Skip to content

Sources and how we check our facts

North Help Desk guides are based on official government information. This page explains where our facts come from and how we check them.

Where facts come from

  • Canada.ca: the Government of Canada's website, including pages from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Employment and Social Development Canada / Service Canada, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (passports).
  • Provincial government websites for provincial programs.

Each guide lists the exact pages it was checked against under Sources.

How we check

  1. We read the official page in full, including any notices and the page's own "Date modified".
  2. We copy facts exactly: numbers, hours, time zones and program names as the government writes them.
  3. We record the date of the check as the guide's "Last verified" date.
  4. We re-check on a schedule (see our editorial policy) and whenever a government page changes.

Tools

Our free tools turn official rules into simple questions and answers. Each tool page lists its sources and when they were checked. Tool results are guidance, not a decision: the government department makes the final decision on your file.