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Field Notes.

Surveillance craft, gear and technology, intelligence articles and practical guidance, written by working investigators, minus the cases we can’t talk about.

Showing 30 of 30 articles

  1. How Skip Tracing Actually Works in Canada, and Why Free People-Search Sites Fail How skip tracing and locates actually work in Canada, the records investigators can lawfully use, and why free people-search sites fail on Canadian subjects. Intelligence Articles · July 2026 · 16 min read
  2. Asset Searches in Ontario: What’s Findable Before Judgment, and After An Ontario asset search before judgment is a collectability test. What is lawfully searchable, what is not, and the enforcement tools a judgment unlocks. Intelligence Articles · July 2026 · 13 min read
  3. Planning a High-Risk Termination: What Employers Get Wrong How to plan a high-risk termination in Ontario: risk assessment, meeting logistics, access revocation, and the OHSA duties employers miss until the day of. Corporate Investigations · July 2026 · 17 min read
  4. Drones in Investigations: Transport Canada Rules vs What Courts Accept Drone rules for Ontario investigations: Transport Canada RPAS requirements, privacy and evidence limits, and the pre-flight checklist that keeps footage usable. Gear & Technology · July 2026 · 15 min read
  5. Investigating in Northern and Remote Ontario: Logistics, Access and Cost What a northern Ontario investigation actually costs and why: travel time, fly-in access, winter roads, cover in small communities, and the real cost drivers. Surveillance · July 2026 · 13 min read
  6. Background Checks in Ontario: What’s Legal, What’s Available, and What the Police Record Checks Reform Act Changed What an Ontario background check can legally reveal, the three police record check types under the Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015, and your rights. Corporate Investigations · July 2026 · 15 min read
  7. Instructing an Investigator as Counsel: Privilege, Scope Letters and What to Put in Writing How Ontario counsel should retain and instruct a private investigator: litigation privilege, the dominant purpose test, surveillance disclosure, scope letters. Intelligence Articles · July 2026 · 13 min read
  8. Social Media Evidence in Claims: What’s Admissible and What Gets Excluded What makes social media evidence admissible in an Ontario claim, what gets it excluded, and why a bare screenshot rarely survives a real challenge. Insurance & Workplace · July 2026 · 17 min read
  9. Pre-Employment Due Diligence Without Breaching PIPEDA Pre-employment due diligence done lawfully in Ontario: consent, purpose and proportionality, police record checks, social media screening, and adverse findings. Corporate Investigations · July 2026 · 14 min read
  10. Internal Theft: Building a Case That Survives a Wrongful Dismissal Claim Internal theft in Ontario: what an employer must prove for just cause, the first 48 hours, the ESA wilful misconduct trap, and the interview mistakes that cost. Corporate Investigations · July 2026 · 13 min read
  11. Romance and Investment Fraud: Verifying Someone You’ve Only Met Online How to verify someone you met online before sending money: reverse image search, live video-call tests, CSA registration checks, and the first 24 hours. Family & Personal · July 2026 · 13 min read
  12. Choosing a Camcorder for Surveillance Work: Five Budget Models Compared Five budget camcorders compared for surveillance: optical zoom, low light, stabilization, batteries, and why none of them have true night vision. Gear & Technology · July 2026 · 9 min read
  13. Bad-Faith Evictions and the LTB: What an Investigation Can Prove The N12 own-use notice, how bad faith is established at a hearing, and the remedies that make a documented case worth building. Landlord-Tenant · July 2026 · 4 min read
  14. TSCM Explained: How a Professional Bug Sweep Actually Works What a professional TSCM sweep actually involves, what consumer detectors miss, and the situations that genuinely call for one. Gear & Technology · July 2026 · 4 min read
  15. Digital Forensics: What’s Recoverable, and What’s Admissible Deleting a file rarely destroys it. What forensics can recover, and what separates recoverable data from admissible evidence. Intelligence Articles · July 2026 · 4 min read
  16. Penetration Testing vs a Security Audit: What Testing Actually Reveals An audit tells you what your policies say. A test tells you what happens when someone actually tries to get in. Corporate Investigations · July 2026 · 4 min read
  17. Ontario RTA Changes 2026: What Bill 60 Actually Means for Landlords A plain landlord’s guide to Bill 60: the 7-day N4, lighter N12 compensation, a 15-day review window, doubled fines, and when each change lands. Landlord-Tenant · July 2026 · 9 min read
  18. Ontario Auto Insurance Changes July 2026: What SABS Reform Means for Claims Ontario’s SABS reform: mandatory med and rehab, optional income and caregiver benefits, auto pays first, and what it changes for claims and investigations. Insurance & Workplace · July 2026 · 9 min read
  19. Coercive Control and Canadian Law: Where Things Actually Stand Bill C-16 makes coercive control a criminal offence, in force by 2028. What it covers, why it already matters in family court, and how patterns are documented. Family & Personal · June 2026 · 10 min read
  20. What Is PGP Encryption? A Practical Guide to Using It The two problems PGP solves, how public and private keys work, and step-by-step setup on Mac, Windows and Linux, with the command reference. Gear & Technology · April 2026 · 12 min read
  21. How to Screen a Tenant Legally in Ontario What landlords can legally check, what the Human Rights Code prohibits, what PIPEDA consent requires, and how to spot professional tenants. Landlord-Tenant · March 2026 · 11 min read
  22. Ontario Private Investigator Law Changes: What the PSISA Review Could Mean Ontario is reviewing the law that licenses private investigators. What could change on definitions, oversight, and the police distinction, and what has not. Security & Protection · February 2026 · 8 min read
  23. Hamilton Renoviction Bylaw: A Landlord’s Guide to the N13 Renovation Licence Serve an N13 in Hamilton and the clock starts: seven days to apply for a Renovation Licence, proof the unit must be vacant, the right of return, and rent-gap compensation. Landlord-Tenant · December 2025 · 9 min read
  24. WSIB Surveillance: What Employers and Claimants Should Know Is WSIB surveillance legal in Ontario? What it looks for, how evidence holds up at a hearing, and the privacy rights claimants keep. Insurance & Workplace · October 2025 · 11 min read
  25. What Open-Source Intelligence Actually Means for a Business What open-source intelligence actually covers, where it earns its keep in corporate work, and the legal line between screening and snooping. Intelligence Articles · August 2025 · 10 min read
  26. What’s Actually in an Investigator’s Field Kit The camera courts rely on, the 12-hour vehicle setup, and the equipment a licensed investigator deliberately leaves behind. Gear & Technology · April 2025 · 10 min read
  27. How to Spot Employee Fraud Before It Costs You What counts as fraud, the warning signs owners miss, and why the first days after a suspicion matter more than anything that follows. Corporate Investigations · February 2025 · 10 min read
  28. Art of Surveillance: Techniques Every Investigator Should Know Part 2 Mobile surveillance for licensed investigators: burn zones, following distance, cover cars, and knowing when to let the subject go. Surveillance · January 2025 · 11 min read
  29. Tenant Troubles? How Private Solutions Investigators Assist Landlords A single problematic tenant can derail months of hard work, threaten your financial stability, and cause ongoing stress. Landlord-Tenant · December 2024 · 10 min read
  30. Art of Surveillance: Techniques Every Investigator Should Know Part 1 Thorough preparation, solid methodology, and adherence to legal guidelines are the cornerstones of any successful surveillance operation. Surveillance · December 2024 · 14 min read

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