Last updated: September 5, 2026
1. Who we are
Totem Aviation ("we", "our") operates the website www.totemaviation.ca (and totemaviation.com, which redirects to it), offering airplane tours and forest accommodations departing from the Les Escoumins aerodrome.
Contact
Totem Aviation — 14 Chemin du Lac St-Onge, Les Escoumins, Québec G0T 1K0 — 581 235-5235 — info@totemaviation.com
Person in charge of the protection of personal information
In accordance with Québec's Act respecting the protection of personal information in the private sector (CQLR, c. P-39.1), the person in charge of the protection of personal information is: Jean-Manuel Gagnon, Operations Manager — info@totemaviation.com — 581 235-5235
Any question, access request or complaint about your personal information may be addressed to him.
2. Personal information we collect
We collect only the information necessary for the purposes described in section 3.
When you book a flight (through our online booking system)
- First and last name
- Email address and phone number
- Chosen flight date and time, number of passengers
- Approximate weight of each passenger (aviation safety requirement: aircraft weight and balance limits)
- Age of children, where applicable (seating and accompaniment rules)
- Preferred language
- Payment information: processed directly by our payment provider (see section 5). We never store your card number.
When you book accommodation
Accommodation bookings are made on the Airbnb platform. The information you provide there is governed by Airbnb's privacy policy. We receive from Airbnb only what is needed to welcome you (name, dates, number of guests, messages exchanged).
When you contact us (contact form, email, phone)
- Name, email address and the content of your message
When you browse the site
- Anonymized or pseudonymized technical data: truncated IP address, device and browser type, pages viewed, country of origin, referral source (see section 6, Cookies and similar technologies).
Visiting pilots (PPR aerodrome)
- Name, aircraft registration, phone number, estimated time of arrival, for prior landing permission.
We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 14. Any booking involving a minor must be made by a parent or guardian.
3. Why we collect it (purposes)
| Purpose | Information used | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Process and confirm your booking, contact you about changes (weather, delays) | Identity, contact details, flight details | Performance of the contract |
| Ensure flight safety (weight and balance, adult/minor pairing) | Weight, age | Legal and aviation-safety obligation |
| Collect payment and issue a receipt | Payment data (via provider) | Performance of the contract |
| Answer your questions and requests | Contact details, message content | Consent (your request) |
| Manage pilot arrivals at the aerodrome | Identity, registration, arrival time | Operational safety |
| Send a pre-flight reminder and a post-flight review invitation | Email, phone | Legitimate interest tied to the service; you may object |
| Measure site traffic and improve the site | Browsing data | Consent (non-essential cookies) |
| Comply with legal obligations (accounting, tax, Transport Canada) | Booking and payment records | Legal obligation |
We do not use your information for profiling or automated decision-making. We never sell your personal information.
4. Consent
By booking, contacting us or accepting non-essential cookies, you consent to the collection and use of your information for the purposes above. You may withdraw your consent at any time (section 8); withdrawal does not affect processing already carried out, nor processing required to honour an existing booking or by law.
5. Who we share your information with
We disclose your information only to service providers necessary to operate the site and deliver our services, who are contractually bound to protect it and use it solely for our purposes.
| Provider | Role | Processing location |
|---|---|---|
| Vercel Inc. | Website hosting | United States |
| PilotDuty Manager (Totem Network) | Booking and flight management system | Application hosted on Vercel; authentication and database on Google Firebase — United States |
| Stripe Payments Canada | Card payment processing | Canada / United States |
| Resend | Delivery of contact-form messages | United States |
| Airbnb | Accommodation bookings | United States / Ireland |
| Google (embedded Maps, Google Analytics 4) | Interactive map, audience measurement | United States |
| Meta Platforms — Meta Pixel | Facebook and Instagram advertising campaign measurement | United States |
Disclosure outside Québec. Some of these providers process your information outside Québec, mainly in the United States. In accordance with section 17 of the Act, we have assessed that the information receives adequate protection there, in particular through contractual commitments, encryption and the providers' security measures. Details are available from the person in charge of the protection of personal information.
We may also disclose your information where required by law (e.g. a Transport Canada or Transportation Safety Board investigation, or a court order).
6. Cookies and similar technologies
Our site uses:
- Strictly necessary cookies and storage: remembering your display language (browser local storage, key ta_settings) and operating the embedded booking form. They do not identify or track you and require no consent.
- Analytics cookies — Google Analytics 4: traffic statistics. GA4 anonymizes IP addresses; Google advertising signals are sent only if you also accept the marketing category. Enabled only if you accept them in the consent banner.
- Advertising cookies — Meta Pixel: measuring the effectiveness of our Facebook/Instagram ads. Enabled only if you accept them.
Embedded third-party content (Google Maps, booking form) may set its own cookies, governed by those third parties' policies.
How to disable them. You can change your choices at any time via the "Manage cookies" link at the bottom of the site or by configuring your browser to refuse or delete cookies. Refusing non-essential cookies does not prevent you from using the site or booking.
7. Retention and security
Retention periods
- Bookings, invoices and receipts: 7 years after the end of the fiscal year (tax requirement).
- Flight records containing passenger names: as required by Transport Canada.
- Contact-form messages: 24 months after the last exchange.
- Browsing data: 14 months (GA4 default) or less.
After these periods, information is deleted or irreversibly anonymized.
Security measures
Encrypted communications (HTTPS/TLS), system access restricted to authorized staff and protected by authentication, hosting with certified providers (SOC 2 / ISO 27001), no storage of card numbers.
Confidentiality incident. In the event of an incident presenting a risk of serious injury, we will notify the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec and the persons concerned, and record the incident in our register, as required by the Act.
8. Your rights
Subject to the exceptions provided by the Act, you have the right to:
- access the personal information we hold about you;
- have it corrected if it is inaccurate, incomplete or ambiguous;
- withdraw your consent to its use or disclosure;
- have it deleted (de-indexed) in the cases provided by the Act;
- obtain a copy of the computerized information you provided to us, in a structured, commonly used technological format (portability);
- file a complaint with the person in charge of the protection of personal information.
To exercise these rights, write to the person identified in section 1. We respond within 30 days. We may ask for reasonable proof of identity before proceeding.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may file a complaint with the Commission d'accès à l'information du Québec (www.cai.gouv.qc.ca — 1 888 528-7741).
9. Changes
We may update this policy to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. The last-updated date appears at the top of this page. In the event of a significant change, a notice will be posted on the site.