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Companion Policy to NI 81-102 Investment Funds
Part 13 Prohibited Representations and Sales Communications
Section 13.1

Misleading Sales Communications

(1) Part 15 of the Instrument prohibits misleading sales communications relating to investment funds and asset allocation services. Whether a particular description, representation, illustration or other statement in a sales communication is misleading depends upon an evaluation of the context in which it is made. The following list sets out some of the circumstances, in the view of the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, in which a sales communication would be misleading. No attempt has been made to enumerate all such circumstances since each sales communication must be assessed individually.

1. A statement would be misleading if it lacks explanations, qualifications, limitations or other statements necessary or appropriate to make the statement not misleading.

2. A representation about past or future investment performance would be misleading if it is

(a) a portrayal of past income, gain or growth of assets that conveys an impression of