September 24, 2019
IN THE MATTER OF THE SECURITIES LEGISLATION OF ONTARIO (the Jurisdiction)
AND
IN THE MATTER OF THE PROCESS FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF APPLICATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS
AND
IN THE MATTER OF ALGONQUIN CAPITAL CORPORATION (the Filer)
AND
IN THE MATTER OF THE TOP FUNDS (as defined below)
DECISION
Background
The principal regulator in the Jurisdiction has received an application from the Filer, on behalf of each of the Filer, Algonquin Trust (the Initial Top Fund) and one or more investment funds, which are not reporting issuers under the securities legislation of the principal regulator (the Legislation) and which are established, advised and managed by the Filer, in the future (the Future Top Funds, and together with the Initial Top Fund, the Top Funds) for a decision under the Legislation:
(1) in respect of the Fund-on-Fund Structure (as defined below) exempting the Filer and the Top Funds from:
(a) the restriction in the Legislation that prohibits an investment fund from knowingly making an investment in any person or company in which the investment fund, alone or together with one or more related investment funds, is a substantial securityholder;
(b) the restriction in the Legislation that prohibits an investment fund from knowingly making an investment in an issuer in which:
(i) any officer or director of the investment fund, its management company or distribution company or an associate of them, or
(ii) any person or company who is a substantial securityholder of the investment fund, its management company or its distribution company, has a significant interest;
(c) the restriction in the Legislation that prohibits an investment fund, its management company or its distribution company, from knowingly holding an investment described in paragraph (a) or (b) above (collectively, the Related Issuer Relief); and
(d) the restrictions contained in subsection 13.5(2)(a) of National Instrument 31-103 Registration Requirements, Exemptions and Ongoing Registrant Obligations (NI 31-103) which prohibit a registered adviser from knowingly causing an investment portfolio managed by it, including an investment fund for which it acts as an adviser, to purchase a security of an issuer in which a responsible person or an associate of a responsible person is a partner, officer or director, unless (i) this fact is disclosed to the client and (ii) the written consent of the client to the purchase is obtained before the purchase (the Consent Relief, and together with the Related Issuer Relief, the Requested Relief), to permit the Filer to cause the Top Funds to invest in the Underlying Funds (as defined below); and
(2) to revoke and replace the Prior Decision (as defined below) (the Revocation). Under the Process
for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions (for a passport application):
(a) the Ontario Securities Commission is the principal regulator for this application; and
(b) the Filer has provided notice that section 4.7(1) of Multilateral Instrument 11-102 Passport System is intended to be relied upon:
(i) in respect of the Related Issuer Relief, in Alberta;
(ii) in respect of the Consent Relief, in each of the other provinces and territories of Canada; and
(iii) in respect of the Revocation, in each of the other provinces and territories of Canada.
Interpretation
Unless otherwise defined herein, terms in this decision have the respective meanings given to them in National Instrument 14-101 Definitions.
Representations
This decision is based on the following facts represented by the Filer:
The Filer
1. The Filer is a corporation existing under the laws of Ontario with its head office in Toronto, Ontario.
2. The Filer is registered with the Ontario Securities Commission in the categories of investment fund manager, portfolio manager and exempt market dealer. The Filer is also registered as an exempt market dealer in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Nova Scotia and an exempt market dealer and investment fund manager in Québec and Newfoundland and Labrador.
3. The Filer is not a reporting issuer in any jurisdiction and is not in default of securities legislation of any jurisdiction of Canada.
4. Pursuant to a decision dated November 23, 2018 (the Prior Decision), the Filer, on behalf of the Top Funds, was granted the Requested Relief. The Prior Decision included representations regarding the Underlying Funds that prohibit the Underlying Funds from being reporting issuers in any province or territory of Canada. As such, the Filer is now seeking the Requested Relief and the Revocation to obtain a new decision that broadens the reporting issuer status and organization of the Underlying Funds.
Top Funds
5. The Initial Top Fund is organized under the laws of Ontario as a trust. Each Future Top Fund will be organized as a trust under the laws of Ontario or another jurisdiction in Canada.
6. Each Top Fund is or will be a “mutual fund” for the purposes of the Legislation.
7. The Initial Top Fund is not, and each Future Top Fund will not be, a reporting issuer in any province or territory of Canada.
