operations or required by law. This includes:

Business contact information: Full name, job title, email address, phone number, and authorized signature of individuals representing wholesale clients (e.g., purchasing managers, business owners).
Verification information: Date of birth, government-issued ID details (e.g., driver’s license, passport), or business ID (e.g., business license) to confirm:

The individual is of legal age (18+ or 19+ depending on your province, per TVPA) to transact in vaping products;
The business is authorized to purchase and resell vaping products in Canada.

Account information: Username, encrypted password, and communication preferences for your wholesale account.
Payment-related information: Billing address (business or personal, if applicable), and details of payment methods (e.g., credit card information, EFT details)—processed via Canadian-compliant third-party payment processors (we do not store full credit card data).
Communication data: Content of emails, calls, or messages related to wholesale inquiries, order disputes, regulatory compliance, or customer support.

2.2 Business Information

For wholesale clients (businesses, retailers, or distributors), we collect non-personal business information to facilitate bulk transactions and compliance:

Business name, registered address, and operating addresses;
Canadian Business Number (BN), GST/HST registration number, and provincial sales tax (PST/QST) ID (for tax compliance);
Business license or vaping product resale authorization (required to verify eligibility to resell vaping products in Canada);
Order history: Bulk product quantities, product SKUs, wholesale pricing, shipping destinations, and delivery confirmation records;
Account preferences: Wholesale volume thresholds, preferred shipping partners, and inventory notification settings.

2.3 Automatically Collected Information

We collect non-personal information when you use the Website to optimize wholesale operations, including:

Usage data: Pages visited (e.g., product catalogs, wholesale pricing pages), search queries (e.g., specific vaping brands/models), time spent on the Website, and order-related actions (e.g., quote requests, bulk order submissions);
Device and technical data: IP address (used to confirm Canadian jurisdiction), browser type, operating system, device model, and internet service provider;
Cookies and tracking technologies:

Essential cookies: Enable wholesale account access, cart persistence for bulk orders, and checkout functionality;
Analytical cookies: Track Website performance (e.g., popular wholesale products, page load times) to improve user experience for business clients;
Compliance cookies: Verify acceptance of our terms and privacy policy (required for regulatory compliance).

You may manage cookie preferences via your browser, but disabling essential cookies will prevent access to wholesale ordering features.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use collected information solely for legitimate business purposes, regulatory compliance, and to deliver wholesale vaping services—consistent with PIPEDA and TVPA requirements:

Process wholesale orders: Verify business eligibility (resale authorization), process bulk payments, coordinate shipping for large-scale deliveries, and provide order confirmations/invoices;
Comply with Canadian regulations:

Verify the age of authorized business representatives (per TVPA’s ban on selling vaping products to minors);
Maintain sales records (required by TVPA for product traceability and regulatory audits);
Report necessary data to Health Canada or provincial health authorities (as mandated by vaping product safety regulations);

Manage wholesale client relationships: Communicate order updates (e.g., backorders, delivery delays), share wholesale-exclusive promotions (e.g., bulk discounts), respond to support inquiries (e.g., product defects, inventory availability), and manage account preferences;
Optimize our services: Analyze usage and order data to expand popular product lines, improve Website functionality for bulk ordering, and streamline wholesale logistics (e.g., adjusting shipping options for cross-provincial deliveries);
Prevent fraud and ensure security: Detect unauthorized account access, verify business credentials to prevent illegal resale, and protect against fraudulent wholesale transactions (e.g., payment disputes, fake business registrations);
Tax and legal compliance: Retain order and payment records for Canadian tax reporting (GST/HST, PST/QST) and respond to lawful requests from Health Canada, law enforcement, or regulatory bodies.

4. Disclosure of Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or lease personal or business information to third parties for marketing purposes—consistent with PIPEDA and Canadian vaping regulations. We may disclose information only in the following circumstances:

Trusted third-party service providers (Canadian-based where possible):

Payment processors (e.g., Canadian-owned or compliant providers like Moneris, PayPal Canada) to process bulk payments securely;
Shipping and logistics partners (e.g., Canada Post, Purolator, UPS Canada) to fulfill wholesale deliveries and provide tracking;
Accounting and tax services (to comply with Canadian tax laws, e.g., CRA reporting);
Vaping product manufacturers/suppliers (to confirm authorized wholesale distribution and fulfill bulk inventory orders);

These providers are contractually obligated to protect your information, comply with PIPEDA/TVPA, and only use data to perform services on our behalf.

