Urania Agas
Chief Operating Officer
WPP Media Canada

Calla Dewdney
Director, Regulatory, Media Rogers Sports & Media

Shannon Wells
Director of Sales
Bell Media Québec

Members of Ad Standards met in June for our Annual General Meeting. It was wonderful to see industry leaders come together to support of effective advertising self-regulation, with many attending in person and others joining virtually from coast to coast.

At the AGM, Ad Standards welcomed its 2026–27 Board of Directors, including three new directors:

• Urania Agas, Chief Operating Officer, WPP Media Canada
• Calla Dewdney, Director, Regulatory, Media, Rogers Sports & Media
• Shannon Wells, Director of Sales, Bell Media Québec

Their addition further strengthens the Board's already notable depth of experience, range of representation across the industry, and reinforces Ad Standards’ commitment to thought leadership in its work to build trust in advertising. 

As noted by Board Chair Serge Rancourt, Co‑Founder and CEO of No Fixed Address Inc., the Board's members bring "a wide range of expertise and viewpoints representing a tremendous cross-section of the industry" and are well-positioned to "build awareness of the importance of self-regulation in advertising and help maintain the public's trust in this industry that we love."

We also extend our sincere thanks to outgoing directors Sonia Carreno (IAB Canada) and Andrew Saunders (The Globe & Mail) for their contributions and service to Ad Standards. 

In June, Ad Standards released its 2025 Annual Complaints Report, providing insights into the advertising issues that mattered most to  consumers in Canada last year.

The report shows that Ad Standards received 776 consumer complaints in 2025, a 27% increase over 2024, with 71% deemed valid under the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards. Despite the increase in complaints, the number of ads referred to Standards Council for formal adjudication remained consistent year over year. 

Several notable trends emerged:

• Retail advertising accounted for the largest share of complaints investigations, growing to 37% of cases among the leading complaint categories.
• Concerns about promotional offers—particularly unclear terms and conditions and unavailable advertised products—continued to increase.
• Influencer marketing disclosures remained a focus for consumers, with Quebec reporting a notably higher proportion of these complaints than other leading provinces.
• A new trend, sometimes known as "maple washing," emerged as consumers increasingly scrutinized Canadian-origin and "Proudly Canadian" claims.

Together, these findings offer valuable insight into evolving consumer expectations and underscore the importance of transparency, accuracy and clear disclosure in advertising.

Marithée-Bellavance
Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) 

Olivia MacLeod
Mount Allison University

Ollie Milling
Algonquin College of Applied Arts and Technology

Ad Standards is proud to announce the recipients of the 2025-26 Ad Standards Scholarships. This year marks an important milestone for the program, with the introduction of a third scholarship recognizing a student who identifies as a member of an underrepresented community in Canada's advertising and marketing industry.

This year's recipients have distinguished themselves through leadership, volunteerism, and a demonstrated passion for making a positive impact in their communities.

Marithée Bellavance, who is completing a degree in Marketing Communication, Strategy, and Consulting at Université du Québec à Montréal, has built an impressive record of involvement through L'Incubateur, the university's student advertising agency. As Communications Director, she has led student teams and contributed to creative projects while developing expertise in communications and strategy. Her commitment to community causes extends beyond campus, including volunteer work supporting young girls facing economic hardship and fundraising initiatives benefiting breast cancer causes.

Olivia MacLeod is entering her third year at Mount Allison University, where she studies marketing. Alongside her academic pursuits, Olivia has taken on leadership roles across campus and launched Back 2 Basics, an initiative designed to help middle school students develop foundational business knowledge and confidence. Her dedication to mentorship and community engagement reflects the values at the heart of the scholarship program.

Ollie Milling is pursuing a Bachelor of Digital Marketing Communication at Algonquin College. Passionate about inclusive, community-focused marketing, Ollie brings a thoughtful perspective to advertising and communications. Her achievements include contributions to youth-focused organizations and receiving the RBC 21 Under 21 Award in Arts & Culture, recognizing her dedication to creative leadership and community involvement.

The accomplishments of Marithée, Olivia, and Ollie highlight the exceptional talent emerging from Canada's colleges and universities—talent that we are proud to support. 

Our Direct-to-Consumer Prescription Drug Advertising (DTCA) Checklist has been recently updated to reflect Health Canada's current feedback and interpretation of The Food and Drugs Act and Regulations, helping advertisers navigate the requirements that apply to this category of advertising.

Designed as a practical planning tool, the checklist walks users through key considerations that must be addressed before submitting a campaign for review.

It applies across all Canadian media, including television, radio, print, out-of-home, digital advertising, websites and social media.

We encourage advertisers, agencies and regulatory teams to consult the checklist early in the creative development process—not just before submission. Using the checklist at the planning stage can help identify common compliance pitfalls, avoid unnecessary revisions and support a more efficient review process.

Download the updated DTCA Checklist and incorporate it into your advertising planning process.

In May, our President & CEO, Catherine Bate, joined advertising self-regulatory leaders and experts from around the world at meetings of the International Council for Ad Self-Regulation (ICAS) and the ICAS Global Think Tank, to discuss emerging challenges and opportunities facing the advertising industry. 

Catherine contributed her thoughts and expertise on the Think Tank’s opening panel, The Next Regulatory Wave: Risks, Spill-Over Effects and the Role of Self-Regulation.

Speaking to a highly engaged audience of global industry professionals, the panel explored the growing regulatory pressures facing advertising around the world, how the regulatory landscape has evolved, and how advertising self-regulation can effectively respond to support the industry in an increasingly complex environment.

Ad Standards’ participation in ICAS reflects our commitment to collaboration, the sharing of global best practices, and the continuing advancement of effective advertising self-regulation in Canada and around the world.

Develop Children’s Broadcast Ads with Confidence

September 21 | 1:30 p.m. ET

Free for Ad Standards members
$20 for non‑members

Learn how to navigate common challenges, avoid pitfalls and make the path to approval easier for children’s broadcast advertising.

A live transcription service will support French‑language attendees.

Réglementation de la publicité des aliments : Guide pratique de conformité

October 21 | 1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. ET

Free for Ad Standards members
$20 for non-members

Learn the requirements and best practices of food and non-alcoholic beverage advertising from the preclearance experts who review these ads every day.

This webinar will be presented in French.

Consumer-Directed Vaccine Advertising

November 18 | 1:30 p.m. ET

Free for members
$20 for non-members

Learn the key principles and requirements governing consumer-directed vaccine advertising. Practical examples will help you identify common "watch-outs" and develop compliant consumer-directed messaging without sacrificing the effectiveness of your campaign.

A live transcription service will support French‑language attendees.

Mark your calendars! Registration coming soon.

The 2025 NABS-BEC Impact Report, released this past spring, is a powerful reminder of what our industry can achieve when we come together to support one another.

Over the past year, NABS-BEC continued to make a meaningful difference in the lives of advertising and media professionals across Canada through short-term financial aid, career coaching, wellness resources, workshops, and community support programs. The report also highlights the generosity of donors, partners, and volunteers who help make this work possible.

Ad Standards is proud to be a long-time supporter of NABS-BEC and its mission. We congratulate the organization on its impact in 2025 and look forward to continuing our support for the critical role it plays in fostering a stronger, more resilient advertising and marketing community.