There are a number of searches and filings that you can do directly on the Ontario Business Registry (OBR) with the Ontario Government. You can also use a search company (or what the Ontario Government refers to as an authorized service provider), but that can increase the fees dramatically. There are times when using a search company can be helpful (or even necessary when you do not have a company key), but often, it is absolutely not necessary.
For example, there is the Notice of Change filings for ONCA groups. It is free on the OBR (as long as you have a company key). A search company may charge an additional fee just to file the form of say $75.
There is also the Initial Return filings for extra-provincial groups (e.g. a federal CNCA corporation that operates in Ontario), and there is no filing fee if done directly on the OBR. A search company may have their own fee of over $90.
You can also order your corporate documents directly from the OBR at $3. Or if you use a search company, they can charge an additional $29 (or even more) which is beyond the $3 fee from the government.
The Ontario profile report for ONCA groups, which lists, among other things, who are your directors and officers and their addresses, costs $8 to order directly on the OBR. But if you use a search company, they may charge an additional $50.
If you do one search a year, it may not matter that much, but if you are often doing searches, it certainly adds up. We have also found that sometimes the documents arrive quicker and more conveniently when doing it directly with the Ontario government.
You can find the OBR here.