AI receptionists in Canada: what they cost and the rules to follow

What does an AI receptionist do on a call?

Picture a family dental clinic in Ontario at 7:40 in the evening. A parent calls because their child has a chipped tooth.

1. The AI answers by name and says the call may be recorded.
2. It asks what the caller needs and spots that this is urgent.
3. It checks the clinic's calendar and offers the first emergency slot the next morning.
4. It books the slot, sends a text confirmation and adds a note for the dentist.
5. If the caller is in severe pain, it follows the clinic's rule and gives the on-call number.

The same steps fit a plumber, a law office or a property manager. The tool answers, sorts the call, takes the next step and leaves a clear record.

An AI receptionist does less well with long, upset or complex calls. Set clear rules for when it hands the call to a person.

What AI receptionist tools can Canadian businesses buy?

These are the plans on each vendor's own pricing page as of October 2026. Their pages show a dollar sign and never mention Canadian dollars, so I list them as US dollars. Confirm the currency with each vendor.

Tool	Entry plan	Mid plan	Higher plan
Smith.ai AI Receptionist	Free plan with 25 calls, then US$3.00 a call	Pro from US$150 a month for 75 calls	Enterprise from US$500 a month for 300 calls
Rosie	US$49 a month for 250 minutes	US$149 a month for 1,000 minutes	US$299 a month for 2,000 minutes
Goodcall	US$79 a month for 100 unique callers	US$129 a month for 500 unique callers	US$299 a month for 2,000 unique callers

Before you sign, ask each vendor about the currency, Canadian phone numbers and where call data is stored. If you serve Quebec, test how well the tool handles calls in French.

For a deeper look at features, read my guide to AI receptionists and my guide to AI answering services.

How does a human receptionist compare on cost?

Job Bank lists a median wage of $21.00 an hour for receptionists in Canada. It is $20.50 in Ontario and $24.00 in British Columbia, based on 2023 to 2024 survey data. At the national median, a full-time receptionist working 2,080 hours a year earns about $43,680. Benefits and payroll costs come on top. One person also covers only their own shift.

A human answering service is another choice. Smith.ai lists human receptionist plans at US$300 a month for 30 calls, US$810 for 90 calls and US$2,100 for 300 calls, as of October 2026. That works out to between US$7 and US$10 a call.

AI costs far less per call. A person still does better with upset callers, odd requests and sales talks. Many firms use AI for routine and after-hours calls, and send the rest to a person.

What Canadian rules apply to an AI receptionist?

Answering calls versus making calls

An AI receptionist that only answers calls from customers carries the least legal risk. The rules get much stricter when the AI makes calls or sends texts that sell something.

CRTC Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules

The CRTC's Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules cover telemarketing in Canada. They include rules for automatic dialing-announcing devices, called ADADs. An ADAD is a machine that stores or produces phone numbers and plays a recorded or computer-made voice message. An AI voice agent that dials customers and talks to them is likely to fall under these rules. Get legal advice before you use one to make calls.

• Sales calls by ADAD: Calls that sell or promote something need the person's express consent.
• Other automated calls: Reminders and notices with no sales message are allowed with conditions. The message must say who is calling, why, and how to reach you. The system must hang up within 10 seconds after the person does.
• Calling hours: Telemarketing calls are allowed from 9:00 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on weekends, in the person's local time.
• Do-not-call lists: Telemarketers must register with the National Do Not Call List operator and keep their own list. You must add a do-not-call request to your list within 14 days.
• Proof of consent: Consent can be written, given online or through a toll-free number. Spoken consent counts if it is recorded or checked by an outside party. You must be able to prove it.

Marketing texts and CASL

Canada's anti-spam law, called CASL, covers texts that promote your business. You need consent before you send them. Each text must name your business and give an easy way to unsubscribe, such as replying STOP. You must act on an unsubscribe request within 10 business days. Fines can reach $10 million per violation for a business.

A booking confirmation the customer asked for is a different kind of message. Still, keep sales offers out of your AI receptionist's texts unless you have consent.

Call recording consent

Under the Criminal Code, recording a private call is a crime unless one person on the call agrees. Your business is on the call, so that consent usually comes from you.

PIPEDA adds more duties. The Office of the Privacy Commissioner says a business must tell customers it is recording a call and why. A customer who stays on the line gives implied consent. If the recording is not needed, offer another way to reach you, such as email or an online form. Customers can also ask for their recording later. These duties apply whoever starts the call.

Privacy laws

PIPEDA covers most private firms that handle personal data as part of their trade. Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec have their own privacy laws for private firms. In Quebec, Law 25 also requires a risk check before personal data leaves the province. Many AI phone tools handle calls on servers outside Canada, so ask where your call data goes.

Clinics and law firms

• Health care: Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland and Labrador have their own health privacy laws. A clinic's AI receptionist should collect only what it needs to book the visit.
• Law firms: The Law Society of Ontario published guidance on generative AI in April 2024. It says lawyers must keep client information safe and have proper security when they use AI tools. Make sure your AI receptionist does not store case details in a vendor account you do not control.

Which of these rules actually apply to you?

Most of this law targets businesses that call or text people first, not businesses that simply answer their own phone. Work out which situation fits you.

• Your AI only answers calls customers make to you: PIPEDA's recording and disclosure duties apply, and so does your provincial privacy law if you are in Alberta, British Columbia or Quebec. The CRTC's Unsolicited Telecommunications Rules mostly do not, since you are not the one calling.
• Your AI sends booking confirmations or appointment reminders by call or text: these generally sit outside CASL's marketing rules and the CRTC's automatic dialing-announcing device rules for sales calls, as long as no promotional content rides along.
• Your AI makes outbound sales calls or sends promotional texts: this is where the CRTC's rules and CASL both apply in full, including express consent, calling-hour limits and the do-not-call list.
• You operate in Quebec, or you handle health or legal data: Law 25's cross-border data transfer risk assessment and the relevant provincial health privacy law apply on top of PIPEDA. Check where the vendor actually stores and processes your call data.

For most small Canadian businesses that just answer the phone and confirm bookings, the real requirements are the recording notice and proper disclosure under PIPEDA, not the full CRTC and CASL regime.

How should a Canadian business set up an AI receptionist?

1. List the 10 questions callers ask most, and write the correct answer for each.
2. Decide which calls must go to a person, such as emergencies, complaints and new sales leads.
3. Connect the tool to your real calendar, so it never books a slot that is already taken.
4. Add a short recording notice to the greeting.
5. Make test calls yourself, in English and French if you serve both.
6. Read the call summaries every day for the first two weeks and fix wrong answers.

First check that a receptionist is the best first place for AI in your business. The AI Strategy Sprint does that in 3 days, before you spend on a tool.

When should a Canadian business build a custom AI receptionist?

Most small firms should start with a ready-made tool. It is quick to set up and cheap to try.

A custom AI receptionist makes sense when the standard tools stop fitting. Calls may need to update your own job software, CRM or patient system as they happen. You may need data kept in Canada. Your call rules may be too detailed for a template. High call volume can also make per-call fees expensive. The guide to hiring for an AI app in Canada covers that route.

How Blur Studio builds AI receptionists

I'm a one-person studio based in Dubai, and I work remotely with Canadian businesses. When I plan a custom AI receptionist, I start with your call logs and your booking rules, then link it to the calendar, CRM or job system you already use.

I add the recording notice, the hand-off rules and a record of each call from the start. The code and accounts are registered to your business, and I keep the system running after launch.