Investigative Reporting Services in Ottawa

Our Four-Step Investigation Process

1. 01

   Discovery and Scoping

   We begin with a 30-minute scoping call at no charge. You describe your editorial focus, share any existing tips or documents, and identify the institutions or individuals you want us to examine. We assess what public records are realistically obtainable, map out the verification challenges, and agree on a scope that fits your timeline and budget. This step ends with a written brief you approve before any work commences.

2. 02

   Research and ATIP Filing

   We file Access to Information and Privacy (ATIP) requests with relevant federal departments under the Access to Information Act and, where applicable, provincial freedom-of-information statutes. Simultaneously, we review publicly available court records, tribunal decisions, financial disclosures, regulatory filings, corporate registries, and Hansard transcripts. Source outreach is conducted through secure, encrypted channels. We track every document request and response in a shared log accessible to your editorial team.

3. 03

   Fact-Checking and Source Verification

   No claim advances to a draft until it has been independently verified. Sources are cross-referenced against documentary evidence. Statistical claims are checked against primary data releases from Statistics Canada, the Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer, or the relevant regulatory body. All named subjects receive a written right-of-reply with a reasonable response window of at least 48 hours. Their responses, or their decision to decline comment, are incorporated into the final article.

4. 04

   Drafting and Delivery

   We write the final report in the format you specify — long-form article, two-part series, backgrounder brief, or a combination. The deliverable package includes the article in .docx and clean HTML, a comprehensive fact-check log in .xlsx or .pdf, copies of ATIP-responsive records, and an anonymized source-contact summary. Three rounds of editorial revisions are included. Final materials are delivered via our secure document portal with 24-month archive access.

Who This Service Is For

Investigative reporting at Flatoutserver is designed for publishers and organizations that need accountability journalism produced to professional editorial standards — without the overhead of a full-time investigative team. Our typical clients include:

• Digital media outlets and independent publishers covering federal or provincial affairs in Canada
• Non-profit journalism organizations seeking specialized investigative capacity on a project basis
• Trade publications and sector-specific news platforms requiring Ottawa-insider expertise on regulatory, procurement, or policy stories
• Academic and think-tank organizations that need documented, publishable research tied to a specific institution or policy decision
• Foundations and public interest groups funding accountability journalism on specific topics — health, environment, housing, or public finance
• Newsrooms recovering from staff reductions that need contract investigative capacity to maintain their watchdog function

How It Works

You initiate an engagement by contacting us with a brief description of your topic. We schedule a scoping call within two business days. After the call, we send a written scope-of-work document including deliverables, timeline, and price. A 40% deposit is required to commence work; the balance is due on delivery of the final package. We provide milestone updates at agreed intervals — typically after the document-gathering phase and after the first draft is complete. All communication is conducted over encrypted channels by default. Source identities are never disclosed to clients; source-protection obligations apply throughout the engagement and persist after its conclusion.

What to Prepare Before We Start

The more context you share at the scoping stage, the more efficiently we can focus our research. Useful materials include:

• A clear description of the topic, institution, individual, or policy decision you want examined
• Any existing documents, tips, previous coverage, or background materials you already hold
• Your intended publication timeline, including any embargo dates or seasonal news hooks
• The name and contact details of your editorial liaison and, if relevant, your legal counsel
• A statement of your publication's source-handling policy and editorial independence standards
• Any geographic or jurisdictional constraints (federal, Ontario provincial, multi-province, etc.)

Deliverables and Formats

Every investigative reporting engagement delivers a complete, publication-ready package:

• Final article or series installment in .docx and clean HTML (UTF-8, no proprietary markup)
• Fact-check log in .xlsx or .pdf documenting every material claim and its primary source
• Copies of ATIP-responsive records received during the engagement
• Anonymized source-contact summary (source identities protected under JSPA)
• Right-of-reply correspondence and subject responses, redacted as necessary
• 24-month access to a secure document archive via our portal
• Usage licence for publication in your named outlet (see Terms of Service for full licence scope)

Timeline and Revisions

All timelines are business days from the confirmed start date (the date the deposit clears). Three rounds of editorial revisions are included in every package. A revision round is defined as a single consolidated set of comments delivered in one document; we do not count individual queries against the round count. Additional revision rounds beyond the included three are billed at $150 per hour.

• Standard (5-8 days): Single well-scoped investigation using available public records and up to three source interviews. Suitable for breaking accountability pieces with existing documentary evidence.
• In-depth (10-15 days): Multi-source research, ATIP filings, extended verification, and right-of-reply process. Appropriate for complex institutional or financial investigations.
• Series (3 episodes): Three interconnected investigative pieces developed over 6-12 weeks, sharing a common research base with separate narrative arcs. Scoped individually at project outset.
• Rush (72 hours): Available for breaking-news situations where existing documentation substantially reduces the research phase. Not all topics are suitable for rush delivery; assessed case by case.

What Is NOT Included

The following items fall outside the standard investigative reporting package and are either available as separate services or require external providers:

• Independent legal review of the final article prior to publication (strongly recommended; not provided by Flatoutserver)
• Translation services between English and French (available as a separate engagement)
• Photography, video production, or multimedia formatting (see our Multimedia Content service)
• Paid database subscriptions beyond those we hold (SEDAR, certain court databases, industry-specific registries)
• Physical document retrieval from archives requiring in-person attendance outside Ottawa
• Publication, distribution, or promotion of the finished piece
• Ongoing monitoring or follow-up reporting after delivery (available under a separate retainer agreement)

How Pricing Works

All prices are in Canadian dollars. HST at 13% (Ontario) applies to all invoices. Net 30 payment terms apply to registered Canadian businesses with an approved credit application; all other clients are invoiced net 15. A 40% deposit is required before work commences. Free cancellation applies up to 72 hours before the agreed start date; cancellations received within 72 hours of the start date forfeit the deposit. Our business number is BN: 732918456 RC0001 and our HST registration is 732918456 RT0001. HST numbers are printed on all invoices for your input tax credit purposes.

All prices in CAD. HST 13% applied on invoices issued to Ontario addresses. Input tax credit (ITC) eligible for GST/HST registrants. See Terms of Service for full payment and cancellation terms.