Canadian Movie Ratings: Alberta
While the official act of legislation in Alberta still refers to the board responsible for Alberta's movie ratings activities as "The Alberta Censor Board," the office is informally known as the Alberta Film Classification Board. Like other Canadian classification offices, they advise the general public on what ages are appropriate to attend theatrical movie releases.
Seven staff members, including 3 full-time classifiers and 1 part-time classifier, are responsible for the day-to-day operations of rating all movies publicly exhibited in Alberta, using the following rating symbols:
| Rating | Description |
|---|---|
| G | General, suitable for viewing by all ages. |
| PG | Parental guidance is advised. Theme or content may not be suitable for all children. |
| 14A | Suitable for viewing by persons 14 years of age or older. Persons under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. May contain violence, coarse language, and/or sexually suggestive scenes. |
| 18A | Suitable for viewing by persons 18 years of age or older. Persons under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. May contain explicit violence, frequent coarse language, sexual activity and/or horror. |
| R | Admittance restricted to persons 18 years of age or older. Content not suitable for minors. Contains frequent sexual activity, brutal/graphic violence, intense horror and/or other disturbing content. |
| Adult | Admittance restricted to persons 18 years of age or older. Content not suitable for minors. Contains predominantly sexually explicit activity. |
The Alberta Film Classification Board classifies any films that are to be shown commercially within the province. However, it has no jurisdiction over home video releases. Video retailers in the province rely on the CMPDA Home Video Rating to provide consumers with content information.
Alberta Film Classification Services
Paul Pearson, Director
140, 4211 - 106 Street
Edmonton, AB
T6J 6L7
(780) 427-2006
paul.pearson@gov.ab.ca
www.albertafilmratings.ca
Information extracted from the Alberta Film Classification website and interview with former director Sharon McCann.
