Thanks to all who have responded. Looks like nobody has used them or even thinks they will be any good. I have looked at many of the sites suggested and it seems that you need to be there in person to see some of the records and order copies or have someone, paid or otherwise, do the research on your behalf. Curiously many of these sites have sponsored links to the commercial data providers that I was asking about! Here in Forfar I could probably find the sort of things I am looking for by spending a few hours looking through old newspapers in the library and/or taking 5 minutes to walk from there to the burial records office ... both of which I have done successfully. The things I would like to know, with one exception, are not urgent and I could probably find all the information in similar establishments in central Toronto and "the Junction". I have a couple of relatives in Toronto but they are fairly new to family research and do not have all the time in the world to browse through microfilm and old record books. One advantage I find in doing this sort of thing in person is that I am already well acquainted with the general history of that branch of the family and would recognise names, places and happenings that may be of significance where a stranger might pass over them. So it looks like the general consensus is to give these data providers a miss, try some of the links and hints various people have suggested and, if all else fails, have another holiday in Canada this autumn! Thanks to all who responded. Cheers, Bruce D