October 26, 2022
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 EHP FUNDS INC. (the Filer)
AND
EHP GLOBAL MULTI-ASSET ABSOLUTE RETURN ALTERNATIVE FUND (the Fund)
DECISION
Background
The principal regulator in the Jurisdiction has received an application (the Application) from the Filer on behalf of the Fund for a decision under the securities legislation of the Jurisdiction of the principal regulator (the Legislation) exempting the Class A, Class UA, Class F, Class UF, Class I and Class S units (collectively, the Units) of the Fund from:
(a) sections 15.3(2), 15.3(4)(c), 15.6(1)(a)(i), 15.6(1)(d), 15.8(2)(a.1) and 15.8(3)(a.1) of National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds (NI 81-102) to permit the Fund to include its past performance data in sales communications notwithstanding that the past performance data will relate to a period prior to the Fund offering its Units under a simplified prospectus;
(b) section 15.1.1(a) of NI 81-102 and Items 2 and 4 of Appendix F Investment Risk Classification Methodology to NI 81-102 (Appendix F) to permit the Fund to include its past performance data in determining its investment risk level in accordance with Appendix F;
(c) section 15.1.1(b) of NI 81-102 and Item 4(2)(a) and Instruction (1) of Item 4 of Form 81-101F3 Contents of Fund Facts Document (Form 81-101F3) to permit the Fund to disclose its investment risk level as determined by including its past performance data in accordance with Appendix F;
(d) Item 10(b) of Part B of Form 81-101F1 Contents of Simplified Prospectus (Form 81-101F1) to permit the Fund to use its past performance data to calculate its investment risk rating in its simplified prospectus;
(e) section 2.1 of National Instrument 81-101 Mutual Fund Prospectus Disclosure (NI 81-101) for the purposes of the relief requested herein from Form 81-101F1 and Form 81-101F3;
(f) Items 5(2), 5(3) and 5(4) and Instructions (1) and (5) of Part I of Form 81-101F3 in respect of the requirement to comply with sections 15.3(2), 15.3(4)(c), 15.6(1)(a)(i), 15.6(1)(d), 15.8(2)(a.1) and 15.8(3)(a.1) of NI 81-102 to permit the Fund to include in its fund facts the past performance data of the Fund notwithstanding that such performance data relates to a period prior to the Fund offering its Units under a simplified prospectus and the Fund has not distributed its Units under a simplified prospectus for 12 consecutive months;
(g) section 4.4 of National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure (NI 81-106) for the purposes of relief requested herein from Form 81- 106F1 Contents of Annual and Interim Management Report of Fund Performance (Form 81-106F1); and
(h) Items 3.1(7), 4.1(1) in respect of the requirement to comply with subsections 15.3(2) and 15.3(4)(c) of NI 81-102, 4.1(2), 4.2(1), 4.3(1) and 4.3(2) of Part B of Form 81-106F1 and Items 3(1) and 4 of Part C of Form 81-106F1 to permit the Fund to include in its annual and interim management reports of fund performance (MRFP) the past performance data and financial highlights of the Fund notwithstanding that such performance data and financial highlights relate to a period prior to the Fund offering its Units under a simplified prospectus.
(collectively, the Exemption Sought).
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 (MI 11-102) is intended to be relied upon in each of the other provinces and territories of Canada (together with Ontario, the Canadian Jurisdictions).
Interpretation
Terms defined in National Instrument 14-101 Definitions, MI 11-102, NI 81-101, NI 81-102 and NI 81-106 have the same meanings if used in this decision, unless otherwise defined.
Representations
This decision is based on the following facts represented by the Filer:
The Fund is an open-ended mutual fund trust established under the laws of the Province of Ontario and governed by an amended and restated declaration of trust dated as of August 2, 2022, as same may be amended and/or restated from time to time.
The Filer is the investment fund manager, trustee and portfolio manager of the Fund. The head office of the Filer is located in Toronto, Ontario.
The Filer is registered as an investment fund manager in Ontario, Québec, and Newfoundland and Labrador and as a portfolio manager in Ontario.
Since the Fund’s commencement of operations on November 1, 2021 (the Effective Date) through August 1, 2022, the Units of the Fund were distributed to investors on a prospectus-exempt basis in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions in the Canadian Jurisdictions other than Ontario and in accordance with the Securities Act (Ontario) in Ontario.
The Fund commenced distributing Units of the Fund pursuant to a simplified prospectus and, to that end, filed a simplified prospectus, annual information form, and fund facts documents dated August 2, 2022 (the Disclosure Documents). Upon the issuance of the final receipt for the Disclosure Documents of the Fund, the Fund became a reporting issuer in each of the Canadian Jurisdictions and became subject to the requirements of NI 81-102 that relate to alternative mutual funds and the requirements of NI 81-106 that apply to investment funds that are reporting issuers.
