Serge Rancourt, Co-Founder and CEO, No Fixed Address Inc.

We’re excited to introduce the industry leaders who will help guide Ad Standards in our mission to build trust in advertising in Canada. The Board is elected by Ad Standards’ members each year at our Annual General Meeting.

Returning to the Board, Serge Rancourt, Co-Founder and CEO, No Fixed Address Inc., is now our Board Chair. “It’s a privilege to step into the role of Chair at such a transformative time for our industry,” said Rancourt. “Ad Standards plays a vital role in fostering the integrity and credibility of advertising in Canada. I’m eager to collaborate with this outstanding team of fellow Board members to advance Ad Standards’ work on behalf of the industry, reinforcing trust and championing responsible advertising practices nationwide.” 

Our newest Board members are accomplished marketing and advertising professionals, bringing diverse experience and fresh perspectives to the Board:

• Trevor Grant, Vice President of Sales & Marketing, Moosehead Breweries
• Thomas Lecordier, CEO, A2C
• Kimberly Legg, Director, P&G Brand Capability, Procter & Gamble
• Carolyn D. Leu, Associate Director, Advertising Standards, CBC
• Syed Zeeshan Shams, Country Marketing Head, Haleon
• Divya Deep Singh, Head of Personal Care, Unilever

These members join a dedicated group of industry leaders, who continue to demonstrate their commitment to advertising self-regulation:

• Catherine Bate, President & CEO, Ad Standards
• Sonia Carreno, President, IAB Canada
• Judy Davey, Vice-President, Media Policy & Marketing Capabilities, Association of Canadian Advertisers
• Scott Knox, President & CEO, Institute of Canadian Agencies (ICA)
• Steve McGregor, President, Pattison Outdoor Advertising
• Shelley Samel (Corporate Secretary), Chief Legal Officer, Ad Standards
• Andrew Saunders, President & CEO, The Globe and Mail
• Marina Seidl (Vice-Chair), Senior Legal Counsel, Interac Corp.
• Richard Wong (Treasurer), Member at Large

Said Catherine Bate of this year’s Board: “This distinguished group reflects the remarkable depth and diversity of expertise in Canada’s advertising ecosystem. Their contributions will be instrumental as Ad Standards continues to provide trusted leadership in support of truthful, fair, and accurate advertising.”

An updated edition of the Influencer Marketing Disclosure Guidelines is now available, thanks to the work of Ad Standards’ Influencer Marketing Committee.

Created in 2017, and last updated in 2023, the Guidelines are intended to educate the influencer marketing industry about their disclosure obligations and to give a practical framework for providing disclosure.

While the core principles of these guidelines remain unchanged, this edition includes:

• more detailed direction on topics such as disclosure of gifted products versus event invitations;
• best practices for the effective use of social media paid partnership tools;
• refined guidance on how influencers should disclose affiliate marketing relationships;
• recommendations on disclosures directed at child audiences;
• enhanced direction on the use and disclosure of artificial intelligence in endorsements, including scenarios involving AI-generated influencers and AI-generated content.

For additional information on these changes or if you are interested in joining the Influencer Marketing Committee please contact Shelley Samel, Chief Legal Officer.

Ad Standards has released Gambling Advertising Complaints: A Three-Year Review—a detailed look at public complaints received by Ad Standards about gambling advertising between April 2022 and April 2025, the period following the launch of Ontario iGaming in Ontario.

The report provides industry with valuable insights into how gambling ads are perceived by Canadians.

One of the most notable shifts is the increase in complaints about specific ad content. In the first year after the launch of iGaming in Ontario most complaints targeted the very existence of gambling advertising; by year three, 79% of complaints addressed the content of individual ads.

Across the three-year period, the issues raised with greatest frequency fell under Clause 14 (Unacceptable Depictions and Portrayals) of the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. Consumers also expressed increasing concern about the use of celebrities and athletes in gambling ads, especially following regulatory changes introduced in Ontario in early 2024.

The report also outlines changes in media trends. While TV remained the dominant platform for complaints, mentions of online and streaming ads rose in the final year.

Ad Standards is pleased to report that the majority of advertisers involved in these complaints cooperated fully with the self-regulatory process. The findings reinforce the importance of a responsive complaint mechanism and the value of consumer input in maintaining responsible advertising practices.

Whenever an advertisement sparks a complaint to Ad Standards it lands on Yamina Bennacer’s desk, where she and her team begin the rigorous Consumer Complaints Procedure.

Yamina joined Ad Standards in 2015 as Manager, Standards and was promoted to Director, Standards (National) in 2022. In her current role she coordinates and responds to complaints from the public, advises on the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards (Code), and leads Ad Standards’ non‑partisan government advertising review programs for the Governments of Canada and British Columbia.

Yamina’s team is composed of a veteran law clerk, analysts with category-specific expertise, and a communications specialist. She, herself, brings a customer‑service background from previous roles. It is this diversity of backgrounds that Yamina believes makes her team effective in evaluating complaints. No complaint is evaluated in isolation; each potential breach is discussed collaboratively to ascertain whether the ad poses a potential breach under the Code and should go to the independent Standards Council for adjudication.

Working with the Council—an assembly of volunteers from across Canada who either work in advertising or have particular expertise related to the industry—is one of Yamina’s favourite aspects of the job. Council’s independence from the organization ensures that final decisions reflect collective judgment of the industry and the public, rather than the perspective of any single organization. This separation preserves Ad Standards’ educational role and ensures consistency of adjudication across all media and sectors.

Over the course of her tenure, Yamina has seen how societal shifts reshape consumer expectations. During the COVID‑19 pandemic, for instance, complaints arose about depictions of indoor gatherings and mask usage—issues Ad Standards had never encountered before. The team responded by publishing advisories to help advertisers adapt, demonstrating how the Code is applicable despite changing norms.

