Legislative amendments to Alberta’s Securities Act proposed by the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) have been passed and are now in force, expanding the ASC’s tools to address investor protection risks. The changes allow safe harbour protections for statutory civil liability to be extended to climate-related disclosure and strengthen the regulator’s ability to respond to false or misleading investment information spreading online. On issuer disclosure, the amendments give the ASC authority to extend and tailor existing statutory defences and safe harbours so they can reasonably apply to climate-related disclosure. This is positioned as relevant even after the Canadian Securities Administrators paused development of a mandatory climate-related disclosure rule in April 2025, given ongoing material disclosure obligations and the possibility that Alberta issuers provide climate-related information voluntarily or under other legal requirements. On online activity, the amendments are intended to better address problematic promotional conduct and the dissemination of false or misleading investment information via internet and social media channels, including through use of the ASC’s halt trade power in appropriate circumstances. The package was enacted through the Financial Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No.2) and received royal assent on December 11, 2025.
Alberta Securities Commission 2025-12-18
Alberta Securities Commission-backed Securities Act amendments take effect to extend climate disclosure safe harbours and curb online investment misinformation
The Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) has enacted legislative amendments to Alberta’s Securities Act, enhancing tools for investor protection. The changes extend safe harbour protections to climate-related disclosures and bolster the ASC's ability to counter false or misleading online investment information. These amendments were formalized through the Financial Statutes Amendment Act, 2025 (No.2).