Privacy Policy

1. Who we are

Sick-Notes.ca ("we") provides documentation of illness issued by physicians licensed by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. We are a health information custodian under Ontario's Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) and also comply with PIPEDA.

2. Information we collect

Only what is needed to issue and verify your note:

• Identity & contact: full name, email, phone (optional), date of birth where a form requires it
• Request details: type of note, reason for absence, dates, symptoms or limitations you describe, school and student number (students only)
• Documents you choose to upload: OHIP card or photo ID (used to confirm identity and OHIP eligibility for pricing)
• Payment status: whether an Interac e-Transfer or card payment was received. Card details are processed by Stripe and never touch our servers
• Technical data: IP address, device and browser type, pages visited, used for security and to keep the service working

3. How we use it

To review your request, issue and sign your note, let schools or employers verify it by QR code or reference number, send you status, payment and delivery emails, process refunds, prevent fraud, and meet our legal record-keeping duties as a medical practice. We do not sell personal information and we do not use health information for advertising.

4. Who can see it

The reviewing clinician and authorised staff; our service providers who host data and send email (bound by confidentiality agreements); Stripe for card payments; and anyone you give your reference number to, who can only see that a note exists, the dates covered and the issuing clinician, never your medical details. We disclose information to authorities only when the law requires it.

5. Where data is stored and how long

Data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest and hosted on servers in Canada and the United States. Medical records, including issued notes, are retained for at least 10 years as required for Ontario physicians. Uploaded ID/OHIP images are deleted within 30 days of a final decision on your request. Marketing analytics are aggregated and anonymous.

6. Your rights

You may request access to, correction of, or (where the law allows) deletion of your personal information, and you may withdraw consent for non-essential communications at any time by emailing us. To protect your record we may ask you to confirm your identity. You can also complain to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario (ipc.on.ca).

7. Mobile apps

The Sick-Notes.ca iOS and Android apps collect the same information as the website. Camera and photo-library access is requested only when you choose to upload an OHIP card or ID and is never used in the background. The apps do not use advertising identifiers or third-party tracking SDKs.

8. Cookies

We use only strictly-necessary cookies and local storage (session, security, your dismissed prompts). No advertising cookies are set.

9. Changes

We will post any changes on this page with a new "last updated" date. Material changes will be highlighted on the website.

Contact

Questions or requests: note@sick-notes.ca