Terms of Service

These Terms are a contract between you and Northline Marketplace Inc. ("Northline", "we"), an Alberta corporation with its head office in Calgary. Part A applies to everyone. Part B applies additionally to providers, sellers and kitchens ("Businesses"). Plain-language summaries in the margins are for convenience and do not replace the clause they summarise.

Part A — Terms for everyone

1. Who may use Northline

You must be at least 18, or the age of majority in your province, and able to form a binding contract. Businesses must be lawfully able to operate in the province where they list. We currently serve Alberta and British Columbia (pilot); listings for other provinces are waitlisted and may not transact.

2. Your account

One person, one account. You are responsible for everything done under your login. Business accounts must keep a phishing-resistant second factor (passkey or authenticator app) active; SMS is a backup only. Tell us at once at security@northline.ca if you suspect unauthorised access. We may suspend an account that appears compromised and will notify you.

Staff invited to a Business get their own login and role. Sharing credentials is a breach of these Terms and voids the protections in section 11.

3. What Northline is — and is not

Northline operates an online marketplace connecting customers with independent providers of services, sellers of goods and food kitchens. Northline is not a party to the contract for the service, goods or food; that contract is between you and the Business. We do not employ providers, prepare food, or manufacture goods. Where we act as marketplace facilitator (section 12) or escrow agent (section 10), we do so on the terms stated there.

4. Listings and bookings

Businesses are responsible for the accuracy of their listings, prices, availability and hours. A booking or order forms a contract when the Business accepts it (automatically or manually) and you receive a confirmation. Quotes are valid for the period stated on them, 7 days by default.

5. Cancellations and no-shows

Each listing states its cancellation window. Outside that window you may cancel for a full refund. Inside it, the Business may keep the cancellation fee shown at booking, never more than 50 % of the booked value unless the listing is a custom order already in production. A provider who cancels inside the window or fails to arrive refunds you in full and takes a reliability penalty. Genuine emergencies documented within 48 hours are excused once per rolling 90 days.

6. Reliability scores and reviews

Both customers and Businesses carry a reliability score built from completed, cancelled and disputed transactions, punctuality check-ins and verified reviews. Only parties to a completed or cancelled-inside-window transaction may review it. Reviews must be honest and about the transaction. We remove reviews that are abusive, disclose personal information, or are shown to be fabricated, and we flag rather than delete reviews that a Business disputes. We do not sell, suppress or reorder reviews for payment.

7. Acceptable conduct

Do not: harass, discriminate contrary to provincial human-rights law, misrepresent identity or qualifications, take a Northline-sourced transaction off-platform to avoid fees or escrow, scrape or resell platform data, attempt to access other accounts, list prohibited items (weapons, controlled substances, counterfeit goods, recalled products, cannabis outside provincially licensed channels), or use the platform for money laundering. We may warn, restrict, suspend or terminate accounts for breaches and will say why unless the law prevents us.

8. Messaging and safety

Messages between customers and Businesses run through Northline so that both sides have a record. Phone numbers and exact addresses are disclosed only once a booking is confirmed and only to the extent needed to fulfil it. On-site providers check in with GPS and a timestamp; this record is available to both parties in a dispute. Call 911 in any emergency; then report to us.

9. Prices and payment

All prices are in Canadian dollars and show applicable GST/HST/PST before you confirm. Payment is taken by our payment processor at booking (services), checkout (goods) or order (food). We accept major cards, Interac, Apple Pay and Google Pay. Your card details never reach Northline's servers.

10. Escrow

Northline holds your payment in a segregated trust account until the transaction is confirmed: a service is marked complete by the provider and not disputed within 48 hours; goods are confirmed delivered and not disputed within 7 days; food is delivered or picked up. Funds are then released to the Business. Escrow funds are not Northline's operating money and are held with a Schedule I Canadian bank. Interest on escrow, if any, is retained by Northline to offset payment costs.

