Company Information

Access to annual reports and financial information will depend if the company is public or private.

Public companies

• Annual reports are a good place to learn about an organization's finances, operations, performance, strategies, subsidiaries, forecasts, and more. Publicly traded companies are required by law to provide annual reports. Non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and government bodies also release annual reports.
• Start with the company's annual report as it will contain financial data
  • Many annual reports can be found online on company websites (e.g. look for an "Investor" section).
  • Additional annual reports, financial statements and other company filings can be found in:
    • SEDAR+ for Canadian public Companies 
      • You will need to go to SEDAR's legacy page for anything earlier than 2015 (functionality on this site is questionable)
    • EDGAR (US public companies)
  • The database FP Advisor may offer financial data. Use the "Corporate Snapshot."

Private companies

• Privately-held companies are not required to release public filings which will make it difficult to find information about them.
• Sparse information may be available using these strategies:
  • Company directories will offer basic information (e.g. executive names, number of employees, annual sales figures).
  • Search library databases for articles or profiles about the company. See "Company News" for details.
  • BC Business lists (e.g. The 2023 Top 100 for BC companies, updated annually)
  • Business in Vancouver - Books of Lists (print)
  • Forbes - America's Largest Private Companies (updated annually)

How can I tell if a company is public or private?

• Search SEDAR+ (Canadian public companies) or EDGAR (US public companies). Public companies will be searchable.

Trade directories contain brief company information, contact information, and specialized industry information.

VPL provides access to print directories primarily through the Reference Resources collection on Level 4 of the Central Library, and to online directories through the digital library resources below.

Company information can be found in magazines, newspapers, and business journals. Articles can offer important insight into private or small companies.

How can I find if VPL has a specific business newspaper or magazine (e.g. Financial Times, Wall Street Journal, etc.)?

• Search the catalogue to check for print access
• Search Ejournal Portal to check for digital access

Here are some digital library resources to try:

Build a list of top companies in Canada using these resources:

• Canada's Top 100 Employers - released annually and produces regional lists:
  • BC's Top Employers
  • Full list
• The Globe & Mail: Report on Business - Canada's Top Growing Companies - 2023, 2022, 2021
• Financial Post Magazine: FP500 - annually ranking of Canada's 500 largest and most profitable corporations. Usually published in June. Available digitally (pre-2023 editions only) and online 
• BC Business Magazine: The Top 100 - published annually
• Business in Vancouver: Lists - lists sorted by category. "Book of Lists" published annually and magazine published weekly
• Forbes: Canada's Best Employers - 2024
• FP Advisor: Industry Reports - reports based on the top 450 publicly traded Canadian companies, separated by industry. Current reports and some historical reports
• Reference Canada - search and build a list based on sales or employees