Terms and Conditions

Welcome to Ontario Directory. These Terms and Conditions, together with any policies referenced in them, govern your access to and use of our website, platform, directory, business listing services, review tools, account features, communications, and related services.

By accessing or using Ontario Directory, creating an account, submitting a business listing, claiming a listing, posting a review, contacting a business through the platform, subscribing to communications, or otherwise using our services, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

If you do not agree with these Terms, you must not use Ontario Directory.

1. Definitions

In these Terms:

• "Ontario Directory," "we," "us," or "our" means Ontario Directory and its owners, operators, affiliates, contractors, service providers, and representatives.
• "Platform" means the Ontario Directory website, directory, business listing pages, search tools, review features, account features, forms, communications, and any related services.
• "User," "you," or "your" means any person or entity that accesses or uses the Platform.
• "Business User" means a business, organization, representative, owner, employee, agent, or authorized person who submits, claims, edits, manages, or pays for a business listing.
• "Listing" means a business profile, directory entry, business page, or related content displayed on the Platform.
• "User Content" means any content submitted, uploaded, posted, transmitted, provided, or made available by a User, including business descriptions, images, logos, reviews, ratings, comments, contact information, service details, offers, links, and other materials.
• "Public Business Information" means information that appears to relate to a business or organization and that may be collected from publicly available sources, business websites, government registries, public directories, maps, search results, social media pages, or other lawful sources.

2. Eligibility

You may browse Ontario Directory as a visitor. To create an account, submit a listing, claim a listing, post reviews, or use certain features, you must be at least the age of majority in your province or territory of residence, or have the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian where permitted by law.

By using the Platform on behalf of a business or organization, you represent and warrant that you have authority to bind that business or organization to these Terms.

We may refuse access, suspend accounts, remove listings, or limit use of the Platform if we believe a User is not eligible, is misrepresenting their authority, or is using the Platform in violation of these Terms.

3. Nature of the Platform

Ontario Directory is a business directory and discovery platform. We help users find, compare, shortlist, and learn about businesses and services in Ontario.

We are not a party to any transaction, appointment, quote, contract, service arrangement, purchase, dispute, or communication between Users and businesses listed on the Platform.

We do not guarantee:

• the accuracy, completeness, availability, or reliability of any business listing;
• that a listed business is licensed, insured, qualified, available, reputable, or suitable for your needs;
• that a business will respond to inquiries;
• that a User will receive any particular result from contacting a listed business;
• that a Business User will receive leads, customers, views, rankings, revenue, or commercial results.

Users are responsible for performing their own due diligence before contacting, hiring, paying, visiting, or relying on any business found through Ontario Directory.

4. Accounts

Certain features may require an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete account information and to keep that information updated.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

You must notify us promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without authorization.

We may suspend, restrict, or terminate your account if we believe your account has been used in violation of these Terms, for fraudulent activity, for abuse of the Platform, or for any reason permitted by law.

5. Business Listings

Business Users may submit, claim, edit, or manage Listings, subject to our approval and moderation.

By submitting, claiming, or managing a Listing, you represent and warrant that:

• you are authorized to act on behalf of the listed business;
• the information you provide is accurate, current, lawful, and not misleading;
• the business has all required licences, permits, approvals, qualifications, registrations, insurance, or authorizations required to operate, where applicable;
• your Listing does not infringe any intellectual property, privacy, publicity, contractual, or other rights of any person;
• your Listing does not contain false claims, deceptive advertising, prohibited content, or unlawful offers.

We may edit, reject, hide, suspend, remove, categorize, reformat, supplement, or update Listings at our discretion, including to improve consistency, readability, searchability, accuracy, safety, legal compliance, or user experience.

We are not responsible for verifying every Listing or every claim made by a business.

6. Unclaimed Listings and Public Business Information

Ontario Directory may create, display, supplement, or update Listings using Public Business Information, where permitted by applicable law.

This may include business names, business categories, website addresses, phone numbers, business addresses, hours, service areas, public descriptions, publicly available images, links, and other information that appears to relate to a business or organization.

We may use Public Business Information to help users discover businesses and to improve the completeness of the directory.

If you believe a Listing contains inaccurate information, includes personal information that should not be displayed, infringes your rights, or should be removed or updated, you may contact us through our Contact Support page.

