I haven’t had too much trouble finding locally-produced potting soils at the garden store, but I’m unsure of how to determine quality / value compared to more well-known brands.
A couple years ago I bought a locally-made bag and it had literal plastic garbage mixed in, like someone scooped dirt out of a field and didn’t sift it at all. (Admittedly probably only a reflection on that particular product.)
I’ve also tried PROMIX and it was okay, though a bit expensive for the size of the bags I can find. (It also looks like that one is produced in Quebec but for an American company called Premier Tech.)
Has anyone used any Canadian-made potting soils in their garden? (e.g. For raised planters or pots, etc.)
Pro-Mix BX and HP are widely available at big box stores and is what the growers use. Potting soil specifically is a product that is not effective to make at small scale; it’s one thing to operate a compost site and sell topsoil; it’s another thing to blend quantities of peat and perlite and other ingredients and package it. It sounds like you got some low-grade municipal compost; straight compost is usually difficult to manage moisture levels in.
You may be right about t being municipal compost. It was my first year gardening when I bought that one, but the plants that grew in that soil were not happy compared to the other stuff I tried.