Platform role
The platform helps customers describe service needs and connect with independently operated businesses. MontrealDirectory.ca and BottinQuébec.ca are not the service provider, employer, agent, insurer, or guarantor of a provider’s work.
Clear rules for a trusted local platform.
This bilingual version has been effective since 2026-11-07.
EFFECTIVE · VERSION 2026-11-06Terms of Use
Accounts and eligibility
Members must provide accurate information, safeguard account access, and use the platform lawfully. The final terms must define minimum age, Québec availability, suspension grounds, appeal rights, and account closure.
Requests, proposals, and agreements
AI may help structure a request or draft text, but the customer controls the request and providers control their proposals. A service agreement exists only between the customer and selected provider; price, scope, licences, permits, warranties, safety, and performance remain their responsibility.
Subscriptions and payments
Business subscriptions must disclose the plan, price, taxes, billing frequency, renewal, cancellation, refund treatment, and any trial before checkout. Stripe processes payment information; the platform should not store complete card numbers.
Reviews and content
Platform reviews are limited to eligible completed jobs and may be moderated for fraud, threats, privacy violations, or unlawful content—not merely because they are negative. Editorial rankings are not sold; sponsorships and affiliate relationships must be identified.
Changes and disputes
The approved version must state how material changes are announced, which version applies, Québec governing law, mandatory consumer rights, the complaint process, and contact information. No draft limitation can remove rights that cannot legally be waived.
Privacy Policy
Information collected
Account identity and contact details; service requests and approximate location; provider business, verification, licence and insurance records; messages, proposals, jobs and reviews; subscription status; security, consent and audit records; and limited technical logs.
Aggregate website analytics
On the public information pages, the platform may use separate Cloudflare Web Analytics measurements for MontrealDirectory.ca and BottinQuébec.ca to understand page views, approximate unique visitors, referring sites, device categories, and performance. This integration is configured without platform analytics cookies or persistent browser storage and is not loaded on account, authentication, provider, messaging, dashboard, or administrator pages.
Why information is used
To operate accounts, match requests, verify providers, deliver messages and notifications, administer subscriptions, prevent abuse, resolve cases, maintain accurate city content, improve reliability, and meet legal obligations. Collection should remain limited to purposes explained at or before collection.
AI-assisted processing
AI can clarify requests, rank already-eligible providers, draft optional messages and proposals, and prepare editorial drafts. It cannot verify a business, select a winning proposal, publish editorial content, send a message, or make a final trust decision. Sensitive details should be minimized before AI processing.
Service providers
The platform may use OpenAI for configured AI assistance, Stripe for billing, Google for sign-in and place information, Tripadvisor for attributed reputation information, Resend for transactional email, and hosting/database providers. Final disclosures must identify actual transfers and processing locations.
Retention, access, and correction
The final policy must state specific retention periods and deletion rules for accounts, requests, messages, verification evidence, billing records, reviews, audit records, and backups. People need a documented way to request access, correction, withdrawal of consent where applicable, or account closure.
Security and incidents
Use access controls, secret storage, encrypted transport, limited administrative roles, audit history, and incident procedures appropriate to the sensitivity of the information. The approved policy must name the privacy officer and explain how to submit a privacy complaint.
Provider Standards
Truthful profiles
Businesses must keep legal identity, ownership, contact details, service categories, areas served, availability, licences, insurance, pricing statements, and external reputation links accurate and current.
Verification is specific
A verified badge reflects only the checks shown by the platform and their review dates. It is not a warranty of future work, a government endorsement, or a substitute for a customer confirming project-specific qualifications.
Fair conduct
Providers must communicate honestly, avoid discriminatory or deceptive practices, protect customer information, respect quoted scope and applicable law, disclose material changes, and never manipulate reviews, response metrics, or external reputation records.
Quality review
Missed response targets, complaints, expired evidence, or inconsistent information can lead to human review. Advertising spend and subscription level do not control verification, organic eligibility, review moderation, or dispute outcomes.
AI & Data-Use Disclosure
Assistive, not authoritative
AI suggestions are drafts or ranking support. Deterministic eligibility rules and human decisions control verification, publication, provider selection, moderation, case resolution, and launch authorization.
Transparency and correction
Where AI materially assists a workflow, the interface should identify that assistance, preserve the relevant decision record, provide a plain-language explanation when practical, and allow a person to correct or reject the suggestion.
Data minimization
Do not enter unnecessary health, financial, identity-document, payment-card, or other sensitive information into free-text requests or AI tools. The production privacy assessment must document model settings, retention choices, access, monitoring, and incident response.