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The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) announced Wednesday it is seeking members for its newly launched Seniors Expert Advisory Committee (SEAC), which will advise staff on issues impacting older investors.

In particular, the SEAC is expected to provide input on securities policy and operational developments that affect senior investors, and to help inform the OSC’s investor education and outreach activities.

The regulator is seeking representatives from the legal and medical professions, academia, the industry and seniors’ advocates to join the 15-person committee.

“The Seniors Expert Advisory Committee will give the OSC access to a multidisciplinary team of experts on issues related to older investors, providing us with valuable input on our seniors strategy, an important initiative for the OSC,” says Maureen Jensen, chairwoman and CEO of the OSC, in a statement. “The committee builds on our ongoing efforts to better understand the unique needs of older investors.”

In recent years, regulators have increasingly focused on issues affecting senior investors, given the aging population, and the fact that older investors can be more vulnerable to misconduct.

The new committee will operate for one year, and is expected to meet four to six times during the year, the OSC says.

Tyler Fleming, director of the OSC’s Investor Office, will chair the committee. Applications to join are due by July 29.

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