The A to Z checklist is national, but a handful of letters lead to provincial or territorial offices. B sends you to a provincial registry as well as the CRA. H sends you to a workers' compensation board. L depends on your municipality and province. P depends on which privacy law applies: the federal one, or one of the provincial laws that replace it within their borders.
This hub groups the 13 provinces and territories into five regions. Each region page names the bodies behind those letters, links the official pages we loaded on 23 October 2026, and explains how we would approach the growth letters there. As always, this is business and marketing guidance, not legal advice: confirm details at the source.
- YTYukon
- NTNorthwest Territories
- NUNunavut
- NLNewfoundland and Labrador
- BCBritish Columbia
- ABAlberta
- SKSaskatchewan
- MBManitoba
- ONOntario
- QCQuebec
- PEPrince Edward Island
- NBNew Brunswick
- NSNova Scotia
West Coast: British Columbia
British Columbia has its own registry, its own workers' compensation board and its own private-sector privacy law. That third point matters for letter P: the Privacy Commissioner's summary of privacy laws explains that BC, Alberta and Quebec have provincial laws considered substantially similar to the federal one.
BC's markets range from the dense Lower Mainland to the Interior and the North, which have very different winters and buying seasons. See the British Columbia page.
Prairies: Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba
Three provinces, three registries and three workers' compensation boards, all with long cold winters that shape when customers buy. Alberta registers business names through authorized registry agents. Saskatchewan's corporate registry is run by ISC. Manitoba uses its Companies Office.
- Alberta: its own private-sector privacy law affects letter P.
- Saskatchewan: smaller cities spread across a large province make G and S (Google profile and search) especially important.
- Manitoba: one large city and a wide rural market.
Central Canada: Ontario and Quebec
Ontario and Quebec hold the largest markets, and Quebec's French-language rules touch more letters than any other provincial rule in the alphabet. In Ontario, letters B and H lead to the Ontario Business Registry and the WSIB. In Quebec, they lead to the Registraire des entreprises and the CNESST, and letters N, S and W must account for French-language requirements on signs, advertising and websites.
Read the Ontario page and the Quebec page.
Atlantic Canada: four provinces
The Atlantic provinces each run their own registry and workers' compensation board, and New Brunswick adds an official-bilingualism context. New Brunswick is Canada's only officially bilingual province, though that obligation sits with government services rather than private businesses.
Smaller populations mean that reputation letters (R for reviews, Q for quick response) carry extra weight: word travels.
The North: Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut
The three territories have their own registries; the Northwest Territories and Nunavut share one workers' compensation commission. Nunavut's language law also requires Inuktut on public signs and commercial advertising, which affects letters N, S and W. All three are covered on one territories page.
How to use the region pages
Read your own region's page, then the neighbouring one if you trade near a border. Each page follows the same order so you can compare quickly: the provincial letters with official links, the local market, seasons, programs, and how we would approach the growth letters there. Each also ends with a short first-month order for new businesses.
Owners near a border, such as Ottawa–Gatineau, Lloydminster or the Moncton–Amherst corridor, should read both pages and note under B and H which province's rules apply to which part of the business. When in doubt, ask the official bodies or a professional.
What changes and what doesn't
About 22 of the 26 letters are identical wherever you trade. Accounts you own, your domain, email, key numbers, measurement, reviews, website and the yearly reviews do not care about provincial borders. Use the full checklist for those.
For the letters that do change, the federal starting a business hub is a good cross-check. It sets out planning, naming, registration, permits and support as separate steps, and links to federal, provincial and municipal sources.
If you trade across borders, or are about to, an A to Z business review will show which letters need a row per province. Otherwise, pick your region above or contact us.
Frequently asked questions
Which letters change by province?
Mainly B (registration), H (workers' compensation and employment rules), L (licences) and P (privacy law). In Quebec and Nunavut, language rules also affect N, S and W.
Do you work in every province and territory?
Yes. We work in person or by phone, text, email and video call with owners in all ten provinces and three territories.
What if I trade in more than one province?
Then some letters need one row per province. You may need to register in each province where you carry on business and check workers' compensation in each place your staff work. Confirm the details with the official bodies or your lawyer.
Do you list grants and funding programs?
Not individually, because they open and close often. We point owners to the federal starting-a-business hub, which links national and regional support, and suggest confirming any program with its administrator.