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

The Government of British Columbia has published the Restricted Insurance Agent Licence Regulation, introducing a new restricted licensing framework for businesses that sell insurance incidentally to their primary goods or services. Certain non-insurance businesses previously exempt from licensure must now apply for a Restricted Insurance Agency (RIA) Licence to continue selling eligible insurance products.to sell insurance products. The new regime will take effect January 1, 2027. This change represents a…

The Ontario Securities Commission’s (OSC) Corporate Finance Division 2025 Annual Report (Report) provides essential updates, regulatory guidance, and emerging trends for reporting issuers and companies considering going public. Takeaways $58.4 Billion Raised in the Exempt Market. Institutional investors were the most significant investors in 2025; however, individuals contributed nearly $3 billion to the exempt market. The accredited investor exemption accounted for 90% of all exempt capital raised. Continuous Disclosure is…

On Nov. 20, 2025, the Capital Markets Tribunal (the Tribunal) dismissed an application by Katanga Mining Limited (Katanga) under s. 17 of the Securities Act (the Act) for authorization to disclose confidential investigative documents to its parent company, Glencore plc (Glencore) otherwise prohibited from disclosure under s. 16 of the Act, for use in ongoing civil proceedings before the U.K. High Court of Justice. The decision—Katanga Mining Limited v Ontario…

The Federal Financial Institutions Legislative and Regulatory Reporter (the Reporter) provides a monthly summary of Canadian federal legislative and regulatory developments of relevance to federally regulated financial institutions. It does not address Canadian provincial financial services legislative and regulatory developments. In addition, purely technical and administrative changes (such as changes to reporting forms) are not covered. November 2025 Published Title and Brief Summary Status (if applicable) Office of the Superintendent…

The murky waters of the new digital economy are fertile ground for financial criminals: a careless click on a phishing link, or a single call to a gullible recipient can allow the threat actor to reel in the “catch of the day”, leaving numerous victims in their wake. Where the threat actor gains access to the victim’s email account and initiates payment to a vendor, who bears the loss between…

In a recent article, BLG lawyers discussed the recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Government of Canada and the Province of Alberta in the context of pipeline development, carbon management, and leveraging Alberta’s resources in pursuit of energy competitiveness. The MoU also signals some encouraging trends for proponents of data centres and AI infrastructure, which have been reinforced by provincial legislation and policy developments including the recently-introduced Bill 8. Electricity…

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Prime Minister Mark Carney signed the historic Canada-Alberta Memorandum of Understanding (the MoU) on Nov. 27, 2025, in Calgary. On Nov. 28, 2025, BLG published an article exploring the implications for the Oil & Gas industry including the Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) market.  This overview will focus on the MoU’s implications for electricity generation, transmission and carbon policy in Alberta. The MoU commits Alberta…

The Office of the Commissioner of Lobbying of Canada (the OCLC) has changed its interpretation of the registration threshold for corporations engaging in lobbying. The new threshold is much lower and only allows for eight hours of lobbying before a corporation is required to register with the OCLC. By contrast, the previous “20 per cent rule” allowed for an organization to engage in approximately 32 hours of lobbying in any…

On December 2, 2025, the Québec Minister of Justice tabled Bill 10, An Act to protect consumers against abusive practices in ticket reselling and online subscription renewal (the Bill), which proposes multiple amendments to the Consumer Protection Act (CPA). The Bill targets key areas that have seen a rise in consumer complaints, including online subscription renewals, ticket reselling practices, and the right of consumers to post reviews or share feedback.…

The Federal Financial Institutions Legislative and Regulatory Reporter (the Reporter) provides a monthly summary of Canadian federal legislative and regulatory developments of relevance to federally regulated financial institutions. It does not address Canadian provincial financial services legislative and regulatory developments. In addition, purely technical and administrative changes (such as changes to reporting forms) are not covered. August 2025 Published Title and Brief Summary Status (if applicable) Office of the Superintendent…

The Federal Financial Institutions Legislative and Regulatory Reporter (the Reporter) provides a monthly summary of Canadian federal legislative and regulatory developments of relevance to federally regulated financial institutions. It does not address Canadian provincial financial services legislative and regulatory developments. In addition, purely technical and administrative changes (such as changes to reporting forms) are not covered. September 2025  Published Title and Brief Summary Status (if applicable) Office of the Superintendent…

Unveiled at last On Dec. 10, 2025, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO) published their much-anticipated findings from recent regulatory compliance sweeps of 105 registered firms 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).   Casting a spotlight on compliance programs The Report summarizes findings and provides guidance…

The Federal Financial Institutions Legislative and Regulatory Reporter (the Reporter) provides a monthly summary of Canadian federal legislative and regulatory developments of relevance to federally regulated financial institutions. It does not address Canadian provincial financial services legislative and regulatory developments. In addition, purely technical and administrative changes (such as changes to reporting forms) are not covered. October 2025 Published Title and Brief Summary Status (if applicable) Office of the Superintendent…

Maritime law practitioners and industry stakeholders gathered in Montréal on Dec. 5, 2025, for BLG's flagship maritime event BLG's Shipping Group recently hosted its 37th Annual Maritime Law Seminar in Montréal, bringing together leading maritime law practitioners, industry representatives, and government officials to discuss the latest legal developments affecting Canada's shipping sector. The seminar featured four focused sessions covering critical topics from marine casualty response to evolving trade regulations, container…

In Carcillo v. Ontario Major Junior Hockey League, the Court of Appeal for Ontario upheld the motion judge’s decision refusing certification of a proposed class action alleging systemic abuse of young players in major junior hockey leagues. The Court of Appeal held that the proposed class action was of “an unprecedented scale and complexity” and that the lack of a workable litigation plan meant that the motion judge was justified…