Behind every decision is a meticulous investigation: gathering evidence from advertisers, consulting Ad Standards’ Chief Legal Officer, and tracking the complaints deemed compliant by Standards Council to inform future reviews. Yamina believes that this rigor not only ensures fairness but also provides valuable feedback for advertisers. When an advertiser voluntarily removes or modifies a non-compliant ad, the decision is shared on Ad Standards’ website as a learning tool, without identifying the advertiser. This helps other advertisers avoid lapses and potential fines from regulatory bodies.

For Yamina, the greatest reward comes when the system works as intended—when consumers feel heard and advertisers embrace their responsibility. She values the continuous learning the role demands: every complaint brings a new topic, a new product or service, and a new challenge to understand.

After a decade with Ad Standards, Yamina remains committed to fairness, transparency, and collaboration. She sees her work as a bridge between the public and the industry, helping to uphold a shared commitment to responsible advertising.

“What really drives me is seeing a consumer’s trust restored when an advertiser acts on a complaint. Even if it's just one person, it creates a ripple—others in the industry learn from that example. And with hundreds of complaints carefully reviewed by the Standards team each year, those ripples can be taken together to form a veritable wave of impact, maintaining truth, fairness, accuracy in advertising and the consumer trust that comes with it.”

Get more insight into Yamina’s and the Standards team’s day-to-day: 

Starting January 1, 2026, most prepackaged foods that meet Health Canada’s thresholds for saturated fat, sugars and/or sodium will require front‑of‑package (FOP) nutrition symbols on the product on shelf.

The Food and Drug Regulations don’t specifically mandate that the FOP symbol appear on labels depicted in advertising, but Ad Standards Clearance analysts look to the Industry Labelling Tool when reviewing how packaging is depicted in ads.

If omitting the FOP symbol in an ad creates a misleading impression about a product’s nutritional value, Clearance analysts will advise that the symbol be shown.

To avoid clearance delays, advertisers should:



• Confirm whether the product will require an FOP symbol on shelf (effective Jan 1, 2026).
• Include the FOP symbol on any pack shots when the product will require it on shelf.
• Consider the ad’s overall impression—particularly pertaining to nutrition-related claims—and align in-ad packaging with on-shelf labelling.
• Submit all creative for preclearance so analysts can confirm whether the FOP symbol should appear.

In short, if leaving the FOP symbol out could mislead consumers about nutritional value, you’ll be asked to show it.

The conversation around artificial intelligence in advertising is evolving quickly, and Ad Standards is part of the global dialogue shaping what comes next.

A little over a year ago, the International Council for Advertising Self-Regulation (ICAS) launched its Global Think Tank to “lead in times of rapid change.” Since then, this group has grown to include 46 members worldwide, with Ad Standards’ President and CEO, Catherine Bate, bringing Canada’s perspective to the Steering Committee.

At Cannes in June, the Think Tank hosted a thought-provoking session on the ethical implications of AI in advertising, sparking discussion on how the industry can embrace innovation responsibly.

This past September, the Think Tank took another big step forward with the release of its first two publications on responsible advertising in the age of AI, written by leading experts in the field:

• Beyond Simple Labelling: A Nuanced Approach to Transparency in AI‑Generated Advertising by Konrad Shek
• AI in Advertising: Governance, Regulation and Other Troubles by Steven Sidley



According to ICAS, these publications are designed to “stimulate informed debate and help ad standards bodies and stakeholders around the world converge on shared principles and practical approaches to emerging challenges.”

For Ad Standards, this is an exciting opportunity to be part of developing global thought leadership that directly shapes the future of our industry. These global initiatives then help inform and improve our work at home in Canada, ensuring that our domestic guidance and standards meet the needs of the Canadian market.

Zachary Roy, Laval University

Helenna Swift, University of British Columbia’s (UBC) Sauder School of Business

We’re proud to announce the recipients of this year’s Ad Standards Scholarships: awarded to post-secondary students who demonstrate a strong commitment to advertising, marketing, ethics, and social responsibility.


Helenna Swift, the winner of the English language scholarship, is entering her fifth year at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business. She is pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce with a specialization in Marketing and a minor in Law & Society.

The French language scholarship winner, Zachary Roy, is a bachelor's student in public communications at Laval University, with a concentration in social advertising.

These exceptional students stood out for their academic achievements, interest in a career in marketing/advertising, and a history of volunteerism.

At Ad Standards, we’re committed to supporting the next generation of leaders in the advertising and marketing community—and we’re inspired by the talent and passion these students bring to the field.

Applications are now open for the 2025-26 scholarship.

This year, there are three scholarships of $2,500 each – one for a student studying in a primarily English program; one for a student studying in a primarily French program; one for a student studying in either an English or French program and who identifies as part of an underrepresented community in the advertising and marketing industry. 

Understanding the Code Through Consumer Complaints



Explore trends in consumer complaints and learn how the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards sets the standards for truthful, fair and accurate advertising.

English session

November 18 | 1 p.m. ET

French session

November 25 | 1 p.m. ET

Ad Standards’ 2025 membership renewal is now underway. Thank you to all our members for your continued support. Your commitment makes effective advertising self-regulation in Canada possible, and we look forward to another year of working together to strengthen trust in advertising.

Membership in Ad Standards is more than a designation—it’s a demonstration of your organization’s commitment to truth, fairness, and accuracy in advertising.

Research consistently shows that Canadians place greater trust in ads from Ad Standards members, reinforcing the value of your participation.

Not yet a member? Joining Ad Standards is the best way to support responsible advertising. To learn more, or if you have any questions about membership, please contact Audrey Santana, Membership Coordinator.