Frequently Asked Questions

Where are you located?

What are your hours of operation?

Do you accept returns?

What currency are your prices listed in?

What extra charges do you add to a purchase?

I chose Federal Express or Purolator as my method of shipping. Why does the shopping cart show a cost of $0.00 for shipping?

Does your website and online shopping cart indicate which items are in stock?

How can I find the proper person in government to speak with about any issue?

I am looking for a publication that is out of print (e.g. the Canadian Classification and Dictionary of Occupations). How can I get a copy?

Where can I obtain provincial publications?

Can I find your publications in the library?

Are federal government publications available on the Internet?

Can I place subscriptions and standing orders with Federal Publications?

How often do you update your site?

Do I need Crown Copyright permission to reproduce government documents?

Where can I obtain Ontario provincial government maps?

Where can I obtain aerial photographs?

How do I contact an author?

Federal Publications has two retail stores in Canada. The Toronto store is located at 165 University Avenue, at the southeast corner of University Avenue and Adelaide Street. The Montreal store is located at 1185, rue Université, a half block north of René Levesque (in front of Place Ville-Marie).

We are open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. We are closed on Public Holidays.

Generally, all sales are final. More information can be found in our Return Policy.

All prices listed on our website are in Canadian dollars. Your credit card company will automatically calculate the amount of your purchase in your own currency (e.g. US Dollars). For the current exchange rate, see the Bank of Canada’s Currency Exchange.

Please note that shipping and applicable taxes are extra.

Our shopping cart shows a cost of $0.00 for shipping because we are not charging your credit card for shipping, only for the item(s) you are purchasing from us. The courier you selected (Federal Express or Purolator) will bill you separately for their delivery charges and we are not responsible for the shipping or any other fees the courier may charge you for delivery of your order. Please ensure that you or someone who can sign on your behalf will be available at the address that you provide to us as the courier will require a signature. Shipping by Federal Express or by Purolator will always be more expensive than shipping by mail.

Our website and shopping cart do not show a live inventory. While most items you select are available, from time to time we have to replenish stock. As with any online order submitted, you will receive a follow-up email from our staff confirming when your order will be shipped, or advising you if there will be a delay. It is important that you provide us with a valid email address so that we may contact you to confirm when your order will be shipped or advise if there is a delay or a problem with filling your order.

Call the Information Office of the Government of Canada at 1-800-O-CANADA (622-6232). They are the federal government's referral service. It is their job to provide information about the government, and to give out contact names and phone numbers for citizen's inquiries. Or you may choose to try the federal government website at: www.canada.gc.ca.

It depends on the publication. The federal government occasionally runs out of stock of certain items, and after a while will make a decision whether or not to reprint. In some situations, the book will be out of print for some weeks but eventually comes back into stock. However, once it has been decided not to reprint a book, it is declared "permanently out of print" and is no longer available for sale. At that point, you may see the publication in a library, but Ottawa will no longer produce copies for sale.

There is no central outlet for provincial publications; one must order from each province’s bookstore.

The federal government issues one copy of each publication to "full depository" libraries. Libraries that are full depositories include: provincial legislative libraries, large university libraries, and large public reference libraries (such as the Toronto Reference Library). Other libraries may also have copies of certain publications; holdings vary from one library to the next.

In recent years, the federal government has been moving toward increasing the number of documents it makes available online. Each government department has their own policy about how many of their publications are provided on-line. The best way to stay abreast of information online is to check out the Government of Canada website at www.canada.gc.ca..

We are happy to manage your subscriptions and standing orders for publications produced by Canadian Government Publishing, Statistics Canada, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The price you pay is the same as if you placed your order directly with the publisher. Federal Publications offers you prompt order processing, accurate record-keeping, hassle-free claims, timely renewals, and friendly personalized service.

We are constantly updating information on our site, with new releases and information on a daily basis. Once a month, we post a newsletter on the site as well. Federal Publications is your best source for up-to-the-minute information.

Please check The Government of Canada's policy on copyright for full details.

All enquiries regarding copyright and licensing of topographic maps should be addressed to Natural Resources Canada.

You may obtain these maps from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources. Telephone (800) 667 1940.

We regret that Federal Publications Inc. does not sell aerial photos. However, we have contact information for where you can obtain them.

As a bookstore, we are unable to provide contact information for the authors whose books we sell.. We suggest you contact the publisher of the book. A Government of Canada website provides contact information for Canadian publishers.