The rules of the road.

1. Who we are, and who we are not

NorthlanderGuide.com is an independent traveller's directory for the Ontario Northland Northlander train route. We are not Ontario Northland Railway, Ontario Northland Transportation Commission (ONTC), the Government of Ontario, or any railway authority. We do not operate trains, sell tickets, set fares, or set schedules.

For official train information including current schedules, fares, ticketing, accessibility services, and operational changes, please refer to Ontario Northland directly at ontarionorthland.ca or by phone at the number listed on their site.

2. The site is informational

Everything on NorthlanderGuide.com is for general informational and travel-planning purposes. The site is not professional advice (legal, medical, financial, or otherwise), it is not a transportation contract, and nothing on it constitutes a guarantee that a train will run, an event will happen, a listing will be open, or any third-party detail will be accurate on the date you visit.

3. Train times, fares, and schedules

Schedule information shown on the site is based on Ontario Northland's published timetable at the time we last synced. Trains can be delayed, rerouted, or cancelled, and Ontario Northland may change schedules or fares without notice. Always confirm with Ontario Northland directly before relying on a departure time, arrival time, or fare for travel.

We will not be liable for any loss, missed connection, missed event, missed booking, or other inconvenience or expense arising from a train running late, being cancelled, or otherwise not matching the schedule shown on the site.

4. Third-party content (listings, events, addresses, prices)

The site lists restaurants, accommodations, attractions, parks, shops, festivals, markets and other businesses and events along the route. This information is sourced from public data, owner submissions, community contributions, and our own research. We make a reasonable effort to keep it accurate, but:

• Business hours, prices, addresses, phone numbers, and websites can change at any time.
• Events can be cancelled, rescheduled, or moved by their organizers.
• A listing being on the site is not an endorsement of the business.

Always verify hours, prices, location and ticketing with the business or event organizer before visiting or booking. We are not responsible for any loss, missed visit, refused service, or other inconvenience arising from third-party information being out of date or incorrect.

5. Assumption of risk for outdoor activities, restaurants, accommodations, and visiting any listed business

Outdoor activities, trail walks, parks, hikes, restaurants, accommodations, attractions, festivals, events, transportation, tours, and any other business or experience listed or described on the site involve inherent risks that we do not control and cannot inspect. By using the site to plan or carry out any visit, you assume all such risks and release NorthlanderGuide.com, its operators, contributors and licensors from any responsibility for, including but not limited to:

• Personal injury, illness, allergic reaction, food-borne illness, slip-and-fall, accident, or death.
• Property damage, theft, loss, or vandalism while travelling, staying, or visiting.
• Cancellation, non-honour, or other breach by a business, host, organizer, transport provider, or third party.
• Inaccurate, misleading, or out-of-date allergen information, accessibility information, safety information, age restrictions, dress codes, or capacity limits.
• Trail closures, hazardous conditions, dangerous wildlife, weather events, or any other natural hazard.
• Disputes between you and a third-party business, including but not limited to refund disputes and service quality complaints.

We do not inspect, verify, certify, or guarantee any business, listing, event, trail condition, food safety practice, accessibility provision, sanitation level, security level, operator practice, vehicle condition, or staff training. You are solely responsible for exercising independent judgment, taking appropriate safety precautions, carrying appropriate insurance, and confirming conditions directly with the business or event organizer before your visit. If you have a specific medical condition, allergy, accessibility need, or any other concern, contact the business directly to verify.

6. Submitting tips, events, listings, and other content

When you submit a tip, event, business listing, photo, or other content to the site:

• You confirm that the information you've submitted is accurate to the best of your knowledge.
• You confirm that you have the right to share it (for tip and event photos, that means you own the photo or have permission from the owner).
• You grant NorthlanderGuide.com a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual licence to publish, display, edit for clarity, translate, resize, and redistribute that content on the site, on our newsletter, on our official social channels, and in our marketing materials.
• You can ask us to remove a submission you made by contacting the email at the bottom of this page. We will remove it on next sync. Cached or archived copies on third-party services (search engines, archive.org, etc.) are outside our control.
• We may reject or remove any submission at our discretion, with or without reason.

7. Accounts (when launched)

We will soon offer optional free accounts so visitors can save favourite stops, track events, and access the Northlander.app trip planner across devices. When accounts launch:

• You must be at least 13 years old (or the minimum age in your jurisdiction, whichever is higher) to create an account.
• You will provide a valid email address that you control. Accounts are issued per email address; one person should not maintain multiple accounts on the same email.
• You are responsible for keeping your magic-link emails private. Do not forward them. We will treat anyone who clicks a magic link as you.
• Accounts are personal; they are not transferable and cannot be sold.
• We can suspend or terminate an account if it is used to abuse the site, spam the community, or otherwise violate these terms. We will refund any unused portion of a paid plan in that case.