11. Disputes and the Northline Guarantee

Open a dispute from the transaction within the windows in section 10. Both sides get 72 hours to add evidence (photos, messages, check-in records). A Northline resolutions specialist decides within 5 business days and may release, refund, or split the funds. Where a service was not performed, goods did not arrive, or an item is materially not as described, and the Business does not remedy it, we refund you from escrow or, if escrow has already been released, from Northline's own funds up to $2,500 per transaction. The Guarantee does not cover change of mind, items used or damaged after delivery, or transactions taken off-platform. Either party may still pursue provincial small-claims or consumer-protection remedies; nothing here removes rights under the Alberta Consumer Protection Act or the BC Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act.

12. Taxes and marketplace facilitator role

Where required by federal or provincial law, Northline collects and remits GST/HST and PST on sales made through the platform as a marketplace facilitator, and issues the tax documentation. Businesses remain responsible for their own income tax and for any taxes on off-platform sales.

13. Refunds

Refunds return to the original payment method within 5–10 business days of approval. Where a refund is agreed between you and the Business without a dispute, the Business can issue it directly from their Studio.

14. Promotions and credits

Credits and promotional codes have no cash value, cannot be transferred, and expire on the date shown. We may cancel credits obtained through fraud or referral abuse.

15. Intellectual property and your content

Northline and its design, software and marks belong to us. Your listings, photos, reviews and messages remain yours; you give us a worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, display and reproduce them for operating and promoting the marketplace, ending when you delete them except for copies in disputes, backups and legal holds. Do not upload content you do not have the right to use.

16. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect and why. Personal information is stored in Canada. Businesses receiving customer personal information may use it only to fulfil the transaction and must protect it as set out in Part B.

17. Availability

We aim for 99.9 % monthly availability of the marketplace and kitchen display systems and publish status at status.northline.ca. Planned maintenance is announced 72 hours ahead and scheduled outside 7 am – 11 pm MT.

18. Disclaimers

Except as expressly stated in these Terms or required by consumer-protection law, the platform is provided "as is". We verify Businesses as described in Part B but we do not guarantee the quality, safety or legality of any service, good or food, which remain the Business's responsibility.

19. Limitation of liability

To the extent permitted by law, Northline's total liability to you for any claim arising from the platform in a 12-month period is limited to the greater of the fees Northline earned from your transactions in that period and $500, plus any amount payable under the Northline Guarantee. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss. Nothing limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or anything that cannot be limited by law.

20. Ending your account

You may close your account at any time from settings once open transactions are complete. We may end or suspend accounts for breach, legal requirement or a prolonged risk to others, with notice and a reason where lawful. Sections 10, 11, 15, 19 and 21 survive.

21. Governing law and where disputes go

These Terms are governed by the laws of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada applicable there. Disputes with Northline go first to our resolutions team, then to mediation, then to the courts of Alberta. Consumers may always bring claims in their home province's courts or small-claims tribunal. There is no mandatory arbitration and no class-action waiver.

22. Changes to these Terms

We give at least 30 days' notice by email and in-app before material changes take effect, with a summary of what changed. If you do not agree, you may close your account before the effective date. Continuing to use Northline afterwards means you accept the new Terms. Changes required by law or to address security may take effect sooner.

Part B — Additional terms for Businesses

Applies to providers, sellers and kitchens. Where Part B conflicts with Part A, Part B governs for Businesses.

B1. Eligibility and verification

You must provide accurate legal-entity details, a GST/HST number where your revenue exceeds the small-supplier threshold, government ID for the owner (KYC through our payment processor), and the licences, permits, certificates and insurance your category requires. Regulated trades are checked against the provincial registry automatically. We re-verify documents on expiry and at least annually. Providing false documents ends your account permanently.

B2. Tiers

Businesses progress from Applicant → Registered → Trusted → Master based on verified transactions, reliability, dispute rate and time on platform. Tier criteria are published in the Studio and apply equally. Tiers affect the take rate (B4), search placement and payout timing. A tier can go down as well as up; we notify you 14 days before a downgrade takes effect, except where triggered by a safety finding.

