How we verify providers
How we verify providers
Every provider on CareCompare has a verified phone number — a real, working number a family can call today. We cross-reference listings against Google Places, provincial regulatory directories (College of Pharmacists of BC, PABC, BC Doctors of Optometry), and government open data. Records that arrive with placeholder websites, fragment names, or unresolvable addresses are either fixed before going live or deactivated.
Quality-gated categories
For most categories — foot care, physiotherapy, meal delivery, senior transport — we list every verified provider regardless of star rating. Proximity and availability matter more than a Google score when options are sparse.
Two categories are held to a higher bar because the stakes are higher: live-in care and home maintenance. Both require a minimum 4.0 Google rating before appearing in results. Someone who works inside a senior's home every day — or who handles structural safety work — earns that threshold by their record, not by paying to be listed.
How we stay independent
Our listings and care guidance are editorially independent — we don't accept referral fees or commissions. When featured providers appear, they're clearly labeled and never influence our search results or recommendations.
When coverage is thin
If fewer than two providers in a category serve your city, we extend the search to nearby communities and label those results with their distance — for example, “~20km from Vernon.” We never invent coverage by showing providers from 200km away without making that clear.
If a provider is missing
Our database covers thousands of BC providers but gaps exist, especially in smaller communities. If you know of a provider that should be here, tell us.
Suggest a provider — for families who know a local service that should be on CareCompare.
Submit your service — for providers who want to be listed directly. Both go through the same verification process.
What we won't list
- Businesses without a verifiable phone number
- Listings with fake or placeholder websites
- Scraping artifacts (addresses used as names, truncated strings)
- Businesses that appear to be permanently closed
- Duplicate records for the same business
Your data
When you submit a provider, we collect your email address and the provider details you provide. We keep your email for 90 days (to follow up on your submission), after which it is removed. Provider details may be retained as part of our database.
See our Privacy Policy for full details.