Complaints and Inquiries Statistics

January 2024 – March 31, 2026

Prior to February 2024, CIRO’s Complaints and Inquiries Department (C&I) handled matters relating to investment dealers, trading on Canadian marketplaces and general matters. Beginning in February 2024, C&I began fielding all complaints and inquiries from public investors relating to mutual fund dealers as well. As a result, the statistics prior to February 2024 do not include complaints or inquiries relating to mutual fund dealers.

Total complaints and inquiries received

Most of the complaints 1 and inquiries 2  (contacts) CIRO receives relate to either the dealers we regulate, the markets we regulate, or other matters falling within CIRO’s jurisdiction  3 (other). In recent years, we have received an ever-increasing number of contacts that fall outside of CIRO’s jurisdiction. Many of these contacts are related to scams or frauds perpetrated against investors by non-registrants. In these cases, people are redirected to the appropriate regulator, firm or resource.

  • 1Complaints: a (typically) written expression of dissatisfaction
  • 2Inquiries: questions, comments or verbal expressions of dissatisfaction
  • 3

    CIRO only has jurisdiction over those individuals and firms that are registered with CIRO, and Canadian debt and equity markets. See Looking up an Investment Advisor or Firm and Equity Markets We Regulate. General contacts we receive (not related to dealers or markets we regulate) about CIRO are included under “CIRO-related”. Any complaints or inquiries not falling within these categories are included under “other”.

Grand Total Of All Contacts and Complaints and Inquiries - Refer to the tables below for complete data.

    Grand Total of all Contacts

    YearEvent TypeTotal
    2024Complaint1186
    2024Inquiry2933
    2025Complaint1345
    2025Inquiry3889
    2026Complaint401
    2026Inquiry888
    Total10642

    Complaints and Inquiries 2024

    Case TypeTotal
    Member1671
    Other1279
    Market599
    CIRO Related570

     


    Complaints and Inquiries 2025

    Case TypeTotal
    Member1273
    Other1243
    CIRO Related1041
    Market383

    Complaints and Inquiries 2026

    Case TypeTotal
    Member3820
    Other3127
    CIRO Related2474
    Market1221

    Complaints and inquiries regarding CIRO-regulated firms

    Member Complaints and Inquiries - Refer to the table below for complete data.

      Member Complaints and Inquiries

      DateEvent TypeTotal
      2024 JanComplaint49
      2024 JanInquiry80
      2024 FebComplaint58
      2024 FebInquiry75
      2024 MarComplaint67
      2024 MarInquiry95
      2024 AprComplaint37
      2024 AprInquiry107
      2024 MayComplaint42
      2024 MayInquiry93
      2024 JunComplaint47
      2024 JunInquiry87
      2024 JulComplaint50
      2024 JulInquiry71
      2024 AugComplaint61
      2024 AugInquiry92
      2024 SepComplaint42
      2024 SepInquiry73
      2024 OctComplaint44
      2024 OctInquiry96
      2024 NovComplaint51
      2024 NovInquiry112
      2024 DecComplaint65
      2024 DecInquiry77
      2025 JanComplaint87
      2025 JanInquiry111
      2025 FebComplaint61
      2025 FebInquiry110
      2025 MarComplaint79
      2025 MarInquiry80
      2025 AprComplaint68
      2025 AprInquiry72
      2025 MayComplaint78
      2025 MayInquiry76
      2025 JunComplaint55
      2025 JunInquiry60
      2025 JulComplaint70
      2025 JulInquiry54
      2025 AugComplaint50
      2025 AugInquiry39
      2025 SepComplaint69
      2025 SepInquiry54
      2025 OctComplaint84
      2025 OctInquiry57
      2025 NovComplaint59
      2025 NovInquiry65
      2025 DecComplaint61
      2025 DecInquiry55
      2026 JanComplaint79
      2026 JanInquiry101
      2026 FebComplaint75
      2026 FebInquiry67
      2026 MarComplaint102
      2026 MarInquiry71
      Total 3820

      Regulatory vs. non-regulatory complaints and inquiries

      Investors contact CIRO for both regulatory and non-regulatory matters. Regulatory matters are those subject to CIRO rules or securities law. For example, allegations of unsuitable investments or unauthorized trading. Non-regulatory matters are issues such as poor customer service and general inquiries about dealer policies and procedures. Since non-regulatory matters do not fall under CIRO's mandate, the investor is directed to address these complaints directly with the firm involved.

      Regulatory vs. Non-Regulatory Inquiries and Complaints (member) - Refer to the tables below for complete data.

