Participating jurisdictions (except Ontario) of the Canadian Securities Administrators (the Participating Jurisdictions) are publishing Multilateral Staff Notice 45-309 (Revised) Guidance for Preparing and Filing an Offering Memorandum under National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (45-309, the Staff Notice) to provide guidance to issuers, underwriters, and their…

The Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), Canada’s national self-regulatory organization that oversees all investment dealers, mutual fund dealers and trading activity on Canada’s debt and equity marketplaces, is publishing for a comment (the Request for Comment) for a period ending October 2nd, 2023.  The Request…

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) has published OSC Staff Notice 33-752 – Summary Report for Dealers, Advisers and Investment Fund Managers (The Summary Report). The Summary Report describes the work conducted by the OSC’s Compliance and Registrant Regulation Branch (CRR) during the 2020-2021 fiscal year…

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) is launching a review of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETFs are an increasingly popular investment vehicle, offering exposure to a variety of underlying assets and investment strategies, with intraday liquidity on the secondary market. According to CSA staff, ETFs comprise approximately…

Participating members of the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) will be issuing exemptions from certain filing requirements (the blanket orders) to cover the brief period before the System for Electronic Document Analysis and Retrieval (SEDAR) will be switched to a new centralized system, SEDAR+. The blanket…

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has published CSA Staff Notice 81-336 Guidance on Crypto Asset Investment Funds that are Reporting Issuers (the Staff Notice), which provides guidance to help fund managers understand and comply with securities law requirements for public investment funds holding crypto assets…

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Science and Technology has issued its report, Blockchain Technology: Cryptocurrencies and Beyond. The 62-page report examines the ways that blockchain technology is already changing the digital landscape and providing significant economic benefits, while also expressing optimism that greater…

The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) has welcomed two new developments in the field of Climate-Related Disclosure. The first, on June 26th, is the publication by the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB)’s first two sustainability disclosure standards: IFRS S1 General Requirements for Disclosure of Sustainability-related Financial…

BAX Securities Law is pleased to announce that Barbara Hendrickson has been appointed to a second two year term with the BCSC Fintech Advisory Forum. The Forum is made up of financial technology (fintech) industry professionals and experts and advises BCSC staff on fintech trends…

The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) has published a report aimed at guiding public accounting firms to develop and implement robust internal ethical policies and procedures (OSC Staff Notice 52-724, Considerations for Public Accounting Firms in Developing Internal Ethics Policies and Procedures, the Staff Notice). The…