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Advertising Policy

Advertising Policy

Last reviewed: April 26, 2026

Surgency is an educational resource and online directory of private surgical providers in Canada. Surgency is free for users, and funded by surgeons.

Surgeons and clinics pay a flat fee to be listed. This policy describes how the directory works, what surgeons and clinics can and cannot say in their listings, how Surgency reviews and is accountable for advertising on the platform.

This policy governs the directory, surgeon and clinic profiles, the homepage, the form-fill flow, and any commercial communications sent by Surgency. For how Surgency's editorial articles (procedure guides, blogs, recovery information) are produced and reviewed, see our Editorial Policy.

What Surgency is — and is not

Surgency is a paid directory and educational resource, designed so that individuals can independently learn via informational content and browse private surgical providers.

Listings on Surgency are advertising.

Surgency is not:

  • A referral service
  • A matchmaking service
  • A ranking, scoring, or "best of" service
  • A clinical care provider
  • An agent or representative of any listed surgeon or clinic
  • A guarantor of any consultation, procedure, outcome, wait time, or price

users choose which provider, surgeon to contact. Surgency does not select, recommend, prioritize, or steer users toward any particular provider.

How the directory works

  • Surgency is free for users, and funded by surgical service providers.
  • All listings are paid. Surgeons and clinics pay a flat fee to maintain a profile on the platform.
  • Listing fees are flat. They do not vary based on the number of user inquiries, consultations, procedures performed, or outcomes achieved.
  • Surgency does not receive any fee, commission, kickback, or benefit tied to consultations, procedures, or outcomes.
  • All eligible listings are presented on equal footing. Surgency does not sell premium placement, featured slots, sponsored ranking, or paid prioritization in search results or filters.
  • Surgency does not algorithmically match users to specific provider or try to steer users to any specific provider. Surgency was designed so that individuals can independently browse the platform.

Listing review and approval: Surgeon listing requirements

  • Surgeons and providers are responsible for the accuracy of  claims about their own practice—credentials, training, hospital affiliations, procedure offerings, locations, and pricing.
  • Surgency confirms credentials at onboarding (bulleted below). This check is not a clinical quality assessment, a recommendation, or an endorsement. To list on Surgency, Surgeons/providers must provide proof/confirmation of:
    • recognized medical degree
    • active provincial license in good standing
    • FRCSC designation (or equivalent) when applicable
    • LMCC (Canadian licentiate)
    • active malpractice insurance.
  • Surgeons must notify Surgency of any change to their licensure status, hospital affiliations, or practice details that would make their listing inaccurate.
  • Surgency reviews every new and updated listing against this policy before publication. Listings that do not comply are returned to the surgeon for revision.

Surgency's accountability for advertising on the platform

  • Surgency may modify or remove any listing content that, in Surgency's reasonable judgment, may not comply with this policy or Applicable Laws.
  • Surgency may suspend or terminate a listing where a surgeon is under a regulatory investigation, has had conditions placed on their certificate of registration, or has lost licensure.
  • Surgency cooperates promptly with any regulatory body that contacts us about an advertisement on the platform.
  • Where a surgeon's college issues guidance affecting how listings should be presented, Surgency updates its standards and applies them to existing listings.

Profile engagement & form fills

When a user submits a form fill through Surgency:

  1. The user selects the surgeon or clinic they wish to contact.
  2. The user’s contact information is transmitted, with their consent, to that surgeon or clinic so that surgeon or clinic may contact the user.
  3. Surgency does not select, recommend, or prioritize which surgeon receives the request.
  4. Surgency does not receive a fee tied to the request, the consultation, or any subsequent procedure.
  5. After transmission, communications are between the user and the surgeon or clinic. Surgency is not a party to those communications and is not a party to any care that follows.

The form is structured to collect minimal contact information and the user's stated procedure interest. It is not designed to collect personal health information. See our Privacy Policy for full detail on what is collected, how it is shared, and how users can withdraw consent.

Sales and renewal communications

Surgency's sales and renewal communications to surgeons and clinics follow the same rules as listings.

Surgency's sales communications do not:

  • Promise a specific number of consultations, leads, or users
  • Promise a return on investment
  • Frame Surgency as a referral service
  • Suggest that paying for a listing buys preferential placement, treatment, or content

Surgency's sales communications do:

  • Describe Surgency as a directory and educational resource
  • Describe the listing fee as flat and unrelated to consult volume
  • Provide anonymized profile-activity data
  • Disclose Surgency's role and the founder's interest where relevant

Conflict of interest and ownership disclosure

Surgency was founded by Dr. Sean Haffey, who is the company's majority owner. Sean is a licensed physician but does not practice medicine through Surgency, does not provide clinical care to any user who uses the platform, and has no clinical relationship with any listed surgeon or clinic.

This ownership and the directory's commercial model are disclosed:

  • In the footer of every blog, resource, procedure page
  • In the Editorial Policy (for editorial content)
  • In the Terms of Use

Where Surgency publishes content authored or reviewed by Sean, his role as founder and owner is disclosed in that content.

Complaints and takedown

Anyone—user, surgeon, member of the public, or regulator—may report a listing or any commercial content on Surgency that they believe violates this policy or Applicable Laws.

  • Reports can be sent to info@surgency.ca with the subject line "Advertising complaint."
  • Surgency acknowledges complaints within 2 business days.
  • Where the concern is clear-cut (for example, a testimonial, a superiority claim, a guarantee), the offending content is removed or modified within 5 business days and the complainant is notified.
  • Where the concern requires investigation (for example, a credentialing dispute or a factual claim about a surgeon's practice), Surgency suspends the disputed content pending review and aims to resolve the matter within 20 business days.
  • Where a complaint comes from a regulatory body (a college, the Competition Bureau, Health Canada, a provincial ministry), Surgency cooperates immediately and prioritizes the response.

Updates to this policy

This policy is reviewed at least annually, and any time:

  • A relevant college issues new or updated advertising guidance
  • A regulator contacts Surgency about advertising on the platform
  • Surgency materially changes how the directory, consult flow, or pricing model works

The "last reviewed" date appears at the bottom of this page. Material changes are noted with a brief change-log entry.

Contact

Questions, complaints, or feedback about this policy: info@surgency.ca