        Regulatory vs. Non-Regulatory Inquiries (Member)

        YearTotalRegulatory or Non
        20241982Non-Regulatory
        2024601Regulatory
        20252933Non-Regulatory
        2025642Regulatory
        2026584Non-Regulatory
        2026240Regulatory
        Total6982 

        Regulatory vs. Non-Regulatory Complaints (Member)

        YearTotalRegulatory or Non
        2024709Non-Regulatory
        2024228Regulatory
        2025752Non-Regulatory
        2025405Regulatory
        2026248Non-Regulatory
        202697Regulatory
        Total2439 

        Most frequent inquiries about CIRO-regulated firms

        Visit our Office of the Investor webpage for more information on a variety of helpful topics.

        Top 5 Member Inquiries - Refer to the table below for complete data.

        *Note: each inquiry may involve more than one topic, thus appearing under multiple categories.

          Top 5 Member Inquiries

          AllegationTotalYear
          Dealer Policies and Procedures1872024
          Dealer Policies and Procedures1272025
          Dealer Policies and Procedures362026
          General inquiry about RR/firm1022024
          General inquiry about RR/firm502025
          General inquiry about RR/firm102026
          Info. on filing a complaint2202024
          Info. on filing a complaint2092025
          Info. on filing a complaint502026
          Service Issues1772024
          Service Issues1622025
          Service Issues392026
          Transfer of Accounts652024
          Transfer of Accounts762025
          Transfer of Accounts752026
          Total1418 

          Most frequent complaints about CIRO-regulated firms

          Of these complaints, only unsuitable investments and account transfers are generally considered to be regulatory matters, with the remainder generally falling outside of CIRO jurisdiction. Matters that aren’t subject to CIRO rules must be addressed directly by the client to the firm in question.

          CIRO-regulated firms must notify CIRO of all non-service-related complaints they receive and handle all complaints they receive according to prescribed standards contained within CIRO rules.

          Learn more about how CIRO-regulated firms handle client complaints.

          Top 5 Member Complaints - Refer to the table below for complete data.

          *Note: each complaint may involve more than one allegation, thus appearing under multiple categories

            Top 5 Member Complaints

            AllegationTotalYear
            Dealer Policies and Procedures1212024
            Dealer Policies and Procedures1412025
            Dealer Policies and Procedures362026
            Service Issues2012024
            Service Issues2042025
            Service Issues1092026
            Trading disputes, errors and delays352024
            Trading disputes, errors and delays702025
            Trading disputes, errors and delays162026
            Transfer of Accounts682024
            Transfer of Accounts1242025
            Transfer of Accounts392026
            Unsuitable Investments522024
            Unsuitable Investments722025
            Unsuitable Investments92026
            Total1159 

            Market-related complaints and inquiries

            Market-Related Complaints and Inquiries - Refer to the table below for complete data.

              Market-Related Complaints and Inquiries

              DateEventTypeTotal
              2024 JanComplaint16
              2024 JanInquiry37
              2024 FebComplaint28
              2024 FebInquiry25
              2024 MarComplaint29
              2024 MarInquiry30
              2024 AprComplaint21
              2024 AprInquiry35
              2024 MayComplaint27
              2024 MayInquiry30
              2024 JunComplaint16
              2024 JunInquiry27
              2024 JulComplaint21
              2024 JulInquiry30
              2024 AugComplaint16
              2024 AugInquiry30
              2024 SepComplaint25
              2024 SepInquiry28
              2024 OctComplaint17
              2024 OctInquiry36
              2024 NovComplaint18
              2024 NovInquiry21
              2024 DecComplaint15
              2024 DecInquiry21
              2025 JanComplaint11
              2025 JanInquiry53
              2025 FebComplaint19
              2025 FebInquiry26
              2025 MarComplaint15
              2025 MarInquiry25
              2025 AprComplaint11
              2025 AprInquiry25
              2025 MayComplaint16
              2025 MayInquiry26
              2025 JunComplaint14
              2025 JunInquiry27
              2025 JulComplaint20
              2025 JulInquiry31
              2025 AugComplaint8
              2025 AugInquiry18
              2025 SepComplaint13
              2025 SepInquiry25
              2025 OctComplaint27
              2025 OctInquiry16
              2025 NovComplaint15
              2025 NovInquiry25
              2025 DecComplaint19
              2025 DecInquiry17
              2026 JanComplaint21
              2026 JanInquiry31
              2026 FebComplaint17
              2026 FebInquiry20
              2026 MarComplaint18
              2026 MarInquiry13
              Total 1221

              UMIR vs. non-UMIR complaints and inquiries

              Investors contact CIRO regarding both matters that are subject to the Universal Market Integrity Rules (UMIR) and those that are not. Under Recognition Orders issued by the  Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) and by agreement with the marketplaces, CIRO monitors all equity and debt market activity on all Canadian marketplaces, including stock exchanges and alternative trading systems, to detect manipulative trading practices and other breaches of the marketplace trading rules. 