8. Northlander.app First Class plan (when launched)

We are building a one-time-payment "First Class" tier that unlocks the full Northlander.app trip planner. When it launches:

• Payment will be processed by Stripe (or a comparable regulated payment processor). We do not see or store your card number.
• The plan is a one-time payment, not a recurring subscription. Unless we change this and post the change here, you will not be charged again after activation.
• Refund policy: we will refund the full purchase price within 14 days of purchase if you have not used a meaningfully large share of the paid features. After 14 days, refunds are at our discretion.
• If we discontinue First Class, we will continue to provide access for at least 12 months from the date of purchase, or offer a pro-rated refund.

9. Featured listings and advertising (when launched)

We plan to offer paid Featured slots on stop pages and other paid advertising placements on the site. When these go live:

• Featured / paid placements will always be clearly labelled as such.
• Payment will be processed by Stripe (or comparable).
• We reserve the right to refuse or remove a paid placement that violates our acceptable-use rules below, is deceptive, infringes third-party rights, or is otherwise inconsistent with the editorial voice of the site. We will refund the unused portion in that case.
• Editorial content (the directory, the stop pages, the event grid, traveller tips, etc.) is independent of paid placement. A business buying a Featured slot does not give them control over editorial content.

10. Acceptable use

When using the site, you agree not to:

• Submit content that is misleading, fraudulent, defamatory, harassing, hateful, obscene, infringing of intellectual property, or otherwise unlawful.
• Impersonate another business, person or organization.
• Spam the newsletter, the submission forms, or any contact channel.
• Attempt to bypass security, scrape the site at high frequency, or reverse-engineer the site's protected components.
• Use the site to facilitate or encourage illegal activity.

11. Intellectual property

The site's design, illustrations, layouts, editorial copy, code, logos, and other original assets are owned by NorthlanderGuide.com unless otherwise noted. You may not reproduce or use them commercially without our written permission. You can link to any page on the site freely.

Listing photos, business names, event names and similar third-party content remain the property of their respective owners.

12. "As is" disclaimer and limitation of liability

The site is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE", with all faults, and without warranty or representation of any kind, whether express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including without limitation the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, quiet enjoyment, non-infringement, accuracy, currency, completeness, reliability, security, availability, and uninterrupted operation. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim ALL such warranties and representations.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, NorthlanderGuide.com and its owners, operators, employees, contributors, licensors, agents, suppliers, and affiliates (the "Released Parties") will not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, punitive, statutory, or any other damages, or for any loss of profits, revenues, data, business opportunities, goodwill, anticipated savings, or any other loss whatsoever, however caused, and whether arising under contract, tort (including negligence), strict liability, statute, or any other legal theory, even if a Released Party has been advised of the possibility of such damages. The disclaimers and limitations apply to all claims arising from or related to your use of the site, including but not limited to:

• Missed trains, missed connections, missed events, missed bookings, missed reservations, or missed deadlines.
• Inaccurate, out-of-date, incomplete, or misleading addresses, hours, prices, menus, allergen info, accessibility info, ticketing info, or any other listing detail.
• Wasted travel time, lost wages, lost vacation time, cancellation fees, or any other expense caused by reliance on information shown on the site.
• Personal injury, illness, allergic reaction, food-borne illness, or property damage of any kind, whether suffered by you or by anyone who joins or accompanies you on any visit you plan using the site.
• Loss, theft, or unauthorized disclosure of any submission or other content.
• Downtime, data loss, service interruption, or any failure of a third-party service the site relies on (Airtable, Vercel, Stripe, payment processors, email senders, mapping or geocoding services, etc.).
• Any act, omission, default, or misconduct by any business, host, organizer, or other third party listed on or linked from the site.
• Any user-generated content (including but not limited to tips, event submissions, business submissions, and photos) submitted by other visitors to the site.

Aggregate cap: where applicable law does not permit the complete exclusion of certain liabilities, the Released Parties' aggregate liability for all claims, in aggregate, arising from or related to your use of the site will not exceed the greater of CAD $50 or the total amount you have actually paid us in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim. This cap is a fundamental basis of these terms; without it, we would not be able to offer the site.

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages or warranties. In those jurisdictions, the limitations above apply to the maximum extent permitted by law.

13. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless NorthlanderGuide.com, its owners, operators, employees, contributors, licensors, agents, suppliers, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, demands, losses, liabilities, damages, judgments, settlements, fines, penalties, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and court costs) arising out of or related to: (a) any content you submit, upload, post, or transmit to or through the site; (b) your use of or activity on the site; (c) your violation of these terms; (d) your violation of any law, regulation, or third-party right (including without limitation privacy, intellectual property, and publicity rights); (e) any personal injury, illness, property damage, or other harm sustained by you or anyone accompanying you on a visit you planned using the site; or (f) any dispute between you and any third-party business, host, or organizer.

We may, at our option and at your expense, assume the exclusive defence and control of any matter for which you are obligated to indemnify us. You agree to cooperate with our defence.

14. Force majeure

We will not be liable for any failure or delay in operating the site, syncing data, processing a submission, processing a payment, sending an email, or providing any other service, or for any data loss, downtime, or interruption, caused by any event or condition beyond our reasonable control. This includes without limitation: failures or outages of hosting providers, payment processors, email senders, or other third-party services; natural disasters; fires; floods; earthquakes; severe weather; pandemics, epidemics, or other public health emergencies; internet, telecommunications, or power failures; government actions, sanctions, embargoes, or orders; civil disturbance; labour disputes; war; terrorism; sabotage; or acts of God.

15. Time limit on bringing a claim

You must commence any claim, action or proceeding against the Released Parties arising out of or related to your use of the site within one (1) year of the date the underlying event giving rise to the claim occurred or was first discoverable, whichever is later, or the claim will be permanently and irrevocably barred and waived. This shortened limitation period replaces any longer limitation period that might otherwise apply under statute or common law, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

16. Individual claims only; class-action waiver

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you and we agree that any dispute will be brought in your individual capacity only, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class action, collective action, consolidated action, mass action, or representative proceeding. You waive any right to participate in a class action or representative proceeding against any of the Released Parties.

Consumer-protection carve-out: this section does not limit any rights you may have under the Ontario Consumer Protection Act, 2002, or under equivalent consumer-protection legislation in your jurisdiction, where that legislation, despite anything in these terms, allows you to participate in a class proceeding for a claim it protects.

17. Governing law, jurisdiction, and venue

These terms, and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or related to them or to your use of the site, are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario, Canada, and the federal laws of Canada applicable in Ontario, without regard to any conflict-of-laws principles. You and we agree that any dispute, claim, action, or proceeding arising out of or related to these terms or your use of the site will be brought exclusively in the courts of Ontario, Canada (city of Toronto), and you irrevocably consent and submit to the exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue of those courts.

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply to these terms.

18. Notices

Any legal notice to us must be sent in writing to info@northlanderguide.com, with subject line "Legal Notice", and is deemed received only when we acknowledge it in writing. We may give you notice by posting a notice on the site, by emailing the address on your account (when accounts launch), or by emailing the address you provided when you submitted to or otherwise interacted with the site. Notice we give is deemed received within forty-eight (48) hours of being posted or sent.

19. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time. When we do, we will change the "Last reviewed" date at the top and, for material changes (for example, the introduction of accounts, paid plans, or advertising), we will announce the update at the top of relevant pages on the site.

Your continued use of the site after a change is published constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not accept them, your sole remedy is to stop using the site.

20. Assignment, no waiver, severability, and entire agreement

Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these terms, or any rights or obligations under them, without our prior written consent. We may assign or transfer these terms to an affiliate or to a successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, restructuring, financing, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets, without your consent and without notice to you.

No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision of these terms is not a waiver of that provision or of any other provision. A waiver of any provision will only be effective if it is in writing and signed by us, and even then will only operate as a waiver in the specific instance for which it is granted.

Severability. If any provision of these terms is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect. The unenforceable provision will be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it enforceable while preserving its original intent, or, if modification is not possible, severed entirely.

Survival. Sections 5 (Assumption of risk), 11 (Intellectual property), 12 ("As is" disclaimer and limitation of liability), 13 (Indemnification), 15 (Time limit), 16 (Class-action waiver), 17 (Governing law), 18 (Notices) and this section 20 survive any termination or expiration of these terms or of your use of the site.

Entire agreement. These terms, together with our Privacy Policy, are the complete and exclusive agreement between you and NorthlanderGuide.com regarding the site, and supersede any prior or contemporaneous agreements, representations, warranties or understandings, written or oral, regarding the same subject matter.

21. Contact

Questions about these terms, about a specific submission, listing, or payment? Reach us at info@northlanderguide.com.