Russell Investments Canada Limited (Re), 2023 CanLII 134529

November 30, 2023

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

RUSSELL INVESTMENTS CANADA LIMITED (the Filer)

DECISION

Background

The principal regulator in the Jurisdiction has received an application from the Filer for a decision under the securities legislation of the Jurisdiction (the Legislation) for relief from subsection 5.1(a) of National Instrument 81-105 Mutual Fund Sales Practices (NI 81-105) to permit the Filer to pay to a participating dealer direct costs incurred by the participating dealer relating to a sales communication, investor conference or investor seminar prepared or presented by the participating dealer (each individually referred to as a Cooperative Marketing Initiative and collectively as Cooperative Marketing Initiatives) if the primary purpose of the Cooperative Marketing Initiative is to promote or provide educational information concerning investing in securities and investment, retirement, tax and estate planning (collectively, Financial Planning) matters (the Exemption Sought).

Under National Policy 11-203 - 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 subsection 4.7(1) of Multilateral Instrument 11-102 Passport System (MI 11-102) is intended to be relied upon by the Filer and its Registered Individuals (as defined below) in each of the other provinces and territories of Canada (together with the Jurisdiction, the Canadian Jurisdictions) in respect of the Exemption Sought.

Interpretation

Terms defined in National Instrument 14-101 Definitions, MI 11-102 or NI 81-105 have the same meaning if used in this decision, unless otherwise defined.

Representations

This decision is based on the following facts represented by the Filer:

1. The Filer is a corporation incorporated under the laws of the federal laws of Canada with its head office located in Toronto, Ontario.

2. The Filer currently is registered under the securities legislation in:

(a) each Canadian Jurisdiction in the categories of investment fund manager, portfolio manager and exempt market dealer;

(b) Ontario as a commodity trading manager and as a mutual fund dealer exempt from membership in the Mutual Funds Dealers Association of Canada (now the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization); and

(c) Manitoba as an advisor (commodities).

3. The Filer acts and may in the future act as investment fund manager and portfolio manager in respect of various mutual funds governed by National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds (each a Fund and collectively, the Funds), whose securities are, or will be, qualified for distribution to investors in one or more of the Canadian Jurisdictions pursuant to a prospectus prepared and filed in accordance with the securities legislation of each applicable Canadian Jurisdiction.

4. Each of the Funds is, or will be, a reporting issuer in one or more of the Canadian Jurisdictions.

5. Each of the Funds is, or will be, subject to NI 81-105, including Part 5 thereof which governs marketing and educational practices.

6. Securities of the Funds are or will be, distributed by participating dealers in the Canadian Jurisdictions.

7. The Filer is or will be a member of the organization of the Funds, as the Filer is the manager of the Funds.

8. The Filer complies with NI 81-105, including Part 5 of NI 81-105, in respect of its marketing and educational practices.

9. The Filer and the Funds are not in default of securities legislation in any of the Canadian Jurisdictions.

10. Under subsection 5.1(a) of NI 81-105, the Filer is permitted to pay a participating dealer the direct costs incurred by the participating dealer relating to a Cooperative Marketing Initiative if the primary purpose of the Cooperative Marketing Initiative is to promote, or provide educational information about, the Funds, the mutual fund family of which the Funds are members, or mutual funds generally.

11. Subsection 5.1(a) of NI 81-105 prohibits the Filer from paying to a participating dealer the direct costs incurred by the participating dealer relating to a Cooperative Marketing Initiative where the primary purpose is to provide educational information about Financial Planning matters. Consequently, the Filer is not permitted to sponsor the cost of Cooperative Marketing Initiatives where the main topics discussed include investment planning, retirement planning, tax planning and estate planning, each of which are aspects of Financial Planning.

12. The Filer has expertise in Financial Planning or may retain others with such expertise from time to time.

13. In addition to the topics currently permitted under subsection 5.1(a) of NI 81-105, the Filer wishes to sponsor Cooperative Marketing Initiatives where the primary purpose of the Cooperative Marketing Initiatives is to provide educational information concerning Financial Planning matters. The Filer will comply with subsections 5.1(b) to (e) of NI 81-105 in respect of such Cooperative Marketing Initiatives it sponsors.

14. Mutual funds, including the Funds managed by the Filer, can be used to meet a variety of financial goals and, accordingly, are regularly used as financial planning tools. Allowing the Filer to sponsor Cooperative Marketing Initiatives on Financial Planning matters may benefit investors as it may facilitate and potentially increase investors' access to educational information on such matters, which may in turn better equip them to make financial decisions that involve mutual funds.

15. Under sections 5.2 and 5.5 of NI 81-105, the Filer is permitted to sponsor the costs incurred by participating dealers in attending or organizing and presenting at conferences where the primary purpose is the provision of educational information on, among other things, certain Financial Planning matters.

16. Specifically, under subsection 5.2(a) of NI-81-105, the Filer is permitted to provide a non-monetary benefit to a representative of a participating dealer by allowing him or her to attend a conference or seminar organized and presented by the Filer where the primary purpose is the provision of educational information about, among other things, financial planning, investing in securities or mutual fund industry matters.

17. Similarly, under subsection 5.5(a) of NI 81-105, the Filer is permitted to pay to a participating dealer part of the direct costs that the participating dealer incurs in organizing or presenting at a conference or seminar that is not an investor conference or investor seminar referred to in section 5.1 of NI 81-105, where the primary purpose is the provision of educational information about, among other things, financial planning, investing in securities or mutual fund industry matters.

18. The Filer will not require participating dealers to sell any of the Funds or other financial products to investors as a condition of the Filer's sponsorship of a Cooperative Marketing Initiative.

19. The Filer will pay for its sponsorship of Cooperative Marketing Initiatives out of its normal sources of revenue. Accordingly, the sponsorship cost will not be borne by the 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 the Exemption Sought is granted, provided that in respect of a Cooperative Marketing Initiative whose primary purpose is to provide educational information concerning Financial Planning matters:

(a) the Filer otherwise complies with the requirements of subsections 5.1(b) through (e) of NI 81-105;

(b) the Filer does not require any participating dealer to sell any of the Funds or other financial products to investors;

(c) other than as permitted by NI 81-105, the Filer does not provide participating dealers and their representatives with any financial or other incentives for recommending any of the Funds to investors;

(d) the materials presented in a Cooperative Marketing Initiative concerning Financial Planning matters contain only general educational information about such matters;

(e) the Filer prepares or approves the content of the general educational information about Financial Planning matters, presented in a Cooperative Marketing Initiative it sponsors and selects or approves an appropriately-qualified speaker for each presentation about such matters delivered in a Cooperative Marketing Initiative;

(f) any general educational information about Financial Planning matters presented in a Cooperative Marketing Initiative contains an express statement that the content presented is for information purposes only, and is not providing advice to the attendees of the investor conference or investor seminar or the recipients of the sales communication, as applicable; and

(g) any general educational information about Financial Planning matters presented in a Cooperative Marketing Initiative contains an indication of the types of professionals who may generally be qualified to provide advice on the subject matter of the information presented.

“Darren McKall”

Manager, Darren McKall

Investment Funds and Structured Products Branch

Ontario Securities Commission

Application # 2023/0539

SEDAR # 06042878