Not All PPSA Searches Are Equal: Ontario vs. Nova Scotia (ACOL)

A PPSA search is not uniform across Canada. 

The search options and matching logic vary by registry, which can affect which search results are returned.

For example, there are two PPSA search options in Ontario when searching individuals - the Individual Specific search and the broader Individual Non-Specificsearch.

Conversely, Nova Scotia (and the other ACOL-based jurisdictions of NB, PEI, NL, NT, NU, and YT) uses a common phonetic-based search algorithm for “similar matches” called NYSIIS that considers variations such as Smith and Smyth, John and Jon, as “similar”.

1.1 Individual names - Ontario

An Individual Specific search is narrow. It exactly matches on first name, middle initial (if any), last name, and date of birth. Therefore, a search conducted on WILLIAM SMITH 26 JUN 1952 will not include a registration filed against WILLIAM J. SMITH26 JUN 1952.

The Individual Non-Specific search, on the other hand, ignores the middle initial and date of birth fields altogether, exactly matching the first name and last name fields only.

Therefore, a search conducted on WILLIAM SMITH will include registrations filed against:

• WILLIAM A. SMITH;

• WILLIAM R. SMITH 26 JUN 1952;

• WILLIAM Q. SMITH;

• WILLIAM J. SMITH 21 JUN 1950;

…and any other registrations filed against first name WILLIAM and last name SMITH, regardless of middle initial and date of birth.

However, it will not return registrations filed against any variation or alternative spellings, such as:

• WILLIAM SMYTH; or

• BILL SMITH

This makes Individual Non-Specific searches a practical option where the middle initial and/or date of birth is unknown or uncertain on a deal. It also means that an Individual Non-Specific search against a common name, such as WILLIAM SMITH, may return many unrelated hits that you’ll need to filter through - Regy’s automated summariessimplify this task.

1.2 Individual names - Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia searches individual names differently. There’s no option for adding date of birth - the search fields are first name, middle name (if any) and last name. Search criteria without a middle name do not match a registration with a middle name, and search criteria with a middle name do not match a registration without one. A search using first name, last name and only a middle initial can “similar match” a registered name where the first letter of the middle name begins with that letter, but this is still less broad than Ontario’s Individual Non-Specific search.

Nova Scotia’s “similar match” process is based on the NYSIIS algorithm (e.g., Smith and Smyth, and John and Jon, would respectively be “similar”), but the middle-name rules still apply.

Whereas an Ontario Individual Non-Specific search for WILLIAM SMITH will return registrations against:

• WILLIAM Q. SMITH 26 JUN 1952; and

• WILLIAM J. SMITH 11 JUL 1941,

a Nova Scotia individual search for WILLIAM SMITH without a middle name would not return registrations against:

• WILLIAM QUINTIN SMITH; and

• WILLIAM JOHN SMITH

Though an individual search in Nova Scotia doesn’t require a date of birth and uses the NYSIIS “similar matching” logic, it’s matching scope is considerably narrower than Ontario’s Individual Non-Specific.

2. Business names

The business name search comparison is slightly different. Both systems can return “similar” results but use different logic to return what each jurisdiction considers “similar”.

In Ontario, business name matching is strictly rules-based. The system removes common legal endings like “Limited”, “Ltd.”, “Corp.” and “Inc.”, ignores punctuation and spaces, strips certain opening words, does not support french character marks, treats some words as equivalents, and can remove a final “s” from the last word. For example, in Ontario:

• ABC RESTAURANT is “similar” to ABC RESTAURANTS, but not ABC’S RESTAURANTS

• MACDONALD RESTAURANT is “similar” to MAC DONALD RESTAURANT, but not MCDONALD RESTAURANT

• A.B.C. LTD. is “similar” to ABC LIMTED and ABC INC.

In Nova Scotia, business name matching is more word-based. The search logic uses NYSIIS for “similar” matching in addition to some similar rules as in Ontario: common legal endings and terms are ignored, extra words are ignored, some common aliases are treated as equal (like SAINT and ST), but french character marks are ignored (É equates to E), punctuation splits a string of letters into two different words and initials are different than acronyms.

For example, in Nova Scotia:

• J.D. SMITH LTD. is “similar” to J. D. SMYTH LTD. and J D SMITH LTD., but not JD SMITH LTD.

• JD SMITH is “similar” to JD SMITH LTD., but not J. D. SMITH LTD. or J D SMITH LTD.

• FRED J. WATTS HARDWARE LTD. is “similar” to FRED J. WATTS HARDWARE (1977) LTD., but not WATTS HARDWARE (1977) LTD.

• A.B.C. LIMITED is “similar” to A. B. C. LIMITED, but not ABC LIMITED

• BIG RED is “similar” to BIG RED DOG, but not BIG DOG

While both Ontario and Nova Scotia will provide “similar” matches in their PPSA search results, Ontario gets there solely through a built-in list of basic similarity rules, while Nova Scotia also depends on NYSIIS-based phonetic matching and punctuation.

3. Practical takeaway

For individual PPSA searches, Ontario’s Individual Non-Specific PPSA search is a unique and very helpful option. It still exact matches on the first name and last name, but it can catch registrations that would not appear in a tighter search with a middle initial and date of birth.

For business searches, Ontario and Nova Scotia can both return “similar” matches, but Ontario is rules-based while Nova Scotia is more dependent on NYSIIS-based “similar” matching and punctuation.

4. Regy’s approach

To ensure maximum coverage, the safest approach is to conduct a separate search for each additional name or spelling variation.

For individual searches in Ontario, Regy generally recommends running at least one Individual Non-Specific and one Individual Specific search where possible. The Individual Non-Specific search acts as the catch-all. If the middle initial or date of birth is not available, the Individual Non-Specific search may be the only practical route. If any individual goes by different names, you should also run searches on those names. Though not always possible, it is best practice to initially seek official government identification from the individual.

For searches on businesses, it often makes sense to run small variations in spelling, abbreviations, and french legal names (if one exists). If you’re using a platform like Regy, you can officially verify any business name across Canada before you search to ensure you have the correct spelling.

Caveat: this article is not a perfect apples-to-apples comparison. Ontario Individual Specific searches have an optional middle initial but require a date of birth, while Nova Scotia has an optional middle name and no date of birth field. The practical point is simply that the search options are different, and these differences can seriously affect what comes back.

Judgement matters the most. A well scoped batch of searches based on the context, jurisdiction and information available is the best way to ensure your PPSA searching is comprehensive.

Learn more at www.regy.ca

A special to thank you to Nelson Coombs, VP of Business Development and Registry Support at Regy, for his contributions to this article.