What public registries can show who owns or has claims on a Canadian business?

If you want to look up who owns a business or what claims sit against it, there is no single search. Each registry answers a different question, and the lien and land title registries below are run by provinces. Below are three kinds a buyer can look at, with the federal rules and British Columbia as examples. The registry you need depends on where the company was incorporated and where its assets are, so confirm that with a lawyer.

Corporate information

Corporations Canada says some of the information about individuals with significant control of federal business corporations is available through its online search. Once a corporation files it, the public can see items such as the individual’s full legal name, the date they became or ceased to be an individual with significant control, and a description of their control. You search by the corporation’s name, number or business number; you cannot search using the name of an individual with significant control. This search covers federal corporations. For Ontario, the Ontario government says corporations file through the Ontario Business Registry and that anyone can search it for free to get basic information about a business.

Liens on equipment and other assets

The B.C. government explains that, in B.C., a lien is a notice of a legal claim that can be registered against personal property as security to ensure a debt or loan is repaid. It says lenders and sellers, or secured parties, register their interests in a debtor’s personal property. Alberta’s Personal Property Security Act has its own part on the Personal Property Registry and registry searches, so B.C. and Alberta each run their own registry. Ask your lawyer to search in the right province, and see When does a vendor take-back become a purchase money security interest?.

Land and buildings

The Land Title and Survey Authority of British Columbia says a title to land lists the registered owners, the legal description of the parcel, and the charges, liens and interests registered against the title. To view a title you order a copy for a fee, and the authority cannot process title searches by telephone or email, answer questions about a title or conduct research for you. Alberta also publishes information on finding land titles.

What a search does not settle

A registry result is a snapshot of what someone registered. Ask your lawyer what a clear result does and does not rule out, and whether anything outside these registries, such as a lease or contract, needs to be checked.