What are cookies
Cookies are small text files that a website places on your device when you visit. They are widely used to make websites work, to remember your choices, and to provide information to the site’s operators. Similar technologies — such as local storage, pixels, and software development kits — perform comparable functions, and we refer to all of them as “cookies” in this policy.
Cookies may be first-party (set by SGACL) or third-party (set by another organization whose services we use). They may last only for your current session (session cookies) or remain until they expire or you delete them (persistent cookies).
How we use cookies
We use cookies to operate and secure the Website, to remember your preferences, and — only where you have given consent — to understand how the Website is used and to support our marketing. We do not load analytics or marketing cookies until you have accepted them through our consent banner.
Cookie categories
- Strictly necessary — required for the Website to function, including security, load balancing, consent storage, and Ontario geolocation at the point of purchase. These cannot be switched off.
- Functional — remember choices such as language and layout to improve your experience.
- Analytics — help us measure and improve how the Website performs. Loaded only with your consent.
- Marketing — measure advertising campaigns and help show relevant messages. Loaded only with your consent.
Cookies we use
The table below lists the cookies that may be set on the Website. Exact cookies and lifetimes can vary as we update the site; we review this list regularly.
| Cookie name | Provider | Category | Purpose | Lifetime | Party |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| sgacl_consent | SGACL | Strictly necessary | Stores your cookie consent choices so we can honour them. | 12 months | First-party |
| sgacl_vid | SGACL | Strictly necessary | Pseudonymous visitor identifier used in the consent log to prove valid consent. | 24 months | First-party |
| sgacl_session | SGACL | Strictly necessary | Maintains your session state, such as a signed-in account. | Session | First-party |
| __cf_bm | Cloudflare | Strictly necessary | Bot-management and security cookie that helps protect the site from abuse. | 30 minutes | Third-party |
| _ga | Google Analytics | Analytics | Distinguishes users to measure how the site is used. | 24 months | Third-party |
| _ga_<container-id> | Google Analytics | Analytics | Persists session state for Google Analytics 4 properties. | 24 months | Third-party |
| _gcl_au | Google Ads | Marketing | Stores and tracks conversions from ad clicks (Google Ads conversion linker). | 90 days | Third-party |
| _GRECAPTCHA | Google reCAPTCHA | Strictly necessary | Helps protect our contact form from spam and abuse. | 6 months | Third-party |
Consent management
We use a consent management platform (CMP) to give you control over non-essential cookies. When you first visit, a banner appears with three equally weighted options: Accept all, Reject all, and Manage preferences. No analytics or marketing scripts run until you have made a choice — this is known as prior blocking.
Your choice is stored in a first-party cookie for 12 months, and we keep a consent log (timestamp, policy version, and the categories you selected) for at least 24 months so we can demonstrate that valid consent was obtained. You can change your choice at any time using the “Cookie settings” link in the footer, or the button below.
Google Consent Mode v2
Where Google services are used, we implement Google Consent Mode v2. Until you consent, the following signals are set to denied, and Google’s tags adjust their behaviour accordingly. When you accept the relevant category, the matching signals are updated to granted:
- ad_storage — storage related to advertising (set by the Marketing category);
- analytics_storage — storage related to analytics (set by the Analytics category);
- ad_user_data — sending user data to Google for advertising (Marketing category); and
- ad_personalization — using data for personalized advertising (Marketing category).
Managing cookies in your browser
In addition to our consent tools, you can control cookies through your browser settings — for example, to block or delete cookies. Most browsers explain how in their help pages:
Please note that blocking strictly necessary cookies may prevent parts of the Website from working correctly.
Opt-out links
You can also opt out of certain analytics and advertising services directly:
- Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on
- Google Ads Settings
- Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada — youradchoices.ca
Changes
We may update this Cookie Policy to reflect changes in the cookies we use or in applicable law. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page. Please check back periodically.
Contact
If you have questions about our use of cookies, please contact us using the details below.