At Northern Focus, every story we publish is built on a foundation of verifiable sources, rigorous editorial oversight, and a clear commitment to transparency. This page explains exactly where our information comes from, how we verify it, and what you can do if you believe we have made an error. Our standards are designed to earn and keep your trust, not just to meet industry norms.
What official and primary sources do you rely on?
We anchor our reporting in authoritative, publicly accessible sources that provide the raw data and official records behind the news. These are the starting points for our journalists and fact-checkers.
- CBC News — Canada’s national public broadcaster, used as a cross-reference for major national and regional breaking stories.
- Statistics Canada — The federal agency for census data, economic indicators, and demographic research that underpins our policy and economics coverage.
- Elections Canada — The independent, non-partisan agency that provides official election results, voter turnout data, and campaign finance records.
- Bank of Canada — The central bank’s interest rate decisions, monetary policy reports, and financial system reviews inform our business and provincial economics reporting.
- Ontario Business Registry — The provincial database we use to verify corporate registrations, including our own ownership structure and those of entities we report on.
Which regulatory and standards bodies guide your work?
We voluntarily adhere to the principles and best practices set by Canada’s leading media and privacy regulators, even where we are not legally required to do so. These bodies help define our ethical baseline.
- Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada — We follow OPC guidance on the collection, use, and disclosure of personal information in our reporting and reader interactions.
- Canadian Association of Broadcasters — While we are a digital publisher, we align with CAB’s code of ethics regarding accuracy, balance, and fairness in news content.
- Ad Standards Canada — We comply with the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards to ensure all commercial and sponsored content is clearly distinguishable from editorial material.
What we rely on day to day
Our daily newsroom operates on a mix of direct reporting, official documents, and trusted secondary sources. Every journalist at Northern Focus is expected to build stories from primary materials first.
Our reporters attend city council meetings, provincial legislature sittings, and community board sessions in person or via live streams. We file freedom of information requests regularly. We also monitor government press releases, public notices, and regulatory filings. When we use secondary sources such as wire services or other news outlets, we attribute them clearly and verify the original claim. Our fact-checking lead, Andrew Leblanc, reviews every article before publication to confirm that quotes are accurate, numbers add up, and sources are properly cited.
How to challenge our reporting
If you believe we have published an error, a misrepresentation, or an omission, we want to hear from you directly. Our corrections process is designed to be straightforward and accountable.
Send a detailed note to our corrections desk at corrections@northernfocus.org or call Andrew Leblanc, our Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, at +1 416 555 0225. Please include the article headline, the URL, and the specific claim you believe is incorrect. We will investigate and respond within two business days. If a correction is warranted, we will update the article with a clear editor’s note and log the change in our corrections policy. For complaints that go beyond a single factual error, please refer to our complaints procedure.
What you can expect from us
You can expect that every article on Northern Focus has been written by a named journalist, reviewed by an editor, and fact-checked before it goes live. You can expect that sponsored content, affiliate links, and commercial partnerships are clearly labelled and never influence our editorial conclusions. You can expect that if we use AI-assisted tools for research or drafting, a human editor has approved every word. And you can expect that when we make a mistake, we correct it promptly and transparently. Our editorial policy and fact-checking policy lay out these commitments in full detail.
Who is responsible for what we publish?
Our Editor-in-Chief, Catherine Roy, has final authority over all editorial standards, publication decisions, and corrections. She can be reached at catherine.roy@northernfocus.org or +1 416 555 0220. Day-to-day newsroom operations are managed by Marc Tremblay, our Managing Editor. Hannah Walsh oversees municipal affairs coverage, Jessica Morin handles provincial policy, and Kevin Sullivan covers community events. Andrew Leblanc leads fact-checking and source verification. Every member of our team is listed on our Our Team page with direct contact information.
How do we handle mistakes?
We treat corrections as a core part of our journalistic responsibility, not an afterthought. When we confirm an error, we update the article immediately and append a correction notice at the top or bottom of the piece, depending on the severity. The notice explains what was wrong, what the correct information is, and when the change was made. We maintain a public log of all significant corrections on our corrections policy page. If the error involves a factual misstatement that could mislead readers, we also issue a notification in our newsletter and on our social media channels.
Questions or concerns?
If you have a question about our sourcing, want to report a potential error, or need to raise a concern about our editorial standards, the best first step is to email our general contact at info@northernfocus.org. For time-sensitive corrections, contact Andrew Leblanc directly. For privacy or legal matters, use privacy@northernfocus.org or legal@northernfocus.org. You can also find full details on our Contact page. We are a small team, but we aim to respond to every legitimate inquiry within one business day.