This Cookie Policy explains how Ontario Veggies uses cookies and similar tracking technologies on https://ontarioveggies.com. It should be read together with our Privacy Policy.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website. They allow a site to remember information about your visit (such as your preferences or session state) across page loads. Similar technologies include web beacons, pixel tags, and local-storage objects.
2. Our Approach: Cookieless-First Analytics
We have configured our analytics tool, Matomo, to operate in cookieless mode. In this mode:
- Matomo does not set a persistent cookie on your device.
- It uses a server-side anonymisation technique (hashing of IP address + user-agent + date) to estimate unique visits without identifying you across sessions.
- The result is anonymised, aggregate data only — page views, approximate region, browser type, referral source. No personal identifier is created or stored on your device.
Because of this configuration, our site does not require a consent banner solely for analytics under most Canadian privacy frameworks, as no personal identifier is stored on the device.
3. Cookie Categories We Use
3.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are required for the basic operation of the website and cannot be disabled. They do not track you for marketing purposes.
| Cookie name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| None set | — | — | — |
Verified June 1, 2026: a live browser audit found no strictly necessary cookies set by the Astro / Cloudflare Pages site.
3.2 Analytics Cookies
| Cookie name | Set by | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| None — Matomo runs cookieless (confirmed June 1, 2026) | Matomo (self-hosted) | Anonymised aggregate analytics | N/A (cookieless) |
If a future configuration change enables Matomo’s standard cookie-based tracking (e.g., _pk_id, _pk_ses), a consent banner will be displayed and this table will be updated accordingly before that change is deployed.
3.3 Functional / Preference Cookies
We provide an optional live chat widget, powered by our self-hosted Chatwoot instance (chat.ontarioveggies.com). The widget script loads on our pages, but it only stores information after you open the chat and send a message. At that point it sets first-party cookies and local-storage entries (for example a conversation identifier and a session token) so we can keep your conversation and reply to you. These are strictly functional, are not shared with advertising networks, and are not used to track you across other websites. If you never open the chat, no chat cookies or storage are set.
3.4 Marketing / Third-Party Cookies
We do not currently use advertising networks, Meta Pixel, Google Ads, or other marketing trackers on https://ontarioveggies.com.
When visitors interact with our Facebook Page, Instagram Page, or WhatsApp Business account, Meta may set its own cookies in accordance with Meta’s Cookies Policy, which is separate from this policy and outside our control.
4. Full Cookie Inventory
The table below is the authoritative list of all cookies and trackers active on this site. This list must be verified and updated whenever site technology changes.
| Name | Domain | Category | Purpose | Duration | Third party? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No cookies are currently set on this site (verified June 1, 2026). | — | — | — | — | — |
Verified June 1, 2026 via a live browser audit: the site sets no cookies, no localStorage, and no sessionStorage.
5. Consent Model
PIPEDA (federal, Canada)
Under PIPEDA, implied consent is generally sufficient for strictly necessary cookies. For analytics cookies that collect personal information, meaningful consent should be obtained. Because Matomo is currently configured cookieless and collects no personal identifier, we rely on implied consent (based on continued use of the site after notice) for the anonymised analytics described in Section 2.
If this configuration changes, or if any new analytics or functional cookie collects personal information, we will implement an explicit consent banner before those cookies are set.
CASL
CASL regulates commercial electronic messages (see our CASL Anti-Spam Policy), not browser cookies. CASL does not impose a specific consent requirement for website cookies. This section is included for completeness only.
Quebec Law 25 (Loi 25)
Quebec’s Act to modernize legislative provisions as regards the protection of personal information (Law 25) requires that any cookie or tracker not strictly necessary be disclosed clearly and that users have a means to refuse such technologies before they are activated. Because our current analytics configuration is cookieless, this requirement is satisfied. Should we introduce non-essential cookies in the future, a prior-consent banner will be displayed to all visitors (not only Quebec residents) as a conservative compliance posture.
6. How to Control Cookies
You can control cookies at the browser level:
- Chrome: Settings → Privacy and security → Cookies and other site data
- Firefox: Settings → Privacy & Security → Cookies and Site Data
- Safari: Preferences → Privacy → Manage Website Data
- Edge: Settings → Cookies and site permissions
Blocking all cookies may prevent certain site features from working correctly (e.g., any session management). Because our analytics are cookieless, blocking cookies does not affect our analytics.
Matomo opt-out
You may opt out of Matomo analytics entirely — even in cookieless mode — by using your browser’s Do Not Track setting; because Matomo is cookieless and stores no identifier, no additional opt-out cookie is required.
7. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy as our technology or applicable law changes. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated via the same mechanisms described in our Privacy Policy.
8. Contact
Questions about this Cookie Policy:
Ontario Veggies
Email: privacy@ontarioveggies.com
6 Footbridge Cres, Brampton, ON L6R 0K5