Privacy Policy
1. Who we are
Acko Earth Solutions (“AES”, “we”, “us” or “our”) is a 100% Indigenous-owned and operated civil earthworks, land clearing, mulching, reclamation and vegetation management contractor. Our head office is located at 6791 267 Rd, Doig River First Nation Urban Reserve, BC V0C 2H0, and we work across British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose and protect personal information when you visit www.acko.ca (the “Website”), contact us for a quote or information, apply for a job with us, or otherwise interact with us as a client, supplier or member of the public. Personal information means information about an identifiable individual.
This Policy does not cover the personal information of our employees, which is addressed in our internal employee privacy practices.
2. Our commitment
We handle personal information in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy law, including the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where they apply, British Columbia’s and Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Acts. We follow the principles of accountability, limited collection, consent, limited use and retention, accuracy, safeguards, openness and individual access.
As an Indigenous-owned company working in Treaty 8 territory and beyond, we also respect the right of First Nations communities to govern information about their members, lands and cultural resources. Where our project work involves such information, we handle it in accordance with our agreements with the communities concerned.
3. Information we collect
3.1 Information you give us
Contact and quote requests. When you use the contact form on our Website, email info@acko.ca or call us, we collect your name, email address, phone number and the content of your message, along with any project details you choose to share (for example, location, scope or timing).
Job applications. When you apply through the online application form on our Website or by emailing careers@acko.ca, we collect the information you provide, which may include your name and contact details, resume or work history, tickets, certifications and training records, driver’s licence class, references, and any other information you choose to include.
Please do not send your Social Insurance Number, banking details, health information or copies of government identification with an application. We will request what we need, securely, only if we make you an offer of employment.
Business relationships. If you are a client, supplier, subcontractor or partner, we collect business contact information and the information needed to manage our relationship, such as quotes, contracts, invoices and correspondence.
3.2 Information collected automatically
When you visit the Website, our website platform and analytics tools automatically collect certain technical information, such as your IP address, browser and device type, operating system, the pages you view, the time and duration of your visit, and the website that referred you. This information is collected through cookies and similar technologies (see Section 6).
3.3 Information from other sources
With your consent, we may contact the references you provide in a job application. We may also receive information when you interact with our social media pages on Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn, subject to those platforms’ own privacy settings and policies.
3.4 Phone calls and our AI receptionist
Calls to our main line may be answered by an automated AI receptionist powered by Bland AI (operated by Intelliga Corp.). You will be told at the start of the call that you are speaking with an AI assistant and that the call is recorded. When you speak with it, we collect:
• your phone number and caller ID, and the date, time and length of the call;
• an audio recording and written transcript of the call; and
• anything you tell the assistant, such as your name, company, contact details, project details and the message you want passed on.
The assistant uses this information to answer general questions, take your message and send a summary by email or text message to the right person at AES. It cannot transfer you live, give binding quotes or make commitments on our behalf (see our Terms of Service). We do not use your voice to identify you biometrically.
If you do not want to speak with the AI assistant or be recorded, you may hang up and email info@acko.ca instead. The assistant is not monitored in real time and must not be used for emergencies. In an emergency, call 911.
4. How we use personal information
We use personal information only for purposes that a reasonable person would consider appropriate in the circumstances, including to:
• respond to inquiries and prepare quotes, proposals and bids;
• answer phone calls through our AI receptionist, take messages and pass them to the right staff member;
• deliver our services and manage client, supplier and subcontractor relationships;
• assess job applications, contact references and make hiring decisions;
• operate, secure and improve the Website and understand how visitors use it;
• meet our legal, regulatory, safety, insurance and contractual obligations; and
• protect our rights and property, and those of others.
We will not use your personal information for a new purpose without first identifying that purpose and, where required, obtaining your consent. We do not sell or rent personal information.
5. Consent
We collect, use and disclose personal information with your consent, except where the law permits or requires otherwise. Consent may be express (for example, when you submit a form) or implied (for example, when you email us a question and we reply). By submitting our contact or application forms, or by continuing a call with our AI receptionist after being told it is an AI and that the call is recorded, you consent to the uses described in this Policy.
