At this time we would like to make you aware of 2 new significant changes that might impact the way you communicate with the Canadian market.

Canada’s anti-spam legislation will come into effect on July 1, 2014.  When the new law comes into force, it will generally prohibit the sending of commercial electronic messages (CEMs) without the recipient’s consent.  The most challenging aspect of the law will be contacting potential customers.  You will not be able to send a CEM to Canadians with whom you don’t have a pre-existing business relationship unless you have their consent.  In the case of existing contacts, you will be able to contact them without express permission during a 3-year phase-in period.

You can visit the Government of Canada’s FAQ for additional information.

The CRTC (Canada’s broadcast regulator) has mandated that all on-air elements must be closed captioned effective September 1, 2014.  This includes any commercials, billboards and sponsorship messages.  Any creative that has been airing prior to the September 1^st air date needs to be resubmitted, with closed captioning to receive a NEW approval number with a CC suffix on the end.  Creative zthat does not have a CC suffix will not be able to air, there are no exceptions to this as it will now be a condition of license for all broadcasters.

You can visit the CRTC to learn more.