Every green check on TrueTrades was earned. Here is exactly what we check and what the badge means.
Page: /verified/ · This copy is the trust anchor of the site. Every Verified badge links here.
Most directories rank whoever pays them the most. We think that's backwards — so we built TrueTrades on one rule: verification can't be bought, and ranking can't be paid for.
When you see the ✓ Verified badge next to a company, it means a real person on our team checked that company against official sources, on the date shown. Not a self-declaration. Not a paid tier. A check.
Every verified listing has passed all of the following:
1. Business licence — checked against the City of Calgary
We look the company up in the City of Calgary's licensed contractor registry to confirm they hold an active, valid business licence for the work they advertise. Companies operating from Airdrie, Cochrane, Okotoks or Chestermere are checked against their home municipality's registry.
2. WCB Alberta coverage — clearance confirmed
We confirm the company holds a Workers' Compensation Board (Alberta) account in good standing. This matters more than most homeowners realize: if an uninsured worker is injured on your property, you can be exposed. A valid WCB clearance protects you.
3. Liability insurance — certificate on file
The company provides us a current certificate of commercial general liability insurance. We record the carrier and the expiry date, and the badge lapses if the certificate does.
4. Better Business Bureau standing
We check the company's BBB profile for rating and unresolved complaint patterns. A poor BBB record doesn't automatically disqualify a company, but it triggers a closer look — and unresolved patterns of complaints do disqualify.
5. Trade-specific certifications, where they matter
Some work requires more than a general licence. For radon work, we confirm C-NRPP certification. For insurance restoration, we look for industry certifications (such as IICRC). Each category page lists exactly what we check for that trade.
It means: on the date shown, this company held a valid licence, active WCB coverage, and current liability insurance, and passed our background checks.
It doesn't mean: we guarantee their workmanship, their price, or your outcome. No directory honestly can. Verification tells you a company is legitimate, insured, and accountable — the baseline every homeowner deserves but almost nobody checks. Your quote comparison, references, and contract still matter. (Our guides show you how to do that part well.)
Listings marked "verification pending" are real Calgary companies we've listed but haven't finished checking. We never show the green badge on partial checks.
Licences expire. Insurance lapses. Companies change hands. So verification isn't one-and-done: every verified listing is re-checked at least every six months, and the "Verified" date on the badge tells you when it was last confirmed. If a company's licence or insurance lapses, the badge comes down until it's restored.
Simple: verified companies appear before unverified ones. That's it.
Within the verified group, ordering is neutral (rotation/alphabetical) — it is never influenced by payment. Companies cannot pay to rank higher, pay to remove reviews, or pay to get verified. If we ever introduce clearly-labelled featured placements, they will be visually marked as such and will never alter the verification standard or bury a verified company.
Listings on TrueTrades are free. No company is ever removed, demoted, or denied verification for declining to buy anything from us.
If your experience with a verified company doesn't match the standard this page describes — or if you believe any information on a listing is wrong — tell us: [verify@truetrades.ca]. Every report is reviewed by a person, and verified companies with substantiated, unresolved issues lose the badge.
If you own a listed business and want to claim, correct, or verify your listing: [claim@truetrades.ca]. Claiming is free.
TrueTrades is independently owned and operated in Calgary by Jonathan Ilgert. It is not owned by a contractor, a lead-generation network, or a marketing company, and no listed business has any ownership stake. Our verification sources are official public registries and documents provided directly by the businesses — never third-party data brokers.
Editorial responsibility: Jonathan Ilgert · Methodology last updated: August 2026