How this site earns money
whichregistry.ca is free to use. It is an independent guide, not a government service, and no registry pays us. To cover its costs, the site may earn money in two ways: referral fees and, later, display ads.
Referral fees
Some private businesses, such as incorporation services, business insurers and accounting software companies, pay a referral fee when someone signs up through a link on this site. We call these links Alternatives. Every Alternative:
- comes after the official routes, never before them or mixed in with them;
- has a short note right next to the link saying that the business pays us a referral fee;
- is marked as a sponsored link for search engines;
- appears only where it fits the task and province, and only once we have joined the business's program and checked its terms.
A referral fee never changes what a page says about a registry, its fees or its steps. Those facts come from the official sources, each linked next to the fact.
Official routes come first
Official routes are always listed first. An official route is a way to do the task through the registry itself, its portal, or a licensed registry agent that does not pay us (in Alberta, registry agents are the official way to search and file). If any business pays us for referrals, including a registry agent, it is listed as an Alternative instead, with its note. You never need an Alternative: you can always use the official route yourself.
Display ads
The site may show display ads in the future. Ads will be clearly separate from the content and will not change the order of routes on any page.
Why we tell you this
Canada's Competition Act prohibits misleading representations, which includes hiding a paid relationship behind what looks like a neutral recommendation. We disclose every paid link so that you can judge it for yourself.