We may require reasonable verification before editing, transferring control of, or removing a Listing.

Canada's federal privacy law, PIPEDA, can apply to organizations engaged in commercial activity, and Canadian privacy guidance treats personal information and publicly available information carefully. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada has noted that organizations remain responsible for personal information in their custody, even where information was initially collected elsewhere.

7. Claiming a Business Listing

A business owner or authorized representative may request to claim a Listing.

We may require verification, including but not limited to email verification, phone verification, website/domain verification, business records, government registration information, documentation, or other evidence of authority.

We may approve, deny, revoke, or delay a claim request at our discretion.

Claiming a Listing does not guarantee permanent control of the Listing, removal of reviews, preferential ranking, exclusivity, or any particular visibility.

If there is a dispute about ownership, management, or authority over a Listing, we may suspend changes to the Listing, require additional verification, transfer control, remove access, or take any other action we consider appropriate.

8. Reviews, Ratings, and User Feedback

Users may be permitted to submit reviews, ratings, comments, or other feedback about businesses.

By submitting a review or rating, you represent and warrant that:

• your review reflects your genuine experience or honest opinion;
• your review is not fake, misleading, deceptive, paid for without disclosure, or submitted to manipulate ratings;
• you are not submitting the review for an improper purpose, including harassment, retaliation, extortion, competitor sabotage, or artificial promotion;
• your review does not contain defamatory statements, hate speech, threats, private personal information, confidential information, unlawful content, or intellectual property infringement;
• you will not submit multiple reviews to manipulate a business's rating.

We may moderate, reject, remove, hide, investigate, flag, or restrict reviews at our discretion.

We are not required to publish any review. We are not required to explain moderation decisions. We do not guarantee that reviews are accurate, verified, complete, current, or representative of all customer experiences.

Business Users may not pressure Users to remove honest reviews, post fake positive reviews, post fake negative reviews about competitors, or provide incentives for reviews without proper disclosure.

9. Rankings, Search Results, Categories, and Featured Listings

Ontario Directory may display Listings using search results, categories, filters, recommendation systems, location signals, popularity signals, user activity, relevance, completeness, review information, verification status, editorial choices, sponsorship, paid placement, or other factors.

We do not guarantee any Listing position, category placement, ranking, visibility, click-through rate, traffic, lead volume, sales, customer acquisition, or commercial result.

If we offer paid, promoted, sponsored, premium, boosted, verified, or featured placements, those features may affect how Listings appear on the Platform. We may label paid or sponsored placements where required or appropriate.

We may change ranking methods, categories, search logic, featured sections, listing formats, and display rules at any time.

10. Paid Services, Subscriptions, and Refunds

Ontario Directory may offer paid services, including premium Listings, featured placements, sponsored visibility, account upgrades, advertising, enhanced profiles, verification tools, lead-generation features, or other paid products.

If you purchase a paid service, you agree to pay all applicable fees, taxes, and charges disclosed at the time of purchase.

Unless otherwise stated in writing:

• fees are charged in Canadian dollars;
• fees are non-refundable once the paid service begins;
• paid services do not guarantee leads, customers, views, sales, revenue, ranking, or business outcomes;
• we may change prices, plans, features, and billing periods prospectively;
• failure to pay may result in suspension, downgrade, removal, or cancellation of paid services.

For subscription services, your subscription may automatically renew if disclosed at checkout. You are responsible for cancelling before renewal if you do not wish to continue.

Where consumer protection laws apply, your statutory rights are not limited by these Terms. Ontario's consumer protection guidance notes that online transactions over $50 may be covered by consumer protection rules.

11. User Content Licence

You retain ownership of the content you submit, subject to the licence below.

By submitting User Content to Ontario Directory, you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable, sublicensable licence to use, host, store, reproduce, display, publish, distribute, modify, adapt, format, translate, excerpt, promote, and otherwise make available your User Content in connection with operating, improving, marketing, and promoting the Platform.

This licence allows us to:

• display business information in Listings;
• show reviews and ratings;
• resize or format images;
• edit formatting or layout for consistency;
• use Listing content in search results, category pages, city pages, newsletters, social media, ads, or promotional materials;
• preserve content for legal, safety, audit, or operational reasons.

