Cookie Policy for Pesticon Pest Control
Last updated:
This page explains what Pesticon Pest Control Inc. (“Pesticon”, “we”, “us”) puts on your device when you visit pesticon.ca, why, and how you stay in charge of it. It sits alongside our Privacy Policy.
The short version
- Analytics and advertising cookies are off until you choose to turn them on. Choosing “Reject all” keeps them off.
- We run ads on Google and on Meta (Facebook and Instagram). The advertising cookies let those services tell us whether an ad led to a call or an enquiry.
- Your choice is remembered on your device for 12 months. You can change it at any time.
What cookies are
A cookie is a small text file that a website asks your browser to keep. It lets the site recognise your browser on a later page or visit. Some tools use similar things instead, such as “local storage” (a note kept inside your browser) or a small “pixel” or “tag” (a snippet of code that reports that a page was viewed). When this page says “cookies” it means all of these.
A “first-party” cookie is set by pesticon.ca. A “third-party” cookie is set by another company, such as Google or Meta, whose code runs on our pages.
Your choice, and how to change it
The first time you visit, a small box at the bottom of the page asks about cookies. It offers three buttons:
- Accept all turns on analytics and advertising.
- Reject all keeps both off. The site works the same either way.
- Settings lets you turn analytics and advertising on or off one at a time.
To change your mind later, use Cookie settings in the footer of any page (or the button above). Turning a group off also removes that group’s cookies that are already on your device, where our site is able to reach them. If you would rather not be asked again on this device, choose either option once: the answer is kept for 12 months, then we ask again.
You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings, or use a tracking-protection or privacy browser. The site will still load; some embedded content may not.
The cookies and tags we use, by purpose
Necessary (always on)
These are notes kept in your browser so the site can do what you asked of it. They do not track you across other websites.
| Name | Set by | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| pesticon_consent_v1 | pesticon.ca (local storage) | Remembers your cookie choice so we do not ask on every page. | 12 months |
| pv_attr_v1 | pesticon.ca (session storage) | If you arrived from an ad or a tagged link, keeps the details of that click (such as the campaign name) and the page you first landed on, so that an enquiry form you send reaches us labelled with how you found us. It stays on your device and is sent to us only with a form you submit. | Until you close the tab or browser |
| pesticon-review-stats-v1 | pesticon.ca (session storage) | Keeps the current Google review count and star rating shown on our pages, so the page does not ask for it again on every visit to a new page. | Up to 6 hours, and until you close the tab or browser |
Our enquiry and booking forms send what you type to us. They do not set cookies of their own, and we do not send what you type in them (your name, email address or phone number) to Google Analytics or Google Ads.
Analytics (off until you accept)
We use Google Analytics 4 to count visits, see which pages people read and which buttons they use (for example, tapping our phone number), and learn where visitors come from. Its code is loaded from Google (googletagmanager.com) shortly after the page opens or when you first scroll, tap or type.
| Name | Set by | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| _ga | pesticon.ca (Google Analytics) | Gives your browser a random ID so repeat visits can be counted as one visitor. | Up to 2 years (browsers may shorten this) |
| _ga_25HMY1VKDF | pesticon.ca (Google Analytics) | Keeps the state of your current session for our Google Analytics property. | Up to 2 years (browsers may shorten this) |
Advertising (off until you accept)
We pay to advertise on Google (Search and other Google services) and on Meta (Facebook and Instagram). These tags let the ad services measure whether our ads work. They can also show our ads again to people who have visited the site.
| Name | Set by | What it does | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
| _gcl_au | pesticon.ca (Google Ads) | Lets Google Ads link a later enquiry or call back to the ad that was clicked. | Up to 90 days |
| _gcl_aw | pesticon.ca (Google Ads) | Stores the identifier of an ad click when you arrive from a Google ad, so a conversion can be credited to it. | Up to 90 days |
| IDE, test_cookie | doubleclick.net, google.com (Google) | Google may set these when the Google Ads tag runs. They help Google measure ads and show relevant ones. They belong to Google, not to us. | From 15 minutes up to about 13 months |
| _fbp | pesticon.ca (Meta Pixel) | Lets Meta recognise your browser across visits so it can measure and optimise our Facebook and Instagram ads. | Up to 90 days |
| _fbc | pesticon.ca (Meta Pixel) | Stores the identifier of a Facebook or Instagram ad click when you arrive from one. | Up to 90 days |
| fr | facebook.com (Meta) | Meta may set this when the Meta Pixel sends information to Meta, to deliver and measure ads. It belongs to Meta, not to us. | Up to 90 days |
We do not use a tracking phone number: the number on our pages, (604) 229-1097, is the same for everyone, and Google Ads does not swap it for another.
While analytics and advertising are off
Our pages still load Google’s measurement code, but it is told not to use cookies. It may still send Google a basic message that a page was viewed (the page address and your browser type, for example), which Google uses to estimate overall visits and results. That message does not use a cookie and does not carry an ad-click identifier. The Meta Pixel code still loads, but it is told not to send anything about your visit until you accept advertising.
Content from other websites
Some pages show content that comes straight from another company. When it loads, that company receives your IP address and may set its own cookies, under its own policy. The cookie box on our site does not control these cookies.
| Content | Where | Cookies we have seen | Provider |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Maps | Home page, contact page and some service and city pages, as you scroll to the map | Google may set cookies when a map loads | |
| YouTube video | One service page. The player loads only after you press play | Google may set cookies once the video player loads (we use YouTube’s privacy-enhanced player) | Google / YouTube |
| Interactive service-area map | Home page and city pages. It loads only if you choose “Explore the map” | None. The map tiles come from OpenFreeMap (OpenStreetMap data), which sees your IP address when they load. The still picture you see first is on our own server | OpenFreeMap |
| Fonts | Every page | None. Google receives your IP address and browser details when the font files load | Google Fonts |
To avoid them, do not play the video, scroll past the map or open it, or block third-party cookies in your browser. Our two Google and Meta groups above are separate, and they stay off until you turn them on.
Why we use them, including for our ads
We pay for ads on Google and Meta. To spend that budget sensibly we need to know whether the people who click an ad go on to call us or send an enquiry. The advertising cookies make that possible: they are how Google and Meta report ad results back to us, and how they can show our ads to people who have already looked at our site.
Analytics cookies are for something simpler: finding out which pages are useful, which are confusing, and what to fix.
Google and Meta are companies based outside Canada. Information collected through their tags can be handled outside Canada, under their own terms. Their policies describe how: Google, Meta.
Other ways to limit advertising cookies
- Google Ad Settings lets you turn off personalised ads from Google.
- Meta ad preferences lets you control the ads you see on Facebook and Instagram.
- AdChoices (Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada) lets you opt out of interest-based advertising from taking part companies.
Canadian privacy law (BC PIPA and PIPEDA)
Pesticon is a private business in British Columbia. The Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) of British Columbia applies to how we collect, use and share personal information in the course of our business, and the federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) applies as well when information crosses a provincial or national border. Both ask for your consent to information that is not necessary to give you the service. That is why analytics and advertising cookies stay off until you turn them on, why you can refuse without losing anything on the site, and why you can withdraw your consent at any time.
You may ask us what personal information we hold about you, ask us to correct it, or ask us to stop using it, by contacting us below. If you are not satisfied with our answer, you can contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia or the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada.
Changes to this policy
If we add or remove a tag, or the cookies a tag uses change, we will update this page and the date at the top. If a change needs a new consent from you, the cookie box will appear again.
Contact us
Questions about cookies or privacy? Write to [email protected] or call (604) 229-1097. Our Vancouver office is at 1450 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 1H4.