Registering a business name in Ontario

The first step to take when setting up a new business is to register your business name. You should conduct a search to see whether anyone else is already using the same name, or a similar name. When you register with the province, they do not confirm whether the proposed name is already in use or similar to another name, so you must either conduct a search of already-registered names yourself, or have an agent do it for you. If a similar name is already being used, you should pick another one, particularly if both of you are operating in the same line of business. Registering a business name does not mean, however, that you have an exclusive right to use the name. For exclusive rights to a name, you would need to apply for registration of the name as a trademark.

The Ministry of Government and Consumer Services gives a good overview of the requirement for business name registration in this PDF.