The decision is a result of the current national undertaking to harmonize credit reporting disclosure rules and ongoing dialogue between Equifax and the province of Nova Scotia.

"Equifax Canada is pleased with the recent decision by Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations regarding online credit reports," said Carol Gray, President of Equifax Canada. "For many years, we have stated our willingness to provide Nova Scotia consumers with the same access to their credit reports online as other Canadians," she continued.

Nova Scotia previously prohibited the online sale of credit reports based on an interpretation of its Consumer Reporting Act - the Act governing the collection and distribution of personal information by consumer reporting agencies. It also defined a consumer's right to free access to their credit report. The divergence from the province's initial position is based upon the possibility of multiple interpretations of Section 12 of the Act. Free credit reports will still be available to Nova Scotians, as they are in the other provinces, by mail, telephone, and in-person.

Over the next several months, Equifax will be working to ensure that the convenience of online credit reports is available to Nova Scotians, for a reasonable fee that's comparable to other provinces.