Privacy Policy

KitsWest Capital Inc. Effective Date: May 6, 2026 Last Updated: May 6, 2026

1. About this Policy

KitsWest Capital Inc. ("KitsWest," "we," "us," or "our") respects your privacy and is committed to protecting the personal information we collect, use, and disclose in the course of providing our advisory services to clients across Canada and the United States.

KitsWest is an independent advisory firm. We provide mergers and acquisitions advisory, debt and capital advisory, and business valuation services. KitsWest is not a mortgage brokerage and does not provide mortgage services. Mortgage services referenced on our website are provided separately by Mike Busch in his capacity as a Licensed Mortgage Broker with 8Twelve Mortgage Corp. See Section 8 for further detail.

This Privacy Policy explains how we handle personal information in accordance with Canada's Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA), British Columbia's Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA), and other applicable privacy laws.

By using our website at kitswest.com (the "Site"), submitting an inquiry, using our online tools (such as the Business Valuation Calculator), or engaging us for services, you agree to the practices described in this Policy.

‍ ‍2. Our Services

This Policy applies to personal information collected in connection with the advisory services offered by KitsWest, which are:

2.1 Mergers & Acquisitions Advisory

Sell-side and buy-side M&A advisory for owner-managed and privately held businesses, including business sales, strategic acquisitions, ownership transitions, recapitalizations, management and partner buyouts, partial liquidity transactions, unsolicited offer evaluation, and broader strategic alternatives.

2.2 Debt & Capital Advisory

Business financing advisory and placement, including business term loans, working capital lines, equipment finance, capital leases, acquisition financing, mezzanine and private debt, and refinancing arrangements.

2.3 Business Valuations

Independent business valuation work led by Chartered Business Valuators (CBVs), including Calculation, Estimate, and Comprehensive valuation reports prepared for transaction, succession, shareholder, financing, reorganization, tax, compliance, and strategic-planning purposes.

2.4 Online Tools and Content

We also operate online tools (such as the Business Valuation Calculator) and publish content (such as Insights articles) through our Site, which may collect limited information from users.

Mortgage services referenced on our Site are not provided by KitsWest. They are arranged separately by Mike Busch in his capacity as a Licensed Mortgage Broker with 8Twelve Mortgage Corp. (See Section 8.)

3. Information We Collect

3.1 Information you provide directly

When you contact us, complete a form, use our online tools, or engage our services, we may collect:

Identification information such as your name, title, and role within your business
Contact information including email address, phone number, and mailing address
Business information such as company name, industry, ownership structure, transaction history, and the nature of your inquiry
Financial information relevant to a financing, M&A, or valuation engagement, including financial statements, tax returns, bank statements, forecasts, customer and contract information, debt schedules, and information about assets and liabilities
For business financing engagements where personal guarantees or covenants are typical, personal financial information from business owners, principals, or guarantors, such as income, assets, liabilities, credit history, and identification details required for lender, regulatory, or know-your-client purposes
Information about other individuals connected to your business or transaction (such as co-owners, shareholders, guarantors, family members involved in succession, or counterparties in an M&A process) where you have authority to share it
Information submitted to our online tools, including inputs to the Business Valuation Calculator
Communications you send us, including emails, voicemails, and meeting notes

3.2 Information we collect automatically

When you visit our Site, we automatically collect certain technical information through cookies and similar technologies:

IP address, approximate location, and device identifiers
Browser type, operating system, and language settings
Pages visited, time spent, referring URLs, and click activity
Information collected by analytics and advertising platforms (see Section 9)

3.3 Information from third parties

In the course of an engagement, we may receive information about you from:

Lenders, banks, credit unions, and alternative or private lenders evaluating financing applications submitted on your behalf
Credit reporting agencies, where you have consented to a credit check
Public registries (for example, corporate registries, land title records, court records, securities filings)
Counterparties in an M&A process, including buyers, sellers, sponsors, and their advisors
Referral sources such as accountants, lawyers, business owners, or existing clients

4. How We Collect Information

We collect personal information directly from you whenever practical, through:

Forms, calculators, and inquiries submitted through our Site
Email, telephone, video, and in-person communications
Documents you provide as part of an engagement (financial statements, transaction documents, identification, and supporting materials)
Engagement letters, authorizations, and consent forms
Cookies and tracking technologies on our Site (see Section 9)
Third parties who have your authorization to share information with us

5. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information for the following purposes:

