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Terms of Service

Terms of Service

Last Updated: April 7, 2026

Effective Date: April 7, 2026

Welcome to The Northern Writ (“we,” “us,” “our,” or the “Site”), an independently owned and operated Canadian news publication accessible at northernwrit.com. These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Site, including all content, features, email newsletters, and services offered through the Site (collectively, the “Services”).

By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must immediately cease all use of the Site and Services.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or otherwise using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference. We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time in accordance with Section 19 below. Your continued use of the Site following any modification constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Description of Service

The Northern Writ is an independent editorial journalism publication that provides news coverage, analysis, commentary, and opinion on matters of public interest. The Site publishes written articles, a daily email newsletter (The Northern Writ Daily Briefing), and related editorial content. Content is sourced from public records, publicly available information, original reporting, and editorial analysis.

The Site is owned and operated by an individual and is not a corporation, partnership, or other business entity. All editorial decisions are made independently.

3. Intellectual Property

3.1 Ownership

All content published on the Site — including but not limited to articles, headlines, text, photographs, graphics, logos, page layouts, newsletter content, data compilations, and the selection and arrangement thereof (collectively, “Content”) — is the property of The Northern Writ or its content suppliers and is protected by Canadian and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

The Northern Writ name, logo, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are proprietary marks of The Northern Writ. You may not use such marks without our prior written permission.

3.2 Licence to Access

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and view the Content on the Site for your personal, non-commercial use only. This licence does not include the right to:

  1. Reproduce, distribute, publicly display, or publicly perform any Content except as expressly permitted in Section 4;
  2. Modify, create derivative works from, or reverse-engineer any Content;
  3. Use any data mining, robots, scraping, or similar automated data-gathering or extraction methods on the Site;
  4. Download, store, or cache any Content systematically or in bulk; or
  5. Use the Content for any commercial purpose without our prior written consent.

3.3 Photographs and Images

Certain photographs and images displayed on the Site may be sourced from third-party stock photography providers and are used in accordance with their respective licence terms. All other images are the property of The Northern Writ or are used with permission.

4. Fair Use and Sharing Guidelines

We encourage the sharing of our journalism and welcome links to our articles. You may:

  1. Share links to articles on social media platforms, personal websites, or via email;
  2. Quote brief excerpts of articles (not exceeding two hundred words) for purposes of commentary, criticism, or review, provided that you include clear attribution to “The Northern Writ” and a direct hyperlink to the original article; and
  3. Share our newsletter content with individuals via email forwarding.

You may not:

  1. Republish articles in full without our prior written consent;
  2. Frame or embed our Content on another website in a manner that could create a false impression of affiliation, endorsement, or origin;
  3. Remove, obscure, or alter any copyright notices, bylines, or attribution included in the Content; or
  4. Use our Content in any manner that competes with or substitutes for the Site.

For syndication, republication, or licensing inquiries, please use our contact form.

5. Editorial Disclaimers

5.1 Not Professional Advice

The Content published on the Site is editorial journalism and commentary provided for informational purposes only. Nothing on the Site constitutes or is intended to constitute legal advice, financial advice, investment advice, tax advice, medical advice, or any other form of professional advice. You should not act or refrain from acting on the basis of any Content without first seeking appropriate independent professional advice from a qualified practitioner in the relevant field.

5.2 Editorial Independence

The Northern Writ exercises full editorial independence. The views, opinions, and analysis expressed in our Content represent the editorial judgment of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect any official position. Our coverage is not influenced by advertisers, sponsors, political parties, governments, or any third party.

5.3 Accuracy and Timeliness

While we strive for accuracy in our reporting and endeavour to correct errors promptly (see Section 12), journalism is produced under time constraints and based on information available at the time of publication. We do not warrant that all Content is complete, current, or free from error. Facts and circumstances may change after publication, and we are under no obligation to update previously published Content.

6. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SITE AND ALL CONTENT, SERVICES, AND FEATURES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

  1. IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT;
  2. WARRANTIES THAT THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE;
  3. WARRANTIES REGARDING THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY CONTENT;
  4. WARRANTIES THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED; AND
  5. WARRANTIES THAT THE SITE OR ITS SERVERS ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

YOUR USE OF THE SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM US OR THROUGH THE SITE SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS.

7. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE NORTHERN WRIT, ITS OWNER, OPERATORS, CONTRIBUTORS, EDITORS, AGENTS, OR AFFILIATES (COLLECTIVELY, THE “RELEASED PARTIES”) BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY:

  1. INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES;
  2. LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, GOODWILL, OR BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY;
  3. COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES;
  4. DAMAGES FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE;
  5. REPUTATIONAL HARM OR EMOTIONAL DISTRESS; OR
  6. ANY OTHER LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND,

ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF (OR INABILITY TO USE) THE SITE, THE CONTENT, THE SERVICES, OR THESE TERMS, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN ANY EVENT, OUR TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE, THE CONTENT, OR THESE TERMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) ONE HUNDRED CANADIAN DOLLARS (CAD $100.00) OR (B) THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO US, IF ANY, IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In such jurisdictions, our liability shall be limited to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and disbursements) arising out of or in connection with:

  1. Your use of or access to the Site or Services;
  2. Your violation of these Terms or any applicable law or regulation;
  3. Your violation of any rights of any third party;
  4. Any content you submit, post, or transmit through the Site; or
  5. Any claim that your actions caused damage to a third party.

This indemnification obligation shall survive the termination of these Terms and your use of the Site.

9. Protection Against Defamation Claims — Fair Comment and Public Interest Defence

9.1 Nature of Content

The Content published on the Site consists of journalism, commentary, analysis, criticism, and opinion on matters of public interest. Much of our Content constitutes “fair comment” on matters of public concern within the meaning of Canadian defamation law, including the common law defence recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada.

9.2 Responsible Communication on Matters of Public Interest

In accordance with the defence of responsible communication on matters of public interest as established by the Supreme Court of Canada in Grant v. Torstar Corp., [2009] 3 SCR 640, and as codified or recognized in applicable provincial legislation, we affirm that:

  1. The Content addresses matters of legitimate public interest, including but not limited to government action, public policy, the conduct of public officials and public figures, court proceedings, regulatory matters, and other subjects about which the public has a genuine stake in knowing;
  2. We endeavour to act responsibly in researching, verifying, and publishing information on these matters;
  3. Our editorial processes include reasonable efforts to verify facts, seek comment from affected parties where appropriate, and present information in a fair and balanced context; and
  4. Our opinions and commentary are based on facts as understood at the time of publication and are offered in good faith.

9.3 Fair Comment Defence

Opinions, commentary, analysis, and editorial content published on the Site are expressions of honest belief and fair comment on matters of public interest, based on facts stated or generally known. Such expressions are protected under the common law defence of fair comment and, where applicable, under anti-SLAPP legislation including the Courts of Justice Act (Ontario), s. 137.1, and equivalent provincial statutes.

9.4 Public Interest and Anti-SLAPP Protections

The Content published on the Site relates to matters of public interest within the meaning of Ontario’s anti-SLAPP provisions and equivalent legislation in other Canadian jurisdictions. Any legal proceeding brought against us in connection with our Content may be subject to a motion to dismiss under applicable anti-SLAPP legislation, and we reserve the right to seek full indemnity costs and damages against any party who commences a strategic lawsuit against public participation.

9.5 Qualified Privilege

Certain Content, including fair and accurate reports of court proceedings, legislative proceedings, and other official public proceedings, is published under the protection of qualified privilege and, where applicable, statutory privilege under the Libel and Slander Act (Ontario) and equivalent provincial legislation.

9.6 Notice Requirement

In accordance with the Libel and Slander Act (Ontario), R.S.O. 1990, c. L.12, s. 5(1), and equivalent provisions in other provincial jurisdictions, any person who intends to bring an action for libel or defamation in connection with Content published on the Site must provide written notice of the alleged libel to us within the time period prescribed by applicable law, specifying the particular Content complained of. Failure to provide such notice within the prescribed time may bar or limit any claim.

10. User Conduct

When using the Site or Services, you agree that you will not:

  1. Use the Site for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation;
  2. Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity;
  3. Interfere with or disrupt the operation of the Site or the servers or networks connected to the Site;
  4. Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Site, other accounts, computer systems, or networks connected to the Site;
  5. Use any automated system, including robots, spiders, scrapers, or offline readers, to access the Site in a manner that sends more request messages to our servers than a human could reasonably produce in the same period using a conventional web browser;
  6. Transmit any viruses, worms, malware, or other harmful code;
  7. Harvest or collect email addresses or other personal information of other users;
  8. Use the Site to send unsolicited commercial communications;
  9. Post or transmit any content that is defamatory, obscene, threatening, abusive, harassing, or that infringes the rights of any third party; or
  10. Engage in any activity that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Site.

We reserve the right to terminate or restrict your access to the Site at our sole discretion, without notice, for any conduct that we determine, in our sole judgment, violates these Terms or is harmful to us, other users, or third parties.

