To us, buying local means more than purchasing a product that happens to be sold in Alberta — it means supporting a company that has put down real roots here: local ownership, local decision-making, and local jobs. When you buy from an Alberta Certified business, you’re investing in a company that has already invested in Alberta.

No, it’s often not obvious at all. There’s a well-known Canadian coffee company, for example, that many people assume is Canadian-owned — it isn’t

Extra-provincial companies operate in Alberta but are owned by entities outside the province — and that’s entirely legal. But because “buy local” remains a strong preference among consumers, some non-Alberta-owned companies use place names like “Alberta,” “Calgary,” or “Athabasca” in their branding to blur that distinction and capture the competitive advantage that genuinely local businesses have earned. That’s exactly why the Alberta Certified badge exists: to separate the genuine from the imitators.

Yes. Investigating credible concerns is part of our Ethical Pledge, and it applies both to businesses falsely claiming Alberta ownership and to certified members who fall out of compliance. If you believe a company is misusing the Alberta Certified badge or marketing itself as Alberta-owned without verification, let us know and we’ll investigate. Members found non-compliant can have their certification suspended or revoked.

We pull your corporate documents directly from Corporate Registries and verify your status, ownership, directors, registered address, and other filed information. We also confirm that you conduct meaningful operations in Alberta, and review your attestation to our Ethical Pledge, which we re-verify periodically.

Most applications are reviewed within 3 – 4 business days of us receiving your application. More complex structures — such as publicly traded companies or businesses with multiple related entities — may take longer to verify. If you are in a rush, ask us about our accelerated review option

You have to be a director or officer of the corporation or have written authorization from the Board or an officer.

Membership is available to all Albertan businesses and non-profit organizations. We definitely certify sole proprietors, partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships. Fess for smaller businesses are reduced to reflect a simpler verification and our desire to stay affordable.

Yes. Certification may matter even more to consultants and online businesses than it does for a storefronts. Because consultants can work with clients anywhere in the world, there’s often no physical location to signal where a firm is really based. Alberta Certified gives clients a clear, verified answer, and it also helps you demonstrate compliance with your own clients’ buy-local requirements, whether mandatory or voluntary.

No. Certification is for every industry. It’s natural that some sectors will see more value from it depending on their customers’ needs, but every qualifying business can benefit. Take restaurants, for example: many global chains operate in Alberta, and some of their local franchise locations are, in fact, Alberta-owned and operated. The more recognizable an international brand is, the more reason there is to specify exactly who owns and runs the local location — customers can’t tell the difference from the sign out front alone.

No. Manufacturing gets complicated quickly once you factor in globally sourced components — it’s simply the reality of modern supply chains that imported parts are often part of a complex build process. Because of that, we don’t verify place-of-origin claims for individual components. Instead, we look at the company itself: for every Alberta Certified manufacturer, you can be confident that the company is Alberta-owned and operated, and headquartered here, regardless of where individual parts come from.

Yes, with one adjustment. Alberta is home to a number of significant publicly traded companies, but because share ownership in public companies changes constantly and can’t be pinned down with precision, we can’t apply our standard 75%-Alberta-ownership test to them. Instead, a publicly traded company can receive a modified certification if it is headquartered and registered in Alberta and formally commits to our Ethical Pledge.

Being certified as Albertan implies Canadian and that information can be helpful for Buy Canadian requirements in any province. As for marketing, you choose to display your Alberta Certified badge in the markets where it’s most relevant — for example, including it on flyers distributed in Alberta while leaving it off materials distributed in Saskatchewan or British Columbia. Certification is flexible about where and how you use it.

Yes. Even if your industry doesn’t require proof of ownership, letting customers know you’re genuinely local is valuable — people consistently favour the local option when given clear information. Ever. Single. Time. Certification also signals that you’ve committed to our Ethical Pledge and that you give back to Alberta communities through our charitable program.

Not automatically, and we want to be upfront about that. Alberta Certified verification doesn’t replace formal pre-qualification for any specific government contract or agency (at least not yet). What it does provide is a documented, independently verified foundation of Alberta ownership and ethical compliance that you can bring to hundreds of government offices, agencies, and municipalities that buy from local suppliers. Included in your membership is our We can also work directly with procurement officials on your behalf to help save you time.

Yes. Prime contractors with buy-local provisions often need to confirm that their subcontractors meet the same standard. In most cases, our certified members authorize us to share their certification data with select third parties, including prime contractors, government agencies, and regulatory bodies. Through our included concierge consulting, we’re happy to work directly on behalf of our members to confirm verification status whenever it’s requested.

Membership includes a listing in our public directory, features across our social media channels, our subscriber newsletter, and our free concierge consulting to help you verify your ownership/operations status and communicate with government officials. Members can also add dedicated government relations consulting at a discounted rate.

Let us know. Your certification depends on your business continuing to meet our ownership and operations criteria for as long as you hold the badge. If your ownership structure changes — through a sale, new investment, merger, or relocation of key operations, for example — notify us so we can re-verify your certification. Undisclosed changes, or falling out of good standing status with Corporate Registries, will affected your eligibility to continue with us.

There are three paid components: an application fee, an enrollment fee, and an annual membership rate. Memberships are available in one-year, two-year, or recurring terms — and the longer your commitment, the better the value: your annual membership rate is lowest on a recurring membership, a bit higher for a two-year term, and highest for a one-year term. As an example, our smallest tier (S: 0–25 employees) currently ranges from $900/year on a recurring membership up to $1,150/year on a one-year membership. As fees are based on company size, fill in our enrollment form to get a specific quote.

We are currently running a 25% membership promotion as an introductory offer, as we just launched and want to build momentum! This promotion only runs until September 14.

Certification gets more complex as a company grows, so our pricing scales with company size rather than charging every business a flat rate. We use three size categories — S (0–25 employees), M (26–100 employees), and L (101–250 employees) — plus a custom Enterprise option for companies with more than 250 employees. This keeps certification affordable for smaller businesses while still reflecting the added complexity of certifying larger companies with millions in revenue.

Yes. Verifying each business takes the same amount of work regardless of how many you’re submitting, but if you’re representing a group of companies applying for certification together, we do offer a discount for bulk applications.

We understand that circumstances change — geopolitical conditions shift, and your business’s needs may shift with them. Tariffs and trade tensions may ease over time, but we expect buy-local sentiment to stay strong regardless. If Alberta Certified isn’t working for you, you can cancel any time after your first sixty days and receive a pro-rated refund, less a $100 administrative fee.

Charitable giving is built into every membership, not an optional add-on. You do not pay more than your membership rate. Developing good corporate citizenship is core to our foundation and compliant with our Mission. A portion of your membership fee is automatically pooled and directed to our selected Alberta charities and non-profits. If you’d like to give more, we also offer a matching program: additional contributions up to $500 will be matched dollar-for-dollar by Alberta Certified.

Our Advisory Council has two main roles: identifying the most impactful Alberta-based charities and non-profits for our giving program, and reviewing our certification methodology to make sure it stays comprehensive, current, and rigorous. We are currently seeking Advisory Council members. Please contact us if you want to join.