To respond to inquiries and assess whether we can assist with your M&A, financing, or valuation needs
To provide our advisory services, including preparing financing packages, conducting valuations, advising on transactions, and supporting closings
To prepare and deliver valuation reports (Calculation, Estimate, or Comprehensive) suitable for the intended use and intended users
To run M&A processes, including buyer or seller identification, controlled outreach, information sharing under non-disclosure agreements, data room management, offer evaluation, and negotiation
To communicate with lenders, accountants, lawyers, regulators, and other parties involved in your engagement
Where you have inquired about mortgage services through our Site, to forward your inquiry to Mike Busch acting in his capacity as a Licensed Mortgage Broker with 8Twelve Mortgage Corp. so he may follow up with you (see Section 8)
To prepare engagement letters, fee disclosures, conflict-of-interest disclosures, invoices, and other administrative documents
To comply with legal, regulatory, and professional obligations applicable to KitsWest, including those associated with the CPA and CBV designations of our professionals
To meet anti-money laundering, know-your-client, sanctions screening, and similar legal obligations
To detect, prevent, and address fraud, security issues, and unauthorized activity
To improve our Site, online tools, services, and client experience
To send occasional updates, Insights articles, or service communications where you have consented to receive them

We will not use your personal information for purposes materially different from those listed above without obtaining additional consent.

6. Consent

By providing personal information to KitsWest, you consent to its collection, use, and disclosure as described in this Policy. Consent may be express (for example, signing an engagement letter or authorization form) or implied (for example, submitting a contact form to ask about our services or using the Business Valuation Calculator).

For sensitive financial information, including credit checks and lender submissions, we will obtain your express written consent before collection or disclosure.

You may withdraw your consent at any time, subject to legal, regulatory, or contractual restrictions and reasonable notice. Withdrawing consent may limit our ability to provide services to you, and certain information may need to be retained to satisfy professional or legal obligations. To withdraw consent, contact our Privacy Officer (see Section 15).

7. When We Disclose Information

We may disclose personal information to the following categories of recipients, only as necessary to deliver our services or comply with the law:

Lenders and financial institutions (including chartered banks, credit unions, alternative lenders, and private capital sources) when arranging or placing financing on your behalf, with your authorization
Mike Busch and 8Twelve Mortgage Corp., where you have inquired about or expressed interest in mortgage services through our Site, so that Mike Busch (acting separately from KitsWest in his role as a Licensed Mortgage Broker) may follow up with you. Once that relationship begins, mortgage-related personal information is handled under the privacy practices of 8Twelve Mortgage Corp.
M&A counterparties and their advisors, including potential buyers, sellers, sponsors, and their professional advisors, under non-disclosure agreements and through controlled processes
Professional advisors involved in your transaction, such as your lawyer, accountant, tax advisor, or other consultants
Service providers that support our operations, including website hosting (Squarespace), cloud storage, document signing, email and communications platforms, customer relationship tools, analytics, and accounting, under written confidentiality and data-protection obligations
Regulators and professional bodies where required, including those overseeing CPA and CBV professional practice
Law enforcement, courts, or government authorities where compelled by law, subpoena, court order, or in response to anti-money laundering, sanctions, or similar legal obligations
Successors in the event of a sale, merger, or reorganization of our business, subject to confidentiality obligations

We do not sell personal information.

For M&A engagements, we manage confidentiality through staged information sharing, non-disclosure agreements, and controlled data rooms designed to limit exposure to authorized parties.

8. Mortgage Services Referenced on Our Site

KitsWest Capital Inc. is not a mortgage broker and does not provide mortgage services. Mortgage services referenced or described on kitswest.com are provided separately by Mike Busch in his individual capacity as a Licensed Mortgage Broker with 8Twelve Mortgage Corp., a brokerage regulated by the BC Financial Services Authority (BCFSA).

This means:

KitsWest does not collect or hold mortgage application information, lender submission packages, or other personal information that you provide to Mike Busch as part of a mortgage engagement
If you submit an inquiry through our Site that relates to mortgage services, your contact information and a description of your inquiry may be forwarded to Mike Busch so that he can follow up with you in his role as a Licensed Mortgage Broker with 8Twelve Mortgage Corp.
Once you engage Mike Busch for mortgage services, any personal information you provide for that engagement is collected, used, stored, and disclosed by 8Twelve Mortgage Corp. under its own privacy practices and the regulatory obligations applicable to BCFSA-licensed mortgage brokerages, not under this Policy
Conflict of interest disclosures and fee disclosures required under BC mortgage regulations are provided in writing at the outset of every mortgage engagement, separately from any KitsWest engagement letter

For information about how 8Twelve Mortgage Corp. handles personal information, please refer to the privacy policy of 8Twelve Mortgage Corp. directly.