11. Newsletter Subscription Terms

  1. Subscription: By subscribing to The Northern Writ Daily Briefing or any other newsletter, you consent to receive commercial electronic messages from us in compliance with CASL.
  2. Frequency: We may send newsletters on a daily, weekly, or other periodic basis. We reserve the right to modify the frequency, format, or content of our newsletters at any time without notice.
  3. Unsubscribe: You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking the “unsubscribe” link included in every newsletter email or by using our contact form. Unsubscribe requests will be processed within ten (10) business days as required by CASL.
  4. Third-Party Processing: Newsletter delivery is handled by Buttondown. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your email address and related data will be processed by Buttondown in accordance with its privacy policy.
  5. No Guarantees: We do not guarantee the delivery, frequency, or availability of the newsletter. We may suspend or discontinue the newsletter at any time without liability.

12. Contact Form and Communications

The Site may provide a contact form or other means of communication. By using these features, you acknowledge that:

  1. Communications submitted through the contact form are not confidential and do not create any professional or fiduciary relationship;
  2. We are under no obligation to respond to communications received;
  3. We reserve the right to publish or reference information from communications received, including tips and story leads, without identifying the source unless we have agreed otherwise in writing; and
  4. You will not submit any content through the contact form that is unlawful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, or that infringes the rights of any third party.

13. Third-Party Links

The Site may contain hyperlinks to third-party websites, services, or resources that are not owned or controlled by us. These links are provided for convenience and reference only. We do not endorse, approve, or assume any responsibility for the content, products, services, or practices of any third-party websites. We have no control over the availability, accuracy, or content of third-party sites.

Your use of any third-party website is at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use and privacy policies of such third-party website. We shall not be liable for any damage or loss arising from your use of or reliance on any third-party content, goods, or services.

14. Corrections Policy

The Northern Writ is committed to accuracy in its reporting. If we determine that published Content contains a material factual error, we will endeavour to correct it promptly and transparently. Corrections will be noted in the article or in a subsequent publication, at our sole editorial discretion.

If you believe that published Content contains a factual error, please use our corrections form with the following information:

  1. The specific article or Content at issue, including the URL;
  2. The specific statement(s) you believe to be inaccurate; and
  3. The factual basis for your belief, including any supporting documentation or sources.

We will review all correction requests in good faith. Publication of a correction is at our sole editorial discretion and does not constitute an admission of liability, fault, or wrongdoing. We reserve the right to decline correction requests that we determine, in our editorial judgment, to be without merit, to relate to matters of opinion rather than fact, or to be motivated by an intent to suppress legitimate journalism.

15. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles. You irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario for the resolution of any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or in connection with these Terms, the Site, or the Services. You waive any objection to venue or jurisdiction in such courts, including any objection based on inconvenient forum.

16. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such provision shall be severed from these Terms, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalid or unenforceable provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, legal, and enforceable while preserving its original intent to the greatest extent possible.

17. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any other legal notices or policies published on the Site, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Northern Writ with respect to your use of the Site and Services. These Terms supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications, representations, understandings, or agreements, whether oral or written, between you and us regarding the subject matter hereof. No waiver of any provision of these Terms shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such provision or any other provision.

18. Waiver

No failure or delay by us in exercising any right, power, or privilege under these Terms shall operate as a waiver thereof. No single or partial exercise of any right, power, or privilege shall preclude any other or further exercise thereof or the exercise of any other right, power, or privilege. Our rights and remedies under these Terms are cumulative and are not exclusive of any rights or remedies provided by law.

19. Assumption of Risk

You expressly acknowledge and agree that your use of the Site and reliance on any Content is entirely at your own risk. You assume full responsibility for any decisions or actions taken based on information obtained from or through the Site. Without limiting the foregoing, you acknowledge that:

  1. Journalism involves the reporting and analysis of matters that may be disputed, controversial, or subject to differing interpretations;
  2. Published Content may contain opinions, predictions, or analyses that may ultimately prove to be incomplete or incorrect;
  3. Content is based on information available at the time of publication, which may subsequently change; and
  4. The Northern Writ bears no responsibility for any loss, damage, or adverse consequence arising from your reliance on any Content.

20. No Agency or Partnership

Nothing in these Terms shall be construed to create any agency, partnership, joint venture, employer-employee, or franchisor-franchisee relationship between you and The Northern Writ. You have no authority to bind us in any manner whatsoever.

21. Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations under these Terms where such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, pandemic, epidemic, government action, power failure, internet or telecommunications failure, cyberattack, or labour dispute.

22. Changes to These Terms

We reserve the right to modify, amend, or replace these Terms at any time in our sole discretion. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. We may, but are not obligated to, notify users of material changes via the Site or our newsletter. Your continued use of the Site following the posting of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must cease using the Site immediately.

23. Contact

For questions or concerns regarding these Terms, please use our contact form.