You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to grant this licence and that your User Content does not violate these Terms or any applicable law.

12. Prohibited Conduct

You must not use the Platform to:

• submit false, misleading, deceptive, fraudulent, or unlawful information;
• impersonate another person, business, or organization;
• claim a business you are not authorized to represent;
• post fake, manipulated, incentivized, or undisclosed reviews;
• harass, threaten, abuse, defame, discriminate against, or harm others;
• upload malware, spyware, viruses, harmful code, or disruptive content;
• scrape, harvest, copy, mass-download, or extract data from the Platform without written permission;
• use bots, crawlers, scripts, or automated tools to access the Platform without authorization;
• interfere with the security, availability, or operation of the Platform;
• reverse engineer, copy, modify, or exploit the Platform;
• collect personal information about Users or businesses for unsolicited marketing;
• use the Platform to send spam or unlawful commercial electronic messages;
• violate intellectual property, privacy, publicity, consumer protection, advertising, competition, or other laws;
• submit content involving illegal goods or services, dangerous activity, exploitation, hate, fraud, or other prohibited material;
• use the Platform in a way that may expose us or others to legal, reputational, technical, or safety risk.

We may investigate suspected violations and take any action we consider appropriate, including removing content, suspending accounts, blocking access, reporting conduct to authorities, or cooperating with lawful requests.

13. Intellectual Property

Ontario Directory, including its name, branding, design, layout, software, database structure, text, graphics, icons, logos, features, and other materials, is owned by us or our licensors and is protected by intellectual property and other laws.

You may use the Platform only for lawful personal or business purposes in accordance with these Terms.

You must not copy, reproduce, distribute, sell, lease, exploit, modify, scrape, or create derivative works from the Platform or its content except as expressly permitted by us in writing.

All trademarks, logos, and business names appearing in Listings belong to their respective owners. Their appearance on Ontario Directory does not imply endorsement, sponsorship, partnership, or affiliation unless expressly stated.

14. Third-Party Links and Services

The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, business websites, maps, booking tools, social media pages, payment processors, analytics providers, communication tools, or other third-party services.

We do not control and are not responsible for third-party websites or services. Your use of third-party services is governed by their own terms and policies.

Ontario Directory is not responsible for third-party content, availability, accuracy, security, products, services, transactions, damages, or losses.

15. Privacy

Your use of the Platform is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain, and protect personal information.

By using the Platform, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of information as described in our Privacy Policy.

If you submit personal information about another person, including an employee, contact person, reviewer, customer, or business representative, you represent and warrant that you have the authority or consent required to provide that information to us.

Canadian privacy regulators emphasize that organizations are responsible for personal information under their control, including information handled in the course of commercial activity.

16. Electronic Communications and Marketing

By creating an account, submitting a Listing, contacting us, subscribing to updates, or using certain features, you may receive service-related communications from us.

Service-related communications may include account notices, listing updates, verification emails, security notices, policy updates, transaction notices, or administrative messages.

We may also send marketing or promotional electronic messages where permitted by law, including where we have express consent or implied consent.

You may unsubscribe from marketing communications using the unsubscribe mechanism provided in those messages or by contacting us.

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation generally requires consent, sender identification information, and an unsubscribe mechanism for commercial electronic messages.

17. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Ontario Directory and the Platform are provided on an "as is," "as available," and "with all faults" basis.

We do not represent, warrant, or guarantee that:

• the Platform will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or available at all times;
• Listings, reviews, ratings, rankings, categories, search results, or business information will be accurate, complete, current, lawful, or reliable;
• defects or errors will be corrected;
• the Platform will be free of viruses, malware, or harmful components;
• any business listed on the Platform is suitable, available, qualified, licensed, insured, reputable, or trustworthy;
• use of the Platform will produce any particular personal, commercial, financial, or legal result.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, conditions, and representations, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, non-infringement, accuracy, availability, and course of dealing.

Some laws may not allow certain exclusions, so some of these exclusions may not apply to you.

18. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Ontario Directory and its owners, directors, officers, employees, contractors, agents, affiliates, service providers, and licensors will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, punitive, or aggravated damages, including lost profits, lost revenue, lost business, lost data, loss of goodwill, reputational harm, business interruption, or loss of opportunity, whether based in contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, statute, equity, or any other legal theory.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, our total aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or relating to the Platform or these Terms will not exceed the greater of:

• the amount you paid to Ontario Directory for the specific service giving rise to the claim in the three months before the claim arose; or
• CAD $100.

This limitation applies even if we have been advised of the possibility of damages and even if a remedy fails of its essential purpose.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

19. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Ontario Directory and its owners, directors, officers, employees, contractors, agents, affiliates, service providers, and licensors from and against any claims, demands, actions, proceedings, losses, damages, liabilities, penalties, fines, costs, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of or relating to:

• your use or misuse of the Platform;
• your User Content;
• your Listing, review, rating, communication, or submission;
• your violation of these Terms;
• your violation of any law or regulation;
• your violation of another person's rights, including intellectual property, privacy, publicity, contractual, consumer protection, or competition rights;
• your business operations, products, services, advertising, claims, offers, or customer disputes;
• your unauthorized claim or management of a Listing;
• your failure to obtain required licences, permits, consents, or authorizations.

We reserve the right to control the defence and settlement of any matter subject to indemnification, and you agree to cooperate with us.

20. Suspension, Removal, and Termination

We may, at any time and without liability, suspend, restrict, remove, hide, disable, downgrade, or terminate:

• your account;
• your access to the Platform;
• your Listing;
• your reviews or ratings;
• your User Content;
• paid or unpaid features;
• communications or submissions.

We may do this if we believe you have violated these Terms, created legal or safety risk, submitted inaccurate or misleading content, abused the Platform, infringed rights, failed to pay fees, or acted in a way that harms Ontario Directory, Users, businesses, or the public.

We may also remove or modify content for operational, legal, editorial, quality, security, or business reasons.

Termination does not limit any rights or remedies available to us. Sections intended to survive termination will continue to apply, including intellectual property, licence, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnity, governing law, and dispute provisions.

21. Changes to the Platform

We may change, suspend, discontinue, redesign, rename, remove, or restrict any part of the Platform at any time without notice or liability.

This includes changes to Listings, categories, cities, search features, ranking systems, review tools, account features, paid plans, pricing, availability, and content.

We are not liable for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Platform or any feature.

22. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time.

The updated Terms will be posted on this page with a revised "Last updated" date.

Your continued use of the Platform after updated Terms are posted means you accept the updated Terms.

If we make material changes, we may provide additional notice where required by law or where we consider it appropriate.

23. Copyright and Rights Complaints

If you believe content on Ontario Directory infringes your copyright, trademark, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other legal rights, contact us through our Contact Support page.

Your notice should include:

• your name and contact information;
• a description of the content at issue;
• the URL or location of the content;
• the rights you believe are infringed;
• a statement explaining why you believe the content is unauthorized or unlawful;
• any supporting documentation.

We may remove or restrict content while we review a complaint. We may also request more information before taking action.

24. No Professional Advice

Content on Ontario Directory is provided for general informational and directory purposes only.

The Platform does not provide legal, financial, medical, real estate, insurance, professional, safety, or other regulated advice.

Users should seek advice from qualified professionals before making decisions based on information found through the Platform.

25. Force Majeure

We are not responsible for any delay, failure, interruption, loss, or damage caused by events beyond our reasonable control, including internet outages, hosting failures, cyberattacks, labour disputes, natural disasters, acts of government, emergencies, pandemics, power failures, third-party service failures, or other events outside our control.

26. Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights or obligations under them without our prior written consent.

We may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, without notice or consent, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, sale of assets, financing, or transfer of the Platform.

27. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision will be limited or removed to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

28. No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not mean we waive our right to enforce that provision or any other provision later.

29. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any additional terms or policies referenced on the Platform, form the entire agreement between you and Ontario Directory regarding your use of the Platform.

30. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to the Platform are governed by the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Subject to any rights you may have under applicable consumer protection laws, you agree that any dispute, claim, or proceeding arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Platform will be brought exclusively in the courts located in Ontario, Canada.

31. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, or if you wish to report an issue with a Listing, review, account, or User Content, contact Ontario Directory through our Contact Support page.