If you have serious concerns about the way your investments or securities have been handled, a company you have invested in, or believe a company or individual has breached securities law, you can make a formal complaint. Find out more about the steps involved below.
Step 1: Help yourself by first taking a few moments to decide how best to direct your complaint:
If your concern is regarding:
- your investment account, financial adviser or investment company, you should first try to resolve your dispute with your financial adviser, the branch manager, or the compliance officer. If the matter relates to an Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC) or Mutual Fund Dealers Association member firm, you should contact these self-regulatory organizations directly. Or, alternatively contact the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (www.obsi.ca).
- the poor execution of a trade order, potential violations of the Universal Market Integrity Rules (UMIR), potential trading violations by a regulated person, or concerns regarding timely disclosure of material information by a publicly listed company, forward your complaints to Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).
- the way your investments have been handled, a company you have invested in, or believe a company or individual has breached securities law, you can make a formal complaint to the ASC through Case Assessment in the Enforcement department.
Step 2: If you would like to send a complaint to the ASC you must include enough details so we can determine what actions might be necessary.
Please fill out the online form. Please be prepared to explain:
- What your complaint is about.
- When the incident took place (dates, times etc).
- The steps you have taken during the course of the situation.
- Names and addresses of those involved, and your relationship to the company or individual at the source of the complaint.
- If you have any copies of letters, cancelled cheques, account statements, or other documents that will help explain your complaint and support your statements. You may be asked to provide these hard copy documents at a later date.
- Other relevant information that would be helpful to better understand your concerns.
Should you wish to file a complaint via regular email, fax or letter, be sure to include all of these details. Send to:
Email: | complaints@asc.ca |
Fax: | Attn: Case Assessment
(403) 297-2210 |
Mail: | Attn: Case Assessment
Alberta Securities Commission
Suite 600, 250–5th St. SW
Calgary, Alberta, T2P 0R4 |
Can I get my money back?
The ASC does not have the authority to get your money back for you. The ASC can only proceed with enforcement action against individuals or companies who have breached the Securities Act (Alberta). If you have lost money due to a violation of securities law, you should first try to deal with the company directly. If this doesn’t work, you may wish to obtain legal advice through a lawyer to determine what options are available to you (i.e., through the courts).