              Our goal is to ensure trading complies with UMIR and other CIRO rules. Matters that are not subject to UMIR (or other CIRO rules), such as cease-trade orders, listed company activity and disclosures, fall outside of CIRO’s jurisdiction. Since non-UMIR matters do not fall under CIRO's mandate, the investor should address these matters directly with the principal regulator for the issuer (see SEDAR+) or the exchange.

              UMIR vs. Non-UMIR Inquiries and Complaints - Refer to the tables below for complete data.

                UMIR vs. non-UMIR Inquiries

                YearTotalUMIR
                2024302Non UMIR
                202422UMIR
                2025274Non UMIR
                202529UMIR
                202654Non UMIR
                20266UMIR
                Total687 

                UMIR vs. non-UMIR Complaints

                YearTotalUMIR
                2024113Non UMIR
                2024135UMIR
                202588Non UMIR
                202599UMIR
                202628Non UMIR
                202628UMIR
                Total491 

                Most frequent market-related inquiries

                By far, our most frequent market-related inquiries are about trading halts, even though we are not able to provide information about specific halts beyond that contained in the halt notice that is published on our website and through various news services. We also hear often from the public about listed company issues and cease-trade orders (CTOs), which do not fall under CIRO’s jurisdiction.

                CIRO’s market-related jurisdiction encompasses monitoring trading on Canadian marketplaces for compliance with the Universal Market Integrity Rules (UMIR). CIRO does not have jurisdiction over public companies or their directors, officers or employees.

                See more about UMIR here.

                Top 5 Market-Related Inquiries - Refer to the table below for complete data.

                *Note: each inquiry may involve more than one topic, thus appearing under multiple categories. CTO = Cease Trade Order

                  Top 5 Market-Related Inquiries

                  AllegationTotalYear
                  CTO342024
                  CTO212025
                  CTO42026
                  General332024
                  Halt inquiry1012024
                  Halt inquiry1422025
                  Halt inquiry312026
                  Listed company issues592024
                  Listed company issues462025
                  Listed company issues72026
                  Other92024
                  Other322025
                  Other102026
                  Total502 

                  Most frequent market-related complaints

                  The largest number of the complaints about market activity are allegations of market manipulation.

                  CIRO rules prohibit orders or trades that create a false or misleading appearance of trading activity (or interest in trading) or create an artificial bid, ask or sale price. This activity is considered manipulative and CIRO’s surveillance staff use specialized systems to continuously monitor trading in real-time across multiple marketplaces to detect and pursue instances of suspicious or prohibited trading activity. While some complaints are well-founded, most often, a more fulsome review by CIRO staff who have access to more information about the trades in question and the parties involved, alleviates our concerns. When concerns remain, we forward the complaint information to our Trading Review & Analysis (TR&A) department.

                  Learn how CIRO monitors and analyzes market activity.

                  Top 5 Market Related Complaints - Refer to the table below for complete data.

                  *Note: each complaint may involve more than one topic, thus appearing under multiple categories.

                    Top 5 Market-Related Complaints

                    AllegationTotalYear
                    Insider trading252024
                    Insider trading72025
                    Insider trading42026
                    Listed company issues522024
                    Listed company issues332025
                    Listed company issues132026
                    Manipulation1002024
                    Manipulation632025
                    Manipulation172026
                    Manipulation Artificial Closing Price182024
                    Manipulation Artificial Closing Price172025
                    Manipulation Artificial Closing Price72026
                    Short Selling362024
                    Short Selling212025
                    Short Selling42026
                    Total357 

                    Geographic location

                    Most inquiries and complaints come from Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, and Alberta.

                    Geographic Location - Refer to the table below for complete data.

                      Location of Investors Who Contact CIRO

                      LocationTotal
                      Ontario958
                      British Columbia334
                      Québec315
                      Alberta290
                      Saskatchewan77
                      Manitoba65
                      Nova Scotia38
                      New Brunswick22
                      Newfoundland and Labrador3
                      Prince Edward Island3
                      Yukon2

                      Age and gender

                      Since the pandemic, in cases where age and gender were disclosed, we have seen an increase in contacts from investors under 60 years old, which may correspond to the increase we have seen in DIY (do-it-yourself) investing.

                      We generally hear from males more often than females.

                      Who Contacts CIRO? Age of Investors that Contact CIRO - Refer to the table below for complete data.

                        Who Contacts CIRO

                        GenderTotalPercentage
                        Female38834%
                        Male78768%
                        Total1153100%

                        Note: Some cases have more than one party so percentages don't equal 100%

                        Age of Investors that Contact CIRO

                        AgePercentage
                        20-295%
                        30-3916%
                        40-4917%
                        50-5921%
                        60-6922%
                        70-7913%
                        80-895%
                        90-991%
                        Total100%

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