Who We Are
The O'Brien Team consists of licensed Realtors® operating under Sutton Group Quantum Realty Inc., a registered brokerage in Ontario, Canada. References in this policy to "we," "us," or "our" refer to Matthew O'Brien and The O'Brien Team at Sutton Group Quantum Realty Inc.
We are committed to protecting your personal information and complying with the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL), the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA), and applicable Ontario privacy regulations.
Information We Collect
We collect personal information only to the extent necessary to provide real estate services and operate our website.
Information you provide directly
- Name, email address, and phone number submitted via our contact or home evaluation forms
- Property address and details you share when requesting a home evaluation or listing consultation
- Correspondence — emails, texts, and written communications related to a transaction
- Financial information required by law for transactions (see FINTRAC section below)
Information collected automatically
- Website usage data collected by Google Analytics 4 (page views, session duration, traffic source)
- Device type, browser, and approximate location (city-level) from standard web logs
- Cookies — see the Cookies section for details
Information from third parties
- Publicly available property data from the Toronto Regional Real Estate Board (TRREB) and related MLS® systems
- Referral details when a colleague or past client refers you to us
How We Use Your Information
We use personal information for the following purposes:
- Providing real estate services — responding to inquiries, preparing market analyses, arranging showings, negotiating transactions, and completing purchases or sales
- Legal and regulatory compliance — fulfilling obligations under FINTRAC, RECO, and TRREB rules
- Communication — sending market updates, listing alerts, and newsletters you have consented to receive under CASL
- Website improvement — analyzing traffic patterns to improve content and user experience
- Record-keeping — maintaining transaction records as required by the Real Estate and Business Brokers Act (REBBA) and brokerage policies
We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes.
Sharing & Disclosure
We share personal information only as necessary to complete transactions or meet legal obligations:
- Your lawyer and mortgage broker — as required to complete a purchase or sale
- Sutton Group Quantum Realty Inc. — our brokerage, which maintains transaction records on our behalf
- TRREB and MLS® — listing data submitted to the MLS® system is accessible to all registered Realtors®
- FINTRAC — we are required to report certain transactions to the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada (see below)
- Service providers — trusted vendors who assist with email delivery, website hosting, and analytics, bound by confidentiality agreements
- Legal requirements — we may disclose information if required by law, court order, or to protect our rights
All third-party service providers who handle personal information on our behalf are required to maintain appropriate safeguards.
FINTRAC Requirements
As licensed Realtors® in Ontario, we are subject to Canada's anti-money laundering legislation under the Proceeds of Crime (Money Laundering) and Terrorist Financing Act (PCMLTFA). We are required by law to:
- Verify the identity of all parties to a real estate transaction (buyers, sellers, and related corporations)
- Collect and retain records of government-issued photo identification
- Report large cash transactions of $10,000 or more to FINTRAC
- Report any transaction we have reasonable grounds to suspect is related to money laundering or terrorist financing
- Submit suspicious transaction reports as required, regardless of dollar amount
Identity verification records are retained for a minimum of five years as required by law. This collection is mandatory — we cannot complete a transaction without it.
Email Communications & CASL
We comply with the Canadian Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL). We will only send you commercial electronic messages — such as market updates, listing newsletters, or promotional content — if you have given us express or implied consent.
- Express consent is obtained when you check a subscription box on our website or request to receive our newsletter
- Implied consent arises from an existing business relationship, such as when you are a current or past client within two years of a transaction
Every marketing email we send includes a clear and functioning unsubscribe link. You can opt out at any time by clicking unsubscribe or by contacting us directly at matthew@obrealtyteam.com. We will process all unsubscribe requests within 10 business days.
Transactional communications — such as replies to your inquiries, showing confirmations, and offer-related correspondence — are not commercial messages and do not require consent under CASL.
Cookies & Analytics
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to function properly and to understand how visitors use the site.
Google Analytics 4
We use Google Analytics 4 to collect anonymized data on page views, session duration, traffic sources, and device types. This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally. Google Analytics uses cookies to distinguish users and sessions. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Essential cookies
Certain cookies are strictly necessary for the website to function — for example, to remember form inputs during a session. These cannot be disabled.
Your choices
You can manage or delete cookies through your browser settings at any time. Disabling cookies may affect certain website functionality.
Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary for the purposes it was collected, or as required by law:
- Transaction records — minimum 6 years as required by REBBA and brokerage policy; FINTRAC-related records are retained for a minimum of 5 years
- Inquiry and contact information — retained for up to 3 years from last contact, unless you are an active client
- Marketing consent records — retained for 3 years from the date of consent or the end of the business relationship, whichever is later
- Website analytics — aggregated data retained per Google Analytics default retention settings (14 months)
When personal information is no longer required, it is securely destroyed or anonymized.
Your Rights
Under PIPEDA, you have the right to:
- Access — request a copy of the personal information we hold about you
- Correction — ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete personal information
- Withdraw consent — withdraw consent to our use of your information for marketing purposes at any time (subject to legal and contractual restrictions)
- Complain — file a complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada if you believe we have not handled your personal information appropriately
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details in the Contact Us section below. We will respond to all access and correction requests within 30 days.
Security
We take reasonable physical, administrative, and technical measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or destruction. These include:
- Secure, encrypted email for transmitting sensitive documents
- Password-protected systems and limited staff access on a need-to-know basis
- HTTPS encryption on this website
- Regular review of our data handling practices
No method of data transmission or storage is completely secure. If you have reason to believe your information has been compromised, please contact us immediately.
Third-Party Links
Our website may contain links to third-party websites — including MLS® portals, mortgage calculators, and community resources. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of those sites and encourage you to review their privacy policies before submitting any personal information.
Contact Us
Questions, access requests, correction requests, or complaints about this policy or our privacy practices should be directed to:
- Matthew O'Brien, Privacy Officer
- The O'Brien Team, Sutton Group Quantum Realty Inc.
- Email: matthew@obrealtyteam.com
- Phone: 905-844-5000
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada:
- Website: www.priv.gc.ca
- Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date at the top of this page. Continued use of our website or services after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.