The verdict in three sentences
In Toronto, the headline price of a website (roughly 5,000 to 60,000 CAD in 2026) matters less than three questions: who owns the domain, who holds admin access, and is the intellectual property in the code and design assigned to you. Under Canadian copyright law, a contractor who writes code generally owns it unless a written assignment says otherwise, so silence in the contract usually favours the agency. Add a mandatory hosting and care plan of 100 to 500 CAD a month with a long lock-in and switching vendors becomes expensive.
Seven traps, line by line
| Trap | Typical quote line | Hidden cost (2026 estimate) | Clause to demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain registered to the agency | Domain included, managed by us | Loss of domain or buy-back of 500 to 3,000 CAD | Domain registered to your company, registrar login shared |
| Inflated renewals | Domain renewal: 95 CAD a year | Public price is usually 20 to 40 CAD for a .ca | Renewal at registrar price plus a stated fee |
| Transfer fees | Migration to another host: quoted on request | 500 to 2,500 CAD | Free transfer, auth code within 5 business days |
| Withheld admin access | Client editor access | Cannot switch vendors | Full administrator account at launch |
| No IP assignment | No mention of ownership | Rebuild at 5,000 to 60,000 CAD | Written assignment of copyright in code and design on final payment, plus waiver of moral rights |
| Mandatory care plan | Hosting and care: 299 CAD a month, 36-month term | 10,764 CAD over 3 years | Hosting separable, cancellable with 30 days notice |
| Licences in the agency's name | Premium theme and plugins included | Updates stop when the contract ends | Licences in your name or open source |
The moral rights point is specific to Canada: authors keep moral rights that cannot be assigned, only waived, so a proper contract includes a waiver alongside the assignment.
What hosting and domains actually cost
| Recurring item | 2026 reference price | Red flag |
|---|---|---|
| .ca or .com domain | 20 to 40 CAD a year | Over 80 CAD with no explanation |
| Managed WordPress hosting | 300 to 1,200 CAD a year | Hosting tied to the care plan |
| SSL certificate | Free with most hosts | Billed at 150 CAD a year |
| Basic care plan | 100 to 250 CAD a month | No task list |
| Advanced care plan | 300 to 500 CAD a month | Term over 12 months |
| Business email | 8 to 20 CAD per user a month | Accounts in the agency's tenant |
Privacy also has a contract angle: if the agency hosts contact forms that collect personal information, PIPEDA expects you to remain accountable, so ask where data is stored and how it is returned at the end of the contract.
Checklist to attach to the purchase order
Before the deposit, add to the contract: domain registered to your company with registrar access; full administrator account at launch; copyright assignment and moral rights waiver on final payment; hosting separable from the care plan; cancellation on 30 days notice; full backup of files and database delivered within 5 business days of termination.
Kolonell, a remote agency, works on these terms by default: a 5-page Starter site at 610 to 1,145 EUR (7 to 10 business days), Premium at 1,200 to 2,300 EUR, and optional maintenance at 38, 76 or 115 EUR a month, with domain, access and code in your name.
Mini case study
Illustrative example: Priya, owner of an industrial cleaning company in Mississauga, paid 9,000 CAD for a site whose domain was registered to the agency, with a 299 CAD monthly plan. After three years she had spent 9,000 + 10,764 = 19,764 CAD, and the agency asked 2,000 CAD to transfer the domain. A clean contract at 11,000 CAD, a domain in her name at 30 CAD a year and a 150 CAD monthly plan would have cost 11,000 + 90 + 5,400 = 16,490 CAD over three years, a saving of 3,274 CAD before the transfer fee, and a site she owns outright.
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FAQ
How do I check who owns my domain?
A WHOIS lookup may show the registrant, although privacy settings often hide it. Ask for registrar account access: without it, you cannot transfer even a 30 CAD domain.
Is a mandatory monthly plan normal?
A care plan of 100 to 500 CAD a month is useful, but it should be cancellable. Refuse terms over 12 months or hosting that cannot be separated from maintenance.
Who owns the code if the contract says nothing?
Generally the author, meaning the agency or its developer, under Canadian copyright law. A written assignment costs nothing to add and avoids a rebuild that can exceed 10,000 CAD.
How much should a domain transfer cost?
At the registrar level, usually the price of one year of renewal, about 20 to 40 CAD for a .ca. Agency fees of 500 CAD or more are a red flag.
What should I receive at the end of a contract?
A full backup of files and database, admin credentials and the registrar auth code, ideally within 5 business days. It takes an agency under an hour to prepare.
Let's scope your project. Send us your current quote or brief and we will return a clear scope, an indicative budget and a contract where domain, access and code belong to you. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
