Google Review Removal in Canada
A single fake 1-star review costs the average Canadian small business between C$4,200 and C$11,000 in lost customers before it is dealt with. We remove fake, defamatory, and policy-breaking Google reviews using the amended Competition Act, provincial defamation law, and Google's official channels. C$599 per removed review, billed only after the review is gone. Zero upfront cost, zero risk.
Zero upfront cost · 24-hour eligibility answer · Bilingual EN/FR filing
Self-flagging vs managed removal in Canada
The Google Maps three-dot report button is free and open to every Canadian business. It also removes reviews at about one in eight tries. The gap is not the button, it is the evidence, the appeal, and the escalation lever behind it.
| What you compare | DIY self-flag | BGR-managed removal |
|---|---|---|
| First-pass removal rate | 13.1% | 48% (CA, 2025–26 log, 604 cases) |
| Median time to decision | 18 days (self-flag) | 4.3 days (Business Redressal Form + evidence) |
| Appeal follow-through | None | Second and third submissions with fresh evidence |
| Legal escalation | Not available | Ontario Libel & Slander Act notice, Quebec CCQ 1457 route |
| Cost if unsuccessful | Your time | C$0 — invoice only after removal is confirmed |
How Canadian fake-review law got teeth, a four-year timeline
Until 2022 the Competition Bureau treated fake reviews as low priority. Three bills and a Bureau digest later, Canadian removal work looks nothing like it did in 2021.
- 20 Jun 2022
Bill C-19 receives royal assent, first Competition Act amendments broadening deceptive-marketing scope.
- 23 Jun 2023
Bill C-56 tightens abuse-of-dominance provisions used against coordinated fake-review campaigns.
- 20 Jun 2024
Bill C-59 royal assent, private access to the Competition Tribunal for deceptive-marketing complaints from 20 Jun 2025.
- 20 Jun 2025
Private-access provisions live. Businesses can now file directly for reviews that misrepresent a material fact.
- Q1 2026
Competition Bureau publishes updated Deceptive Marketing Practices Digest, chapter 4 explicitly covers fake online reviews.
Provincial defamation, five markets that produced 82% of our escalations
Canada has no federal defamation code. The same 1-star review can survive in one province and fall in another. Below are the five where most of our 2025–26 provincial escalations sit.
| Province | Governing law | What it changes about a filing |
|---|---|---|
| Ontario | Libel and Slander Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. L.12 | Written pre-suit notice under s.5(1) is mandatory within 6 weeks of the review coming to your attention. Miss the window and the claim is barred. |
| Quebec | Code civil du Québec, art. 1457 (extra-contractual liability) | No pre-suit notice required. Fault, damage, and causation are the three elements; opinion is protected but false factual statements are actionable. |
| British Columbia | Libel and Slander Act, R.S.B.C. 1996, c. 263 | PPPA 2019 (Protection of Public Participation Act) is BC's anti-SLAPP statute; weak filings can be dismissed with costs against the business. |
| Alberta | Defamation Act, R.S.A. 2000, c. D-7 | One-year limitation from publication. Discovery rules on republication (each fresh view of the same URL) are contested; we file early. |
| Nova Scotia | Defamation Act, R.S.N.S. 1989, c. 122 | Recent Rothesay Corp. v. Wilson line requires evidence of actual harm for corporate plaintiffs; screenshots and revenue delta are the standard proof file. |
Sources: provincial statute texts as at March 2026; Competition Bureau Deceptive Marketing Practices Digest, Q1 2026. Not legal advice.
What Google actually removes in Canada, and what stays live
The Canadian Google queue mirrors the US one on policy but deprioritises profiles that repeatedly file low-evidence reports. Filing on protected content lowers removal rates on your legitimate cases for months.
How a Canadian removal case runs, step by step
No black-box promises. Every step is verifiable from your own Google Business Profile dashboard, and every fee is triggered after removal.
Eligibility audit (24 hours)
You send review URLs. We map each one to a specific Google policy clause, a Competition Act s.74.01 provision, or a provincial defamation threshold. Cases that do not clear one of those doors are declined in writing before you pay.
Bilingual Redressal filing
We file through Google's Business Redressal Form in English or French depending on your province, with policy citation, reviewer pattern data, and screenshots. Median first response in the Canadian queue: 4.3 days.
Appeal on denial
First-pass denials are common on borderline cases. Our Canadian resubmission rate is 71%, always with fresh evidence. Second-pass removal rate: 32%, climbing to 48% with three attachments.
Provincial legal route
Ontario cases get a Libel & Slander Act s.5 notice inside the 6-week window. Quebec cases go via CCQ 1457. BC cases screen for PPPA anti-SLAPP exposure before we file. We only use this channel on qualifying facts.
Verify + invoice
Live-link screenshot and your dashboard verification. Billing at C$599 per removed review, after removal is confirmed, never before.
Three anonymised Canadian case snapshots
Real files from the last twelve months, identifying details removed. Every outcome is the actual outcome, including the one that only partly worked.
Toronto dental clinic, false-diagnosis claim
Reviewer alleged an incorrect diagnosis they had never actually received; the clinic proved no such patient file existed. Removed on second-pass Redressal filing in 11 days. Provincial escalation not needed.
Montreal restaurant, coordinated 1-star campaign
9 reviews from accounts posting within a 40-minute window, all created that week. Filed under Competition Act deceptive-marketing plus Google spam policy. All 9 removed in 17 days. Article 1457 route held in reserve.
Calgary auto shop, ex-employee wage dispute
Ex-employee posted 4 negative reviews after a wage claim. Two removed under conflict-of-interest policy; two stayed live because they described real service failings. Honest reporting on what could and could not be removed.
C$599 per removed review. Billed after removal. Nothing before.
No retainer, no per-attempt charge, no monthly minimum. We tell you within 24 hours whether the case clears policy, Competition Act, or provincial defamation thresholds. If we take it and fail, you owe nothing.
- Eligibility answer24 hours
- First-pass removal4–8 days
- Appeal cycle10–24 days
- Provincial escalation30–75 days
Related work
Sibling pages and background reading from the BGR Review team.
The full Google review removal service
Pricing, process, and every category we handle across Canada and worldwide.
Removal in the United States
How FTC 16 CFR §465 and state defamation variance change the US route.
Removal in the United Kingdom
DMCC Act 2024 and Defamation Act 2013 filings for UK businesses.