B3. Your listings and your customers' data

You are responsible for your listings being lawful, accurate and priced inclusive of everything except tax shown separately. You receive customer names, contact details and addresses only to fulfil transactions and must not use them for marketing, add them to external lists, or keep them longer than needed for the transaction, warranty or legal record-keeping. You are a separate organisation under Canadian privacy law and must comply with it.

B4. Fees and payouts

Northline charges a take rate on each completed transaction: Registered 15 %, Trusted 12 %, Master 9 % (plus GST), inclusive of payment processing. There are no listing or monthly fees. Released escrow funds are paid out to your verified Canadian bank account daily (Master), twice weekly (Trusted) or weekly (Registered). A payout or bank-account change requires a fresh passkey confirmation and holds for 24 hours. We may hold funds where there is an open dispute, chargeback, or a reasonable suspicion of fraud, and will tell you why.

B5. Taxes

Where Northline is the marketplace facilitator we collect and remit GST/HST and PST on your platform sales and provide monthly statements for your records. You remain responsible for your income tax, payroll taxes, and any tax on sales outside Northline. You agree to the marketplace facilitator arrangement as a condition of listing.

B6. Off-platform transactions

You may serve your existing customers however you like. But a transaction that starts on Northline (a lead, quote, message or booking) must complete on Northline; moving it off-platform to avoid fees or escrow is a breach, removes the customer's Guarantee and, on a second occurrence, ends your account.

B7. Food businesses

Every kitchen — restaurant, caterer or home-based — must hold and display a valid Alberta Health Services (or provincial equivalent) food-handling permit and municipal business licence, pass Northline's kitchen visit, and keep an allergen declaration on every item. Permits are re-verified monthly. A failed inspection or expired permit hides your menu until resolved. You are responsible for food safety, temperature control during delivery and accurate allergen information; Northline is not the food producer.

B8. Regulated trades and insurance

Providers in regulated trades (electrical, gas, plumbing, HVAC, automotive and others listed in the Studio) must hold the provincial certification and, where required, the permit for the job. All on-site providers must carry commercial general liability insurance of at least $2,000,000 and, where applicable, WCB coverage, and provide proof on request. You are solely responsible for the quality and code-compliance of your work.

B9. Sellers of goods

Goods must be new or accurately described as used, comply with Canadian safety and labelling law (bilingual where required), and not be subject to a recall. You ship within the stated handling time with tracking, or offer local pickup with confirmed hand-off. Returns follow the policy on the listing, which must at minimum accept returns of items not as described.

B10. Team members and roles

You may invite staff with roles (owner, manager, technician, cook, bookkeeper, front-of-house). Each has their own login. You are responsible for their actions in the Studio, for removing access when they leave, and for ensuring only owners can change bank details. All sensitive actions are logged and visible to owners.

B11. API and integrations

API keys are issued per Business, scoped and revocable. You are responsible for third-party tools you connect. Rate limits and acceptable-use rules for the API are published in the developer documentation and form part of these Terms.

B12. Suspension and off-boarding

We may pause listings immediately for a safety finding, an expired mandatory document, an unusual dispute or chargeback pattern, or a lawful order, and will tell you what is needed to restore them. If you leave or are removed, open transactions complete under these Terms, escrow releases on its normal schedule, and you can export your listings, customer transaction history and reviews for 90 days.

B13. Indemnity

You will indemnify Northline against third-party claims arising from your services, goods, food, listings, or breach of law or these Terms, except to the extent caused by Northline's own negligence.

Contact

Northline Marketplace Inc. · 1200 – 8th Avenue SW, Calgary, Alberta T2P 1B5
legal@northline.ca · support@northline.ca · 1-800-555-0166 (bilingual, 7 am – 11 pm MT)

Ces conditions sont également disponibles en français. En cas de divergence, la version dans la langue choisie par l'utilisateur au moment de l'acceptation prévaut.