Disclosure: How WhiteSneakers.ca Makes Money

The short version

Today, WhiteSneakers.ca has no affiliate links, sponsored content or advertising, and no brand or retailer pays us anything. We may earn commissions from some links in future. If we do, we’ll say so clearly on every page with those links, before the first link. Retailers and brands never pay for placement in our guides.

Do we earn money from the links on this site?

Not right now. As of 23 October 2026, the links to retailers on this site are ordinary links: we earn nothing when you click them or buy something. We link to Canadian retailers because that’s where you can buy the shoes, not because they pay us.

We may join affiliate programs in the future. An affiliate program pays a site a commission, usually a percentage of the sale, when a reader clicks a link and buys something. It doesn’t add anything to the price you pay at checkout.

How will we tell you about commissions?

Clearly, in plain words, where you’ll see it. Any page with links that can earn us a commission will carry a short notice near the top, before the first such link. We won’t hide it in a footer, behind a “more” link, or only on this page, and we’ll update this page with the date we started.

The notice will read along these lines: “We earn a commission if you buy through some links on this page. It doesn’t change the price you pay or which shoes we recommend.”

Do commissions affect our picks?

No. We choose shoes first and add where-to-buy links afterwards. Our picks are based on construction, materials, price and availability in Canada, and on our Lab results as testing finishes. We’ll keep recommending shoes from retailers that don’t pay commissions, and we’ll keep listing more than one Canadian retailer where we can, so you can choose where to buy.

If a retailer has the best price and doesn’t run an affiliate program, we’ll still show it.

How do we handle free samples?

We buy the shoes we test. If a brand or retailer sends us a free pair, or lends us one, we’ll say so on that shoe’s page, near the top. A free pair doesn’t guarantee coverage, a place on a list or a good verdict, and brands don’t see or approve our reviews before publication.

Pairs we’ve finished testing, including any free ones, may be resold or donated.

Can brands or retailers pay for placement?

No. We don’t accept payment, free products or any other benefit in exchange for including a shoe, ranking it higher, writing about it more favourably or leaving a competitor out. We don’t publish sponsored reviews or paid placements. If a brand asks, the answer is no.

If we ever run advertising, it will be clearly labelled as advertising and kept separate from our editorial picks.

Why do we disclose this?

Because you should know about anything that could affect how you read our recommendations, and because Canadian rules expect it. The Competition Bureau treats commissions and free products as “material connections” that must be disclosed clearly. Ad Standards’ influencer marketing disclosure guidelines, updated in fall 2025, cover affiliate links too.

What those sources say, in short:

• Competition Bureau of Canada. A material connection is anything that could affect how people judge your independence from a brand, including commissions and free products. Disclosures should be prominent, in plain language, and visible without clicking to expand. Linking to an affiliate page on its own is unlikely to be enough. See Influencer marketing and the Competition Act.
• Ad Standards. If you earn a commission from links, disclose it clearly and conspicuously on every page where the links appear, not only in a bio, and on blogs place the disclosure before the link. See the Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines (Fall 2025).

We hold ourselves to the same standard on every page, whether or not the rules strictly require it.

Questions?

Email hello@whitesneakers.ca. Read more about how we work on our about page.