Unlike the United States, the court structure in Canada is less complex and consistent from province to province. The provincial system throughout each province is made up of two courts - a lower and upper court. There are additional appeals courts in each province, but most matters heard in these courts will have had formal filings in one of the two courts of first instance. Please note that while the court structure is standardized throughout Canada, where certain filings are made is determined by each province. Small Claims and Family matters can vary from lower court to upper court, depending on which province you are searching.

Canada takes an open view of their public records - especially adverse and informational filings. It has been compared to the United States throughout this site, to give customers a chance to relate what they may know of public record laws in the United States. Please note that similiar to the United States, local provincial law or court orders may limit access to files. In some provinces and specific court locations, access to case information may be limited to case number searches. In these cases, access to case information could not be attained through a general name search. CourtWise makes every effort to stay informed of these limitations throughout the country, and note them in our due diligence reports.

Personal Property Securities Act (PPSA) and Bank Act searches are separate searches of movable property. Whereas the land registry search acts as the traditional property search in Canada, PPSA and Bank Act searches inform researchers about liens on personal property. The most common instances of records are vehicles, office equipment, and other personal loans obtained by a debtor. Please note that the presence of a filing at the PPSA or Bank Act offices does not indicate an adverse filing. The file information will often include a maturity date of the loan. Additionally, the PPSA and Bank Act searches only contain information on ongoing matters. A record that has been satisfied is removed from the system.

Note: PPSA matters are often compared to Uniform Commercial Code filings in the United States.

There is no single database for court records filed in the provinces of Canada, and investigation and consumer report services are still limited in the information they can provide. The provinces of Canada are allowed to determine their own public record access rules, including how and where those records are made available. At CourtWise, we do have the ability to search each court in each province, and can assist if there is a need for a countrywide subject search, but please note that this option can be costly. Please contact us should you have a need for this type of search and we would be happy to discuss further.

Note: The RCMP search discussed below is a way to obtain criminal records, but is not without its challenges.

The Royal Canadaian Mounted Police Search is a record search of police and criminal filings involving individuals. However, please note that this search requires the subject’s participation. The subject will be required to be fingerprinted at a local police station or an accredited fingerprinting company before the searches can be requested. In almost all cases where this search is needed, it is recommended that the customer or subject perform the search themselves, as CourtWise’s participation would be indirect. If you have additional questions, please contact us and we would be happy to provide additional information.