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Canadian Franchise Disclosure Compliance Guide

There is a growing number of Canadian provinces enacting franchise disclosure legislation and a growing number of decided cases providing guidance as to the obligations of franchisors under these statutes. Currently, the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick have such legislation.

AODA in Brief

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA”) which serves as the framework for the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (the “Customer Service Standard”) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards (such standards, together, the “Standards”), exists to promote accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities with respect to goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, structures and premises.

New Franchise Legislation in Canada

British Columbia, which presently does not have a franchise specific statute, recently took one step closer to implementing such legislation when the British Columbia Law Institute (“BCLI”) recommended the passage of a franchise act in its recent report titled Report on a Franchise Act for British Columbia (March 2014) (the “Report”).