Canadian Compliance Deadlines, 2026 to 2028
Every dated obligation we track for Canadian businesses, in one place. Some of these have already passed, which matters more than the ones ahead. A deadline you missed cannot be fixed by waiting, and nobody sends a reminder after the fact.
Last updated . Reviewed monthly.
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The calendar
| Date | Obligation | Who it catches | Status | How we can help |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1, 2026 | Ontario job posting rules: pay disclosure, AI screening disclosure, no Canadian experience requirement, 45 day candidate follow up, 3 year records | Ontario employers with 25 or more staff | In force | We audit your live postings for the pay range, the AI-screening line and the 45-day reply, and fix what is missing. |
| Feb 4, 2026 | FMCSA English language proficiency becomes an out of service violation | Carriers running drivers into the United States | In force | We ready your drivers and records for the roadside English check so a stop does not park the truck. |
| Mar 2, 2026 | CRA T4A filing, after the trucking penalty moratorium was lifted | Motor carriers using owner operators | Passed | We track the filing dates and flag the T4A slips you owe before the penalty lands. |
| May 31, 2026 | Supply Chains Act forced labour report | $20M assets, $40M revenue or 250 employees | Passed, annual | We draft the board-signed forced-labour report and publish it on your site before the deadline. |
| Jun 2026 | Accessible Canada Act progress report, large organisations | Large federally regulated organisations | Passed | We write and publish your accessibility progress report and the feedback process behind it. |
| Dec 31, 2026 | AODA accessibility compliance report | Ontario organisations with 20 or more staff. Penalties currently apply at 50 or more | Next up | We run the WCAG audit and hand you the dated, signed report the portal asks for. |
| Jan 1, 2027 | California ADMT rules: risk assessments, pre-use notices, opt out rights for automated employment decisions | Employers hiring into California, wherever they are based | Ahead | We map where AI touches your hiring and write the pre-use notices and opt-out. |
| 2027 | Colorado automated decision statute: notices, 30 day adverse outcome explanations, human review | Employers hiring into Colorado | Ahead | We map your automated hiring decisions and prep the notices and adverse-outcome explanations. |
| 2027 | California SB 253 Scope 3 reporting, using 2026 data | Customers above $1B revenue, and every supplier they buy from | Ahead | We measure your Scope 1-2 footprint and answer the customer's supplier questionnaire. |
| Jun 2027 | Accessible Canada Act progress report, smaller organisations | Federally regulated, 10 to 99 employees | Ahead | We get your site to WCAG 2.1 AA and publish the plan. |
| Sep 29, 2027 | Federal Plastics Registry, later phases | Producers of packaging and single use plastics | Delayed, being re-noticed | We confirm whether you are in scope and file the report. |
| Dec 5, 2027 | Web accessibility, federal public sector | Federal public sector organisations | Ahead | We audit and remediate your site to EN 301 549 / WCAG 2.1 AA. |
| Dec 5, 2028 | Web, mobile and document accessibility, large private business | Large federally regulated businesses | Ahead | We audit your website, app and documents to the standard. |
Dates move, and some of these are still being re-noticed by the regulator. We check this page monthly and date it above so you can see how current it is.
Guides
Your biggest customer is about to send you an emissions form
Your biggest customer has to report the emissions of everything they buy from you. No law names your business. The request arrives from procurement instead of a regulator, which means there is no exemption and no appeal.
A free email once a month, so nothing lands on you unannounced
One email a month with everything on this calendar that moved, landed or is coming. Free, plain English, no pitch. Join if you would rather not have to remember any of it.
Your drivers now have to prove they speak English
There is no pass mark. One officer decides at the roadside, a failed driver strands your truck for about two days, and Canadian carriers get no border zone relief.
Your website has to work for disabled customers by 31 December 2026
The filing route changed, the report is a self attestation signed by a senior officer, and what you must confirm depends entirely on your headcount. Three tiers, and most owners are looking at the wrong one.
US customs can audit your paperwork five years back
The United States declined to extend USMCA on 1 July 2026, putting it on annual review to 2036. Meanwhile CBP keeps a five year look back on claims you already made. Records, not determinations.
Your staff are pasting client data into free AI tools
Both compliance dates have passed. When staff paste client data into a public AI tool they add a service provider with no contract, no data agreement and no place in your vendor inventory. United States registered firms.
Your product codes expire in 2028 and nobody told you
299 amendment sets across 185 territories on one day, and 172 subheadings deleted. Blanket certifications spanning 1 January 2028 can name codes that no longer exist, with a five year audit window behind them.
Why we publish this
Most compliance surprises are not surprises. They are dated years in advance and then land on people who were never told. The businesses that get hurt are rarely careless. They simply had nobody whose job it was to watch the calendar.
That is the job. If something on this page applies to you and you would rather hand it to somebody, book a free briefing and we will tell you straight whether you are exposed or clear.
If the thing you want watched is your own website rather than the statute book, Site Watch checks it nightly and tells you the morning it breaks.
If the thing you want watched is the competition, Competitor Market Watch tracks the rivals you name and sends one briefing every Monday: new pages, removed pages, price changes and copy changes.
If you would rather start with a single measurement than a subscription, the Blind Spot Report reads your site against up to three competitors once and reports what they sell that you never mention.
And if you want the technical head-to-head rather than the what-they-sell picture, the Competitor Teardown runs the same 25 checks against you and three rivals on one grid for $297. The cheapest doorway in the ladder, same-day delivery.
Not sure which of these even apply to you? The free four-minute assessment asks a few questions and shows you which of AODA, the Ontario job posting duties and Quebec's Law 25 catch a business like yours.