These programs typically work through a third-party media company that licenses the publication's name, then sells a badge, a profile page and sometimes a plaque to agents willing to pay an annual fee in the $500 to $2,000 range. The publication itself does almost none of the vetting.
None of that makes the agents on the list bad at their jobs, and some genuinely are excellent. It means the list itself is not evidence of anything beyond willingness to pay, so it should carry no more weight than an advertisement you would see driving down the street.
A more reliable check is public transaction data through your local real estate association and reviews you can verify by calling the client directly. Joel Dyck's 72 five-star Google reviews name real Saskatoon transactions rather than resting on a licensed badge.