Regulatory and legal requirements: Disclose information to Health Canada, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), provincial health departments, or law enforcement if required by law, court order, or to enforce compliance with TVPA, PIPEDA, or our Terms of Service.
Business transactions: If we undergo a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your information may be transferred to the successor entity—we will notify you via email or Website notice (as required by PIPEDA) and ensure the new entity maintains compliance with this Policy.
With your explicit consent: Disclose information to third parties only if you (the wholesale client) provide written or electronic consent (e.g., sharing order details with a third-party warehouse you designate).

5. Your Rights Under Canadian Privacy Law

Under PIPEDA and applicable provincial privacy laws, you have the following rights regarding your personal information. To exercise these rights, please contact us (see Section 10) and provide verification of identity (or business authorization for wholesale accounts):

Access right: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you (or your business’s authorized contacts);
Correction right: Request updates to inaccurate or incomplete personal/business information (e.g., updated business address, contact details);
Deletion right: Request deletion of your personal information (subject to legal exceptions, e.g., retaining order records for TVPA compliance or tax purposes);
Withdrawal of consent: Withdraw consent to non-essential uses of your information (e.g., marketing communications) at any time—note that withdrawing consent for essential uses (e.g., age verification) may prevent you from using our wholesale services;
Right to complain: If you believe we have violated PIPEDA or provincial privacy laws, you may file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) or your provincial privacy authority.

We will respond to your request within 30 days (or as required by PIPEDA) and may charge a reasonable fee for extensive information access requests (consistent with Canadian privacy guidelines).

6. Data Security & Retention

6.1 Security Measures

We implement industry-standard technical, administrative, and physical safeguards to protect your information from unauthorized access, disclosure, or theft—aligned with PIPEDA’s security requirements:

Encryption of sensitive data (e.g., payment details, ID verification documents) using TLS 1.3 and AES-256 encryption;
Restricted access to personal/business information (only authorized employees with a legitimate business need can access data);
Regular security audits and updates to our Website, servers, and third-party tools (all data is stored on Canadian-based or PIPEDA-compliant servers);
Multi-factor authentication for wholesale client accounts to prevent unauthorized access.

No online data storage is 100% secure, but we take all reasonable steps to mitigate risks and comply with Canadian security standards.

6.2 Data Retention

We retain your information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes outlined in this Policy or as required by law:

Personal information (e.g., contact details): Retained for the duration of your wholesale account plus 2 years (to comply with TVPA’s record-keeping requirements);
Order and transaction records: Retained for 7 years (consistent with CRA tax reporting requirements);
ID verification and business authorization documents: Retained for 5 years after account closure (to demonstrate TVPA compliance);
Non-personal/aggregated data (e.g., usage statistics): May be retained indefinitely for business improvement.

After retention periods, we securely delete or anonymize your information to prevent identification.

7. Compliance with Canadian Vaping Regulations

As a Canadian vaping wholesale marketplace, we adhere strictly to the TVPA and Health Canada’s vaping product rules. Key privacy-related compliance measures include:

Age verification: We collect and verify date of birth/government ID to ensure no minor can access wholesale services (TVPA prohibits selling vaping products to individuals under 18/19 years old, depending on province);
Product data transparency: We do not collect or disclose sensitive health data related to vaping use—our data handling focuses solely on sales, compliance, and business operations;
Restricted data sharing: We do not share wholesale order data with non-Canadian entities without explicit consent and regulatory approval (to comply with TVPA’s product traceability rules).

8. Children’s Privacy

Our Website and wholesale services are exclusively for businesses and authorized adults (18/19+ years old, per province). We do not knowingly collect personal information from minors. If we discover we have collected information from a minor in violation of TVPA, we will immediately delete the data. If you suspect a minor has accessed our services, please contact us (Section 10).

9. Third-Party Links

Our Website may contain links to third-party sites, including:

Health Canada’s vaping regulatory pages;
Canadian Vaping Products Association (CVPA) resources;
Wholesale partner brand websites;
Payment/shipping provider portals.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party sites. We are not responsible for their privacy practices—we encourage you to review their policies before providing information.

10. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in Canadian law (e.g., TVPA amendments, PIPEDA updates), business operations, or regulatory requirements. When we make changes:

We will revise the "Last Updated" date at the top;
We will notify wholesale clients via email (to your registered business email);
We will post a prominent notice on the Website’s homepage for 30 days.

Your continued use of the Website after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy. We recommend reviewing this Policy annually (or as notified) to stay informed.

11. Contact Us

For questions, concerns, or requests related to this Privacy Policy, your information, or Canadian regulatory compliance, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Email: [email protected]

We will respond to your inquiry within 30 days (or as required by PIPEDA) and work to resolve any concerns promptly. You may also contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (OPC) at https://www.priv.gc.ca if you are unsatisfied with our response.