8. The Filer is, or will be, the investment fund manager and the portfolio manager of the Initial Top Fund and each of the Future Top Funds. The Filer is the trustee of the Initial Top Fund. The Filer or a third party will act as trustee of the Top Funds.
9. Securities of the Initial Top Fund and each Future Top Fund are, or will be, offered on a private placement basis to qualified investors pursuant to available exemptions from the prospectus requirements under Canadian securities legislation.
10. The Initial Top Fund was created pursuant to a declaration of trust dated January 16, 2017, as amended.
11. The Initial Top Fund will invest all or substantially all of its assets in the Initial Underlying Fund.
12. In addition to the Initial Top Fund, each Top Fund will also invest all or substantially all of its assets in an Underlying Fund.
13. The investment objective of the Initial Top Fund is the same as the current investment objective of the Initial Underlying Fund and the strategy for the Initial Top Fund is to invest substantially all of its assets in the Initial Underlying Fund.
14. The investment objective of each Future Top Fund will be the same as the investment objective of an Underlying Fund and the strategy for a Future Top Fund will be to invest substantially all of its assets in an Underlying Fund.
15. The Initial Top Fund is not in default of securities legislation in any province or territory of Canada.
Underlying Funds
16. Algonquin Debt Strategies Fund LP (the Initial Underlying Fund) is not a reporting issuer in any province or territory of Canada. Investment funds that are established, managed, and advised by the Filer in the future (the Future Underlying Funds, and together with the Initial Underlying Fund, the Underlying Funds) may be, reporting issuers in any province or territory of Canada.
17. The Initial Underlying Fund is a limited partnership formed under the laws of the Province of Ontario by a declaration dated December 15, 2014.
18. The investment objective of the Initial Underlying Fund is to generate positive absolute returns with an emphasis on capital preservation and with a low correlation to traditional equity and fixed income markets.
19. Each Future Underlying Fund will be structured as a limited partnership or mutual fund trust under the laws of the Province of Ontario or another jurisdiction in Canada, or as an entity organized under the laws of the Cayman Islands, Barbados, Bahamas or the British Virgin Islands (each an Off-Shore Jurisdiction). The Initial Underlying Fund is, and each Future Underlying Fund will be, a “mutual fund” for the purposes of the Legislation.
20. Securities of each Underlying Fund will be offered to qualified investors, including the Top Funds, by prospectus or on a private placement basis pursuant to available exemptions from the prospectus requirements under Canadian securities legislation.
21. The Filer is the investment fund manager and portfolio manager of the Initial Underlying Fund and will be the investment manager and the portfolio manager of each of the Future Underlying Funds.
Fund-on-Fund Structure
22. Securities of the Initial Underlying Fund, structured as a limited partnership, are not qualified investments for tax-free savings accounts (TFSAs) and trusts governed by registered retirement savings plans, registered retirement income funds, registered education savings plans, deferred profit sharing plans and registered disability savings plans (collectively, Tax Deferred Plans), each as defined in the Income Tax Act (Canada).
23. The Initial Top Fund has been, and the Future Top Funds will be, formed as trusts for the purpose of accessing a broader base of investors, including TFSAs, Tax Deferred Plans and other investors that may not wish to invest directly in a limited partnership or an Off-Shore Jurisdiction entity. Rather than operating investment portfolios of the Initial Top Fund and the Initial Underlying Fund as separate pools, the Filer wishes to make use of economies of scale by managing only one investment pool in the Initial Underlying Fund.
24. There are tax advantages for non-Canadian unitholders to invest directly in Future Underlying Funds structured as entities under laws of an Off-Shore Jurisdiction. Accordingly, the Filer expects non-Canadian investors to invest directly in the Future Underlying Funds which are structured under the laws of an Off-Shore Jurisdiction. However, since similar tax advantages are not available to Canadian resident investors, the Filer expects Canadian resident investors to invest directly in a Top Fund to get indirect exposure to the related Underlying Fund.
25. The Initial Top Fund was, and Future Top Funds will be, created by the Filer to allow investors in the Top Funds to obtain indirect exposure to the investment portfolio of the Initial Underlying Fund or Future Underlying Funds and their investment strategies through, primarily, direct investments by the Top Funds in securities of the Underlying Funds (the Fund-on-Fund Structure).
26. The Fund-on-Fund Structure will permit the Filer to manage a single portfolio of assets for both a Top Fund and an Underlying Fund in a single investment vehicle structure.
27. Managing a single pool of assets provides economies of scale, allows the Top Funds to achieve their investment objectives in a cost-efficient manner and will not be detrimental to the interest of other securityholders of an Underlying Fund.
28. The Fund-on-Fund Structure is expected to increase the asset base of the Underlying Funds, which is expected to result in additional benefits to unitholders of the Underlying Funds, including more favourable pricing and transaction costs on portfolio trades, increased access to investments when there is a minimum subscription or purchase amount, and better economies of scale through greater administrative efficiency.
29. An investment in an Underlying Fund by a Top Fund will be effected at an objective price. According to the Filer’s policies and procedures, an objective price for this purpose, will be the net asset value (NAV) per security of the applicable class or series of the applicable Underlying Fund.
30. The portfolio of each Underlying Fund consists, or will consist, primarily of publicly traded securities, debt instruments and derivatives. No Underlying Fund holds, or will hold, more than 10% of its NAV in illiquid assets (as defined in National Instrument 81-102 – Investment Funds (NI 81-102)).
31. The amounts invested, from time to time, in an Underlying Fund by one or more of the Top Funds, may exceed 20% of the outstanding voting securities of any single Underlying Fund. Accordingly, each Top Fund could, either alone or together with Future Top Funds, become a substantial securityholder of an Underlying Fund.
32. The Initial Top Fund is currently a substantial securityholder of the Initial Underlying Fund.
33. No Underlying Fund will be a Top Fund in a Fund-on-Fund Structure.
34. Each Underlying Fund has, or is expected to have, other investors in addition to the Top Funds.
35. Securities of the Top Funds and their corresponding Underlying Funds have, or will have, matching redemption dates and matching valuation dates.
36. In all cases, the Filer manages, or will manage, the liquidity of each Top Fund having regard to the redemption features of the corresponding Underlying Fund(s) to ensure that it can meet redemption requests from investors of the Top Funds.
37. The Fund-on-Fund Structures involving Future Top Funds and Future Underlying Funds will be structured where a Future Top Fund, formed as a trust, invests in an Underlying Fund(s) that is a Canadian entity, formed as a limited partnership or a trust. The Filer also expects future Fund-on-Fund Structures to resemble that of the Initial Top Fund and Initial Underlying Fund to the extent that they involve a Future Top Fund, formed as a trust, which invests in an Off-Shore Jurisdiction entity.
38. In addition, the Fund-on Fund structure may result in a Top Fund investing in an Underlying Fund (i) in which an officer or director of the Top Fund, of the Filer or of any associate of them, has a significant interest, and/or (ii) where a person or company who is substantial securityholder of the Top Fund or the Filer, has a significant interest.
39. Currently, there is no officer or director of any Top Fund, the Filer or its distribution company, or any associate of them, who has a significant interest in the Initial Underlying Fund, however, there may be circumstances in the future which may cause them to have a significant interest.
40. The Top Funds and Underlying Funds subject to National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure (NI 81-106) will prepare annual audited financial statements and interim unaudited financial statements in accordance with NI 81-106 and will otherwise comply with the requirements of NI 81-106 applicable to them.
41. In the absence of the Related Issuer Relief, the Top Funds would be constrained by the investment restrictions in Canadian securities legislation in terms of the degree to which they could implement the Fund-on-Fund Structure. Specifically, the Top Funds would be prohibited from: (i) becoming a substantial securityholders of the Underlying Funds, either alone or together with related investment funds; and (ii) a Top Fund investing in an Underlying Fund in which an officer or director of the Filer has a significant interest and/or a Top Fund investing in an Underlying Fund in which a person or company who is a substantial securityholder of the Top Fund or the Filer, has a significant interest.
42. In the absence of the Consent Relief, each Top Fund would be precluded from investing in one or more Underlying Funds unless the specific fact is disclosed to securityholders of the Top Fund and the written consent of the securityholders of the Top Fund to the investment is obtained prior to the purchase, since an officer and/or director of the Filer, who may be considered a responsible person (as per section 13.5 of NI 31-103) or an associate of a responsible person, may also be a partner, officer and/or director of the applicable Underlying Fund.
43. The Fund-on-Fund Structure represents the business judgment of responsible persons uninfluenced by considerations other than the best interests of the prospective investors in the Top Funds.
Decision
The principal regulator is satisfied that the decision meets the test set out in the Legislation for the principal regulator to make the decision.
The decision of the principal regulator under the Legislation is that: (1) the Revocation is granted; and (2) the Requested Relief is granted provided that:
(a) securities of a Top Fund are distributed in Canada solely pursuant to exemptions from the prospectus requirement under Canadian securities legislation;
(b) the investment by a Top Fund in an Underlying Fund is compatible with the fundamental investment objectives of the Top Fund;
(c) an investment in an Underlying Fund by a Top Fund will be effected at an objective price, calculated in accordance with section 14.2 of NI 81-106;
(d) a Top Fund will not invest in an Underlying Fund, unless the Underlying Fund complies with the provisions of NI 81-106 that apply to a “mutual fund in Ontario” as defined in the Securities Act (Ontario);
(e) no Top Fund will purchase or hold a security of an Underlying Fund unless at the time of purchasing securities of the Underlying Fund, the Underlying Fund holds no more than 10% of its NAV in securities of other mutual funds unless the Underlying Fund:
(i) is a clone fund (as defined in NI 81-102);
(ii) purchases or holds securities of a “money market fund” (as defined in NI 81-102); or
(iii) purchases or holds securities that are “index participation units” (as defined by NI 81-102) issued by an investment fund;
(f) no management fees or incentive fees are payable by a Top Fund that, to a reasonable person, would duplicate a fee payable by an Underlying Fund for the same service;
(g) no sales fee or redemption fees are payable by a Top Fund in relation to its purchases or redemptions of securities of an Underlying Fund that, to a reasonable person, would duplicate a fee payable by an investor in the Top Fund other than brokerage fees incurred for the purchase or sale of an index participation unit issued by an investment fund;
(h) the Filer does not cause the securities of an Underlying Fund held by a Top Fund to be voted at any meeting of the holders of such securities, except that the Filer may arrange for the securities the Top Fund holds of an Underlying Fund to be voted by the beneficial owners of the securities of the Top Fund who are not the Filer or an officer, director or substantial securityholder of the Filer;
(i) when purchasing and/or redeeming securities of an Underlying Fund, the Filer shall, as investment fund manager of the applicable Top Fund and Underlying Fund, act honestly, in good faith and in the best interests of the Top Fund and the Underlying Fund, respectively, and shall exercise the care and diligence that a reasonably prudent person would exercise in comparable circumstances;
(j) the offering memorandum, where available, or other disclosure document of a Top Fund, will be provided to investors in a Top Fund prior to the time of investment, and will disclose:
(i) that a Top Fund may purchase securities of the applicable Underlying Fund;
(ii) that the Filer is the investment fund manager and portfolio manager of both the Top Fund and the Underlying Fund;
(iii) that the Top Fund may invest all, or substantially all, of its assets in securities of an Underlying Fund;
(iv) the fees, expenses and any performance or special incentive distributions payable by the Underlying Fund in which a Top Fund invests;
(v) the process or criteria used to select the Underlying Fund, if applicable;
(vi) for each officer, director and/or substantial securityholder of the Filer, or of a Top Fund, that has a significant interest in an applicable Underlying Fund, and for the officers and directors and substantial securityholders who together in aggregate hold a significant interest in an applicable Underlying Fund, the approximate amount of the significant interest they hold, on an aggregate basis, expressed as a percentage of the applicable Underlying Fund’s NAV, and the potential conflicts of interest which may arise from such relationship;
(vii) that investors are entitled to receive from the Filer, on request and free of charge, a copy of the prospectus, offering memorandum or other similar disclosure document of the Underlying Fund, if available; and
(viii) that investors are entitled to receive from the Filer, on request and free of charge, the annual audited financial statements and interim financial reports relating to the Underlying Fund in which the Top Fund invests; and
(k) the Filer shall annually inform investors in a Top Fund of their right to receive from the Filer, on request and free of charge, a copy of the prospectus, offering memorandum or other similar disclosure document of each Underlying Fund, if available, and the annual audited financial statements and interim financial reports relating to each Underlying Fund in which the Top Fund invests.
The Consent Relief
“Neeti Varma”
Manager
Investment Funds & Structured Products Branch,
Ontario Securities Commission
The Related Issuer Relief and the Revocation
“Lawrence Haber” “Ray Kindiak”
Commissioner Commissioner
Ontario Securities Commission Ontario Securities Commission
Application # 2019/0431