More filing relief from Canada’s regulators

Canadian securities regulators are extending emergency filing relief for industry firms, citing the ongoing effects of Covid-19.

Earlier this month, the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) announced an extension to temporary relief for issuers that was introduced back in March — and today, May 29, they issued a similar extension for dealers, and other registered firms.

In blanket orders, various members of the CSA granted firms a 60-day extension for regulatory filings that would ordinarily be required between June 2 and Sept. 30.

Due to how the Covid-19 outbreak has affected firms’ access to office facilities and the “availability of personnel and resources,” firms’ ability to meet their regulatory filing obligations have been challenged, said the order issued by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC).

In Ontario, the relief also applies to unregistered market participants that rely on certain registration exemptions, such as unregistered investment fund managers and exempt international firms.

Separately, the OSC has announced that it will continue to waive late filing fees for registered firms, investment funds, and certain exempt firms for fees that accumulate between June 2 and Sept. 30. It will also do so for issuers, markets, clearing agencies and trade repositories between June 2 and Aug. 31.

James Langton

James is a senior reporter for Advisor.ca and its sister publication, Investment Executive. He has been reporting on regulation, securities law, industry news and more since 1994.