TRUSTED PROFESSIONAL INVESTIGATORS ACROSS CANADA AND INTERNATIONALLY

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Founded by Janie Duncan, Duncan Investigations Inc. is Canada’s largest female-led private investigation firm and an award-winning team recognized for excellence, professionalism, and results. Since 1989, we have partnered with law firms, insurance companies, corporations, government agencies, private clients, and major venture capitalists, delivering actionable intelligence and investigative solutions across Canada and internationally.

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Our team is committed to uncovering the truth, safeguarding our clients’ interests, and providing intelligence that withstands scrutiny in legal, corporate, and regulatory environments.   We specialize in complex, high-stakes investigations where discretion, accuracy, and strategic insight are critical. Our expertise includes corporate due diligence, background investigations, surveillance, insurance fraud, workplace misconduct, missing persons, locates,  high-profile homicide cases, and wrongful conviction reviews.

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Leveraging advanced OSINT (Open Source Intelligence), strategic covert and overt surveillance, and expert locate services, we uncover what others miss—equipping our clients with clear, actionable intelligence for confident decision-making.

 

Backed by tens of thousands of hours of real-world surveillance experience, our investigators consistently deliver precise, discreet, and court-defensible results—even in the most challenging environments.

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Experience & Expertise

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Duncan Investigations Inc. delivers advanced investigative services across a wide range of complex and high-risk matters, including:​

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• Saving corporations millions of dollars in theft and fraud by specialized surveillance investigation services. 

• Assisting in wrongful conviction reviews.

• Conducting sophisticated undercover and covert operations in high-risk environments

• Supporting venture capital firms and corporations with due diligence, executive vetting, and risk assessments

• Managing sensitive investigations requiring discretion, strategic intelligence, and international coordination

• Conducting advanced OSINT investigations in high-profile and complex criminal matters

• Assisting families all over the world in  high-profile missing persons investigations in liaison with law enforcement

• Locating people all over the world for legal matters

• Carrying out workplace investigations on behalf of major corporations

• Help families uncover the truth in contentious divorce proceedings and locate individuals for family, court and relevant matters. 

• We have testified in hundreds of cases over the years on behalf of our clients. 

 

Proven Results & Case Highlights ​​​

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​​Our work delivers measurable results in high-stakes situations:​​​

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Major Investigations, surveillance and Undercover Operations

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• Led an undercover operation resulting in one of the largest music piracy seizures in Canadian history.

• Conducted complex background investigations assessing the credibility of witnesses in criminal, civil, and family law matters.

• Monitored and preserved social media evidence for use in regulatory and compliance investigations.​

• We audited the illegal and unauthorized reproduction of sound recordings in Manitoba and tripled D.J. licensing.​

• Saved our corporate client thousands of dollars in an illegitimate fraud claim by means of surveillance. 

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Missing Person Investigations & Locates

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• Aided in successfully locating a missing person after the family retained our services to assist in the search for their loved one.

• Successfully located a missing person from Quebec and facilitated the process leading to their involuntary admission under The Mental Health Act.

• ​Located a biological father for a client whose wife had always expressed a desire to meet him, enabling a surprise reunion at a coffee shop. Our client arranged the meeting discreetly, creating a memorable first encounter his wife had with her father.  

• Located the heirs to an estate on behalf of clients in Israel.  

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Asset Investigations and Recovery

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• Located and identified a stolen and concealed high-value asset in rural Manitoba, resulting in law enforcement seizure and recovery.

• Located assets valued in excess of $30,000 to satisfy a civil judgment.

• Traced and identified assets exceeding $1 million in anticipation of litigation in Ontario.

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Litigation Support & High Net Worth Matters

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• Conducted court-ready investigative work in a contentious high-net-worth divorce, supporting legal strategy through detailed background intelligence on a former spouse.

• Identified prior civil litigation involving breach of fiduciary duty that had not been disclosed during a merger and acquisition due diligence process.

• Supported legal counsel in building evidentiary records for complex civil disputes and pre-litigation assessments.​​

• Testified in court cases involving complex legal matters which helped our clients win their cases. 

 

Internal Theft Investigations 

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• Uncovered organized internal theft for a large retail client by one of their staff. Through undercover high-volume purchases and discreet observation, we identified the source, provided actionable evidence, and helped strengthen internal controls​

• Monitored a retail store after hours to provide evidence on employees entering the store when not authorized to do so.  

• Conducted a visual and mobile surveillance investigation at a big box store on an employee that was stealing large volumes of merchandise and selling it. 

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Wrongful Convictions and Homicide Investigations

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• Assisted in wrongful conviction review matters, including work connected to the James Driskell and Frank Ostrowski cases.

• The 2007 public inquiry into the conviction of James Driskell, led by Commissioner The Honourable Patrick J. LeSage, identified a failure to respond accurately to Janie Duncan in 1995 in relation to requests for information about alleged witness “deals,” including matters involving Zanidean. These findings formed part of the inquiry’s broader conclusions regarding significant disclosure failures by the Crown.

• Conducted post-inquiry investigative work in multiple homicide matters, contributing to ongoing case reviews and investigations​​

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Family matters:​​​​

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• Duncan Investigations was retained to conduct a comprehensive background investigation into an applicant whose sworn affidavit formed the foundation of a court order. Given the significant weight placed on the applicant’s evidence, it was essential to rigorously assess the credibility and accuracy of the information presented before the court.​

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• Through detailed and methodical investigative work, our team identified substantial discrepancies between the applicant’s sworn statements and independently verifiable facts. Our findings revealed that the individual was facing a pending fraud charge in Ontario, had been delisted by an insurance provider, and was the subject of ongoing civil litigation involving a claim exceeding one million dollars related to alleged fraudulent activity.

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• We presented clear and compelling evidence in court that directly contradicted the narrative advanced in the applicant's  affidavit, raising serious concerns about the applicant’s credibility and truthfulness. Our testimony withstood scrutiny and ultimately contributed to the court setting aside the original order.​

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• This matter underscores the critical role that our professional investigative services play in protecting the integrity of the judicial process. Duncan Investigations continues to support families and legal professionals by delivering precise, defensible intelligence that stands up in court and drives meaningful, outcome-focused results.

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These successes reflect our commitment to meticulous investigation, advanced intelligence gathering, and collaboration with legal, regulatory, and corporate stakeholders to achieve meaningful results.

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Our mission is simple: to provide clients with clarity, confidence, and resolution through professional investigative services that combine traditional methods with modern intelligence techniques, including OSINT, digital investigations, and specialized surveillance. With resources in over 150 countries, we ensure our clients have access to the expertise, technology, and support necessary to resolve even the most complex investigations.