Business, Management, Marketing, Money, Tax, Law, People

The British Columbia Securities Commission (the Commission or the BCSC) recently published its annual compliance report, noting top deficiencies, outlining the Commission’s approach to non-compliance, and ending with a review of the regulatory landscape for 2025 in Staff Notice 31-368 Client Focused Reforms: Review of Registrants’ Know Your Client, Know Your Product and Suitability Determination Practices and Additional Guidance (the Report). For 2025, the BCSC served as the principal regulator…

We are living through — or perhaps suffering through — the golden age of fraud. One burden of daily life in the digital age is the constant need to identify and avoid scams: vishing calls, phishing emails, malicious links in legitimate-looking messages, investment scams on social media, AI-generated deepfakes and more. Modern payment rails are designed to move money quickly and frequently with as little friction as possible. While these…

The Competition Bureau (Bureau) has made a submission to Ottawa’s consultation on AI transparency. It recommends three principles: transparency should support well-functioning, competitive markets, obligations should be proportionate and preserve competition, and regulation should focus on harms rather than technologies. For businesses, the submission is a reminder that existing competition law obligations apply to AI-related claims and conduct, even as new transparency measures are considered. The consultation, led by Innovation,…

Last week, a new term entered into the Canadian trade, economic, and political lexicon: “associate member of the European Union.” Never mind that there is no such status in the complex web of European Union external relations, and that all we have are three lines in a long “State of the Union” speech by the president of the European Commission; the term, and what it might imply, has since taken…

Ceremony to mark the opening of the judicial year The Supreme Court of Canada held a ceremony today, Oct. 5, 2026, marking the opening of the judicial year, presided by the Chief Justice of Canada and attended by justice system leaders across Canada. The Court revived this tradition last year for the 150th anniversary of the Court. This morning’s ceremony took place at the Court’s new temporary home in the…

Canada's energy transition is creating significant opportunities Canada is experiencing significant investment in traditional oil and gas infrastructure, electricity generation and transmission, LNG facilities, critical minerals and clean energy projects. In the face of geopolitical uncertainty, Canada is a reliable and competitive energy partner. Growing demand, decarbonization initiatives and a diverse energy and resource mix are creating opportunities for both domestic and international investors. Success often depends on understanding Canada's…

On Aug. 29, 2026, the federal government published two mandatory information-gathering notices under paragraph 71(1)(b) of the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999 (CEPA): Notice with respect to certain substances under the Chemicals Management Plan — 2026 Phase 1 Notice with respect to certain substances under the Chemicals Management Plan — 2026 Phase 2 (the CMP Notices) Key takeaways The CMP Notices are mandatory and cover 200 substances across two reporting…

What you need to know In Canada, prediction markets do not fit in one regulatory box. In Joint Staff Notice 91-307 (the Joint Notice), the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) have made clear that, unlike the U.S., sports- and entertainment-related event contracts should not be regulated under Canadian securities and derivatives legislation. The Joint Notice draws a line in the sand that securities regulators won’t…

On Oct.14, 2026, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) will hear Cold Ocean Salmon Inc. v. Nova Fish Farms Inc., a commercial contract appeal about when delayed performance permits termination. The SCC will consider whether a standard “time is of the essence” clause can make an open-ended obligation, such as acting “as promptly as practicable,” essential to a commercial bargain. The appeal has practical implications for contract termination, specific performance,…