9. Cookies, Analytics, and Online Advertising

Our Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to operate effectively, measure performance, and support advertising. Cookies are small text files placed on your device that allow websites to recognize your browser. Our Site is hosted on Squarespace, which sets certain cookies necessary for Site functionality.

9.1 Categories of cookies we use

Strictly necessary cookies required for the Site and online tools to function
Analytics cookies that help us understand how visitors use the Site
Advertising cookies that help us measure and improve our marketing campaigns

9.2 Third-party services

We use the following third-party services that may collect information about your visit:

Squarespace (our website hosting and content management platform). See the Squarespace Privacy Policy at squarespace.com/privacy.
Google Analytics (operated by Google LLC) for website usage analytics. See the Google Privacy Policy at policies.google.com/privacy and opt out via the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout.
Google Ads for measuring advertising performance and serving ads on Google's network. You can manage ad personalization at adssettings.google.com.

9.3 Managing cookies

Most browsers allow you to refuse or delete cookies. Note that disabling cookies may affect Site functionality, including the operation of our online tools. You can also opt out of interest-based advertising through the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada at youradchoices.ca/choices.

10. How We Protect Information

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, theft, unauthorized access, disclosure, copying, use, or modification. These include:

Encrypted data transmission and storage where appropriate
Access controls limiting personal information to authorized personnel
Confidentiality obligations for employees, contractors, and service providers
Controlled data rooms and staged information sharing for M&A and transaction work
Secure document destruction procedures
Periodic review of our security practices

No method of transmission or storage is completely secure. While we work to protect your information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

11. Data Retention

We retain personal information only for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected, to provide our services, and to comply with legal, regulatory, accounting, and professional obligations. Retention periods are based on:

The nature and sensitivity of the information
Tax and corporate record-keeping requirements (typically a minimum of seven years)
Professional standards applicable to CPA and CBV practice
Anti-money laundering and similar regulatory record-keeping requirements
Limitation periods for potential legal claims

When personal information is no longer required, we securely destroy, erase, or anonymize it.

12. International Transfers and Service Providers

We advise clients across Canada and the United States. As a result, your personal information may be transferred to, processed in, or accessed from jurisdictions outside the province or country where you reside, including the United States. This may occur when we work with US-based clients, counterparties, lenders, or service providers, or when our cloud-based service providers (including Squarespace and other technology platforms) store or process information outside of Canada.

When information is processed in another jurisdiction, it may be subject to the laws of that jurisdiction, including lawful access by foreign government authorities. We require service providers and counterparties to maintain privacy and security standards appropriate to the sensitivity of the information.

If you have questions about cross-border processing or wish to understand the safeguards we use, please contact our Privacy Officer.

13. Your Rights

Subject to applicable law, you have the right to:

Access the personal information we hold about you
Correct inaccurate or incomplete information
Withdraw consent to our collection, use, or disclosure of your information, subject to legal and contractual limits
Request information about how your personal information has been used and disclosed
File a complaint with us or with a privacy regulator

To exercise any of these rights, contact our Privacy Officer (see Section 15). We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within 30 days, or notify you if more time is needed.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:

Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia PO Box 9038, Stn. Prov. Govt., Victoria, BC V8W 9A4 Phone: 250-387-5629 Toll-free: 1-800-663-7867 Website: oipc.bc.ca

Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada 30 Victoria Street, Gatineau, Quebec K1A 1H3 Toll-free: 1-800-282-1376 Website: priv.gc.ca

14. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be communicated through our Site or by direct notice where appropriate. Your continued use of the Site or our services after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Policy.

15. Contact Us

If you have questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or your personal information, please contact our Privacy Officer:

Privacy Officer KitsWest Capital Inc. 595 Howe Street, Suite 306 Vancouver, BC V6C 2T5 Phone: (604) 762-6225 Email: admin@kitswest.com

For questions about how 8Twelve Mortgage Corp. handles personal information collected through Mike Busch's mortgage services, please contact 8Twelve Mortgage Corp. directly.