The latest minutes from the Ontario Securities Commission’s Investor Advisory Panel set out some of the initiatives that the panel may be tackling in the months ahead.

The IAP has already submitted its first comment on the regulators’ planned new regime for credit rating agencies, and it has indicated that it will prepare a comment on the Canadian Securities Administrators’ proposals for regulating the over-the-counter derivatives market, too.

The minutes from the panel’s November 16 meeting indicate that the IAP has also agreed to consider addressing the proposed new point-of-sale regime for mutual funds, enforcement, best practices for securities regulators. The IAP discussed whether to take on the issues of fiduciary duty, investor restitution, and limitation periods, and agreed to undertake further research on those three issues.

The IAP has not yet finalized its list of initiatives, and plans to issue a press release announcing them once it has, the minutes indicate.

The panel also agreed that, in addition to advertising its initiatives on its website, it would also reach out to investors directly. One of the panel members is to report on possible alternatives.

The panel also discussed ways of soliciting input from investors on its initiatives, such as a town hall meeting, sponsoring conferences or roundtable meetings with “stakeholder groups”, involving the academic community in research initiatives, and utilizing technology to engage investors outside of Toronto.

The panel’s next meeting is scheduled for December 14.

IE