You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice, by contacting our Privacy Officer (Section 13). Withdrawing consent may affect our ability to respond to you or to consider your application.
6. Cookies and analytics
Cookies are small files placed on your device by your browser. Our Website uses:
• Essential cookies set by our website platform to make the site function and keep it secure.
• Analytics cookies set through Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager, which help us understand how visitors find and use the Website (for example, which pages are visited most). Google processes this information on our behalf and may store it on servers outside Canada.
You can manage or block cookies through your browser settings, and you can opt out of Google Analytics using Google’s browser add-on (tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout). Blocking essential cookies may affect how parts of the Website work.
7. When we disclose personal information
We share personal information only as described below:
• Service providers who support our business, such as our website hosting and design providers, analytics provider (Google), AI phone receptionist provider (Bland AI), email, text-messaging and IT providers, and professional advisors (for example, accountants, lawyers and insurers). They may use the information only to provide services to us and must protect it appropriately.
• Legal and safety requirements where we are required or permitted by law, such as to respond to a lawful request from a regulator, court or law enforcement body, or to protect someone’s health or safety.
• Business transactions where personal information is needed to complete or evaluate a financing, sale, merger or similar transaction, subject to confidentiality protections.
• With your consent in any other case.
8. Where your information is stored
Our service providers may store or process personal information outside British Columbia and outside Canada, including in the United States. For example, Google Analytics data and our AI receptionist’s call recordings and transcripts are processed in the United States. When that happens, the information is subject to the laws of that jurisdiction and may be accessible to its courts, law enforcement and national security authorities. We take reasonable contractual and other measures to protect personal information that is transferred to service providers.
9. How long we keep it
We keep personal information only as long as needed for the purposes described in this Policy, or as required by law. As a general guide:
Type of information
Typical retention
Website inquiries and quote requests that do not lead to work
Up to 2 years after our last contact
Client, supplier and contract records
As required for accounting, tax, insurance and legal purposes (generally 7 years)
Job applications from unsuccessful applicants
12 months, so we can consider you for future openings, then securely destroyed
AI receptionist call recordings and transcripts
90 days, unless needed longer for a quote, contract, dispute or safety record
Website analytics data
As set in our analytics settings (14 months maximum)
If we use your personal information to make a decision that directly affects you, we keep it for at least one year after that decision so you have a reasonable opportunity to request access to it.
10. How we protect it
We use reasonable physical, administrative and technical safeguards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information, including access controls, password-protected systems, encrypted website connections (HTTPS) and limiting access to staff who need it for their duties. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, so we cannot guarantee absolute security.
If a breach of security safeguards involving your personal information creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the appropriate privacy regulator as required by law.
11. Your rights
Subject to limited legal exceptions, you have the right to:
• ask whether we hold personal information about you and request access to it;
• learn how it has been used and to whom it has been disclosed;
• ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete; and
• withdraw your consent, as described in Section 5.
To make a request, contact our Privacy Officer in writing. We may ask you to verify your identity, and we will respond within 30 days or as otherwise permitted by law. If we cannot provide access to some information, we will explain why, unless the law prohibits us from doing so.
12. Other matters
Children. Our Website is intended for businesses and job seekers and is not directed to children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 16.
Links to other sites. Our Website links to third-party sites, including Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites, and we encourage you to read their policies.
Changes to this Policy. We may update this Policy from time to time, including to reflect changes in Canadian privacy law. The updated version will be posted on this page with a new “Last updated” date.
13. Contact us
Questions, requests or concerns about this Policy or our privacy practices can be directed to:
Privacy Officer, Acko Earth Solutions
Email: info@acko.ca
Mail: 6791 267 Rd, Doig River First Nation Urban Reserve, BC V0C 2H0
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the privacy regulator responsible for your situation:
• Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada — www.priv.gc.ca
• Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia — www.oipc.bc.ca
• Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta — www.oipc.ab.ca