Responding well to negative Google reviews is a competitive advantage for Canadian businesses. The response is read by far more potential customers than the original review, and a measured, professional response often turns a negative signal into a positive one. The pattern that works: Respond within 48 hours when possible — Google rewards active management, and prospective customers reading old unanswered negative reviews assume you do not care. Acknowledge the specific concern raised in the review (this signals you actually read it); apologize for the customer's experience without admitting specific liability or disputed facts; offer a clear path to resolve the issue offline (a direct phone number or email for the manager, not a generic info@ address); thank them for the feedback even when it is unfair. What to avoid in public responses: arguing about facts, calling the customer a liar even when you are confident they are, sharing personal details about the customer or the transaction, threatening legal action (in Canada this rarely improves anything and can produce defamation counter-claims), or offering bribes or refunds publicly (this signals to other reviewers that complaining publicly produces compensation). For genuinely fake or fraudulent reviews — reviews from people who were never customers, reviews from competitors, reviews violating Google's content policies — flag the review for removal through your Google Business Profile dashboard. Google's review-removal process is opaque and slow, with success rates around 30–40% even for clearly violating reviews. Persistence helps; one flagging often does not, multiple flaggings over weeks sometimes does. For reviews that you believe are defamatory under Canadian law, consult a Canadian lawyer before pursuing legal removal. Defamation law in Canada differs meaningfully by province (Quebec's civil code differs from common-law provinces) and the bar for proving defamation in a review context is high.