Civic Maple (civicmaple.com) is an independent Canadian digital news and explainer publisher, owned and operated by Maple Lane Media Inc., an Ontario corporation (Ontario Business Registry company number 1002847593). Registered office: Suite 402, 151 Yonge Street, Toronto, ON M5C 2W7, Canada. Our fact-checking policy is overseen by Oliver Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, who reviews sensitive articles directly. Every article is drafted by a named writer, reviewed by an editor, and fact-checked before publication as part of our commitment to trustworthy Canadian journalism.
Who is responsible for fact-checking at Civic Maple?
Oliver Bennett, Standards & Fact-Checking Lead, is the named editor responsible for all fact-checking operations at Civic Maple. He ensures every article is verified before publication and personally reviews any sensitive or high-impact stories. Oliver reports to Editor-in-Chief Jonathan MacDonald, who holds final authority over editorial standards and corrections. The full editorial team, including Managing Editor Rebecca Thompson and each beat editor, supports this process. For details on all editorial staff, see Our Team.
What do we verify?
Civic Maple verifies all factual claims in every article, including statistics, dates, quotes, names, locations, and references to studies or reports. We do not publish unverified assertions. Every claim is traced to its original source, whether a government database, a peer-reviewed journal, a court document, or a direct interview. When data is disputed or uncertain, we consult multiple independent sources and note the degree of confidence. Our verification extends to headlines, image captions, and embedded data visualizations.
What is our source hierarchy?
Civic Maple ranks sources by reliability: primary documents, official government data, peer-reviewed studies, and named expert interviews are preferred. Anonymous sources are used only when the information is essential and cannot be obtained on the record, and their credibility is corroborated by a second source. We do not rely on single, unverifiable sources for major claims. A detailed breakdown of our source-ranking criteria is available at Sources & Standards.
How do we handle rumours and unverified claims?
Civic Maple does not report rumours or unverified claims as fact. Any such information is clearly labelled as unconfirmed and attributed to its source. If a rumour is widely circulating and newsworthy, we may explain its origin and provide context, but we never amplify speculation without a clear warning. Our Standards Lead reviews all articles that touch on unsubstantiated allegations. This approach ensures readers can distinguish between established fact and developing information.
How can readers report possible errors?
Readers can report potential errors by emailing factcheck@civicmaple.com. Our Standards & Fact-Checking Lead reviews all reports and responds within two business days. Reports are treated confidentially, and the identity of the reporter is not disclosed without permission. We take every report seriously and investigate even minor discrepancies. For more detail on the correction process, see our Corrections Policy. General editorial enquiries may be sent to editorial@civicmaple.com.
What happens when a correction is needed?
When an error is confirmed, Civic Maple issues a correction that is appended to the original article with a note explaining the change. The correction includes the date, a description of the error, and the corrected text. Significant errors that affect the meaning of an article are also noted in a dedicated corrections log. All corrections follow our formal Corrections Policy. Our Editorial Policy further outlines how we maintain accuracy and integrity.
Our commitments
- We verify every factual claim before publication using primary and authoritative sources.
- We clearly label rumours, unverified information, and speculative content as such.
- We issue timely corrections for any errors, with full transparency about what changed and why.
- We maintain an independent fact-checking process free from commercial or political influence, as detailed in our Ownership & Funding page.
- We publish our source hierarchy, methods, and editorial standards openly to foster reader trust.