Although I will be guiding you to the best Canadian content on the Web, I know there will be times when you strike off on your own. A tip: follow those who have gone before.

The people I know who have blazed a trail are:

• journalists - they need information on all sorts of topics, and they need it immediately
• librarians - give them a mass of unorganized information and they set right into organizing it
• governments - one of the biggest challenges of creating government policies is gathering information; and gather information they do.

One of the best sources of Canadian information on the web is Dean Tudor's MEGASOURCES. Tudor is a professor in the School of Journalism at Ryerson, and this compendium is a great service. Broken down into Massive, Library/Information, Journalism/Writing and Beat Gateways, it covers just about every aspect of life and work in Canada, and is surprisingly easy to use. Another good starting place is Julian Sher's JournalismNet. An investigative TV producer, Sher takes a "how to find" approach, and certainly hits all the high spots.

Librarians have taken to the Web like fish to water. I suppose it's their natural instinct (and training of course) to organize things.

A good starting place is Library and Archives Canada. Their index to Canadian Information by Subject contains links to information about Canada from around the world. They maintain a digital library on Canadian history, music and literature, and also serve as a gateway to Canadian libraries across the country.

If you're looking for Canadian business information, you might be a little skeptical about turning to Canadian government Web sites. But don't be. Information is their business.

The list of Federal government organizations by subject gives you an idea of the scope covered by just the federal government. I've picked a few topics, to give you an idea.

Agriculture and Agri-Foor Canada, for example, hosts AgriWeb Canada, a national directory of Canadian agriculture and agri-food information. An annotated list provides links to Canadian online resources on anything to do with agriculture. The index is searchable, and can be sorted by subject and location.

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) runs two services that provide an astounding amount of information on the technology front. The Canada Institute for Scientific and Technical Information (CISTI) has a wonderful collection of scientific, technical and medical information. Internet access to the catalog is free, but there are some reasonable service charges once you get into the very technical journals and databases. The Canadian Technology Network (CTN) ties technology-related small business in with a cross-country network of advisors. While you're in the area you might also want to check out the Institute for Information Technology.

For business information, the federal industry department hosts Strategis, a good source for sector and company information. Federal business regulations and information for Canadian small businesses are also available here. Take a look at the Consumer Connection too.

The provincial governments in Canada provide a similar host of services.