WHO IS JOHN DOE OR COMPANY X IN CANADA?
Online Newspaper Databases
Factiva: The only newspaper database that includes the big three Canadian
dailies (Toronto Star; National Post; Globe and Mail)
Lexis: National Post, Toronto Star and affiliates, some Sun papers and some
Hollinger Papers.
Infomart
This database has the largest number of Canadian papers and includes such
biggies as The Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Toronto Sun, Calgary Herald
and more. Also includes some of the CTV and CBC transcripts.
Cedrom – Good French Canadian coverage, good Eastern Canada coverage
and a few other smaller newspapers from across Canada. Also includes Toronto
Star and affiliates and some community newspapers.
Addresses and telephone numbers:
http://canada411.sympatico.ca/
(does not include Alberta or Saskatchewan)
http://www.mytelus.com/search/simple.vm
Alberta
http://mysask.sympatico.ca/portal/index.jsp
Saskatchewan
http://in-142.infospace.com/info/reverse_ca.htm
InfoSpace Canada. Reverse look-up directory (can just type in a phone number).
Can see neighbours, however, InfoBase is a better source.
InfoUSA (Infobase): Canadian content. We have it loaded on reference desk.
Property Searches
Must check each province. For Ontario:
Joan Sweeney Marsh
Toronto Star Newspaper
Special Libraries Association 2004 Annual Conference
News Research Without Borders
Monday, June 7, 2004
Teranet: http://www.teranet.ca/ You can search title and register documents for
about 80% of Ontario. You can also do Writ searches. Must search by
Municipality. There is no way of searching the whole province in one search.
Lexis: Can search property and assessment records for Ontario from 1996-Dec.
7, 2000. Due to changes in Canadian Privacy legislation, more current
information is not available in Lexis.
Lien Searches
Must check each province. For Ontario use Oncorp: http://www.oncorp.com/
Bankruptcies
All filings in Canada from 1978 to date. Contact the Office of the Superintendent
of Bankruptcy at 613-941-2863. Media must set up an account. Free for
Canadian news sources.
Professional Licenses
www.searchsystems.net
Choose Canada and then province. Can search for a wide variety of professions.
The coverage varies by province but most search physicians (through the
College of Physicians and Surgeons). Can also search for architects,
veterinarians, insurance brokers.
Motor Vehicle/Driver Information (Ontario)
Not online. Must visit Ministry of Transportation offices at the southwest corner of
Bay and Wellesley Streets in Toronto. Must search other provinces for licenses
issued in those jurisdictions.
Birth, marriage, death, wills and divorce:
Must search each province. For Ontario:
For more recent Toronto divorces, you can search the Toronto database on the
10th floor of 393 University Ave. in Toronto.
Archives of Ontario: www.archives.gov.on.ca and go to vital statistics. With the
exception of some divorce hearings, the following information is not available
online and must be retrieved in person.
Joan Sweeney Marsh
Toronto Star Newspaper
Special Libraries Association 2004 Annual Conference
News Research Without Borders
Monday, June 7, 2004
Birth records: 1869-1904 (95 year privacy rule)
Marriage records: 1801-1919 (Note: There are many gaps in pre-1869 Marriage
Records) (80 year privacy rule)
Death records: 1869-1929 (70 year privacy rule)
**Documents are considered “closed” after these years due to privacy legislation.
You can get the information but only for legitimate reasons, i.e., you are a family
member and need the death certificate. Or you need a copy of your own birth
certificate.**
Wills: up to 1959 (after 1959 go to the courthouse in the County or District where
the will was probated or the estate administered)
Divorce decrees: 1867-1972 (after 1972, a copy of a Divorce Certificate can be
obtained from the court where the divorce was heard. Contact the Family Law
Office of the Superior Court of Justice with the Ministry of the Attorney General at
(416) 327-5542 for further information).
Criminal and Civil Cases
QuickLaw/Lexis
Includes provincial, federal & Supreme Court cases that have a written OR oral
decision. For the most part, lower court decisions are not included in
Quicklaw/Lexis. No equivalent to PACER in Canada.
Companies, Corporations
SEDAR: Depository site for the Canadian Securities Administrator. Public
company filings and company/mutual fund profiles.
Strategis Company Information:
http://strategis.ic.gc.ca/sc_coinf/engdoc/homepage.html
Guide to chartered companies in Canada. Federally incorporated. You get the
name, address, registration date, directors, and parent/subsidiary information.
Financial Post Directory of Directors: 17,000 Canadian directors and executives
of Canadian companies
Joan Sweeney Marsh
Toronto Star Newspaper
Special Libraries Association 2004 Annual Conference
News Research Without Borders
Monday, June 7, 2004
Profile Canada: contains marketing and business intelligence on Canada's
largest 35,000 companies with a focus on privately owned businesses
Equifax Commercial Law Records: Public information on commercial legal suits
and judgments from courts across Canada.
Cancorp Plus: Directory information, for public and some private companies
including the corporate legal name, address, fax and telephone numbers,
officers, directors, auditors, banks, attorneys, subsidiaries, place and year of
incorporation, and legal status. Filings information, including more than 300
possible financial components such as assets, liabilities, equity, revenue, cash
flow, and share performance.
ONCORP: http://www.oncorp.com/
Search for registered companies and partnerships in Ontario. Can also search
liens. For companies incorporated in other provinces must search provincial
equivalent.
INTERCORPORATE FAMILY MEMBERS
Lays out the corporate family. It shows investors, parents, and subsidiaries. If a
company has international links, this will also be shown in the record.
Directories
Directory of Directors: Provides information on directors and executives of
Canadian companies who reside in Canada.
Directories for Lawyers and Accountants: QuickLaw/Lexis
Directories for Lawyers: Lexis
Combs Canada Healthcare Directory: Lexis
Extensively covers various companies and agencies, which include both
Government and Private, involved in the field of Healthcare. This directory
provides details about the type of business, their services and products that they
have to offer to their prospective clients.
Combs Telecommunications Directories: Lexis
Extensively covers various companies and agencies, which includes both
Government and Private, involved in the field of Telecommunications. These
directories provide details, about the type of business, details about their services
and products that they have to offer to their prospective clients.
Joan Sweeney Marsh
Toronto Star Newspaper
Special Libraries Association 2004 Annual Conference
News Research Without Borders
Monday, June 7, 2004
Combs Computer Directory: Lexis
Contains trade directories for Canada, Russia.
Registered Charities
List of Canadian Registered Charities
There are about 78,000 charities registered with the Canada Customs and
Revenue Agency. The list of Canadian registered charities includes the charity
name, Business Number (BN)/Registration number, mailing address, and
designation type.
Joan Sweeney Marsh
Toronto Star Newspaper
Special Libraries Association 2004 Annual Conference
News Research Without Borders
Monday, June 7, 2004