News + Insights

On February 9, 2026, the Court of King's Bench of Alberta released its reasons in Franklin v. Alberta (Life Insurance Council), a nuanced administrative appeal addressing the interpretation and application of the licensing requirements for new licenses under Alberta's Insurance Act. AGB successfully represented the applicant/appellant on this statutory appeal from the decision below denying him licenses to act as a life insurance agent and accident sickness insurance agent.

This statutory appeal to the King's Bench of Alberta was from a decision by the Insurance Councils Appeal Board of Alberta (the "Alberta Board") that dismissed our client’s appeal from a decision by the Life Insurance Council (“LIC”) denying his application for the licenses. The King's Bench accepted AGB's submissions that the Appeal Board had committed errors of law in its interpretation and application of the statutory eligibility criteria for the licenses, including by erroneously interpreting the applicable standard of trustworthiness set out in the Insurance Act and applying considerations irrelevant to its assessment.

In the result, the King's Bench set aside the Appeal Board’s decision and remitted the appeal to another panel of the Appeal Board for redetermination. This result highlights AGB's expertise in navigating statutory licensing and professional regulation regimes across the country and skillfully and effectively pursuing proceedings, including statutory appeals, to protect our clients' livelihoods and professional interests.