The investment objective of the Fund is to generate superior risk adjusted investment returns over the long-term by utilizing a multi-strategy approach consisting of diversified quantitative and systematic investment strategies. The Fund will also seek to preserve capital and mitigate risk through the application of portfolio and risk management tools. In order to seek to achieve its investment objective, the Fund invests, directly or indirectly, in a wide range of liquid financial instruments that may be listed on recognized stock, futures or options exchanges. The Fund uses leverage, through the use of cash borrowings, short sales of securities and derivative contracts.
The Fund is managed substantially similarly after it became a reporting issuer as it was during the period commencing as of the Effective Date through prior to becoming a reporting issuer. As a result of the Fund becoming a reporting issuer:
(a) the Fund’s investment objective did not change, other than minor grammatical changes;
(b) the only changes to the fee structure associated with the Units were:
(i) the management fee and performance fee rates associated with the Class A Units, Class UA Units, Class F Units, Class UF Units, were reduced. In addition, the management fee associated with the Class I Units were capped to not exceed the management fee payable on the Class A Units. Based on its calculations, the Filer believes the change to the performance fee calculation methodology will be immaterial; and
(ii) the performance fee is calculated and accrued for each class of units of the Fund on a daily basis as opposed to a weekly basis during the quarterly determination period of each performance fee;
(c) the day-to-day administration of the Fund did not change, other than to comply with exemptive relief obtained on behalf of, among others, the Fund and the additional regulatory requirements associated with being a reporting issuer (none of which impact the portfolio management of the Fund) and to provide additional features that are available to investors of mutual funds managed by the Filer, as described in the Disclosure Documents.
Since its inception, as a “mutual fund in Ontario”, the Fund has complied with the applicable obligation to prepare and send audited annual and unaudited interim financial statements to all holders of its securities in accordance with NI 81-106.
Since the inception of the Fund and except as set out in any exemptive relief received by, among others, the Fund, the Fund has complied and will comply with the investment restrictions and practices contained in NI 81- 102 that relate to alternative mutual funds.
The Filer and the Fund are not in default of securities legislation in any of the Canadian Jurisdictions.
The Filer proposes to present the performance data of each class of Units for the time period commencing as of the Effective Date in sales communications pertaining to the Fund. Without the Exemption Sought, the sales communications pertaining to the Fund cannot include performance data of the Fund that relates to a period prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer, and the Fund cannot provide performance data in its sales communications until it has distributed securities under a simplified prospectus for at least 12 consecutive months.
As a reporting issuer, the Fund is required under NI 81-101 to prepare and file a simplified prospectus and fund facts documents.
The Filer proposes to use the Fund’s past performance data for the time period commencing as of the Effective Date to determine its investment risk level and to disclose that investment risk level in the simplified prospectus and the fund facts documents for each class of Units. Without the Exemption Sought, the Filer, in determining and disclosing the Fund’s investment risk level in the simplified prospectus and the fund facts documents for each class of Units, cannot use performance data of the Fund that relates to a period prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer.
The Filer proposes to include in the fund facts documents for each class of Units past performance data for the time period commencing as of the Effective Date in the charts required by Items 5(2), 5(3) and 5(4) of Part I of Form 81-101F3 under the sub-headings “Year-by-year returns”, “Best and worst 3-month returns” and “Average return”, respectively, related to periods prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer in the Canadian Jurisdictions. Without the Exemption Sought, the fund facts documents of the Fund cannot include performance data of the Fund that relates to a period prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer.
As a reporting issuer, the Fund is required under NI 81-106 to prepare and send MRFPs to all holders of its securities on an annual and interim basis. Without the Exemption Sought, the MRFPs of the Fund cannot include financial highlights and performance data of the Fund that relates to a period prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer.
The performance data and other financial data of the Fund for the time period commencing as of the Effective Date and before it became a reporting issuer is significant and meaningful information for existing and prospective investors of Units of the Fund.
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 the Exemption Sought is granted provided that:
(a) any sales communication, fund facts documents and MRFP that contains performance data of the Units of the Fund relating to a period of time prior to when the Fund was a reporting issuer discloses:
(i) that the Fund was not a reporting issuer during such period;
(ii) the expenses of the Fund would have been higher during such period had the Fund been subject to the additional regulatory requirements applicable to a reporting issuer;
(iii) the Filer obtained exemptive relief on behalf of the Fund to permit the disclosure of performance data of the Units relating to a period prior to when the Fund was a reporting issuer; and
(iv) with respect to any MRFP, the financial statements of the Fund for such period are posted on the Fund’s website and are available to investors upon request; and
(b) the Filer posts the financial statements of the Fund since the Effective Date on the Fund’s website and makes those financial statements available to investors upon request.
"Darren McKall"
Darren McKall Manager, Investment Funds and Structured Products Branch Ontario Securities Commission
Application No. 2022/0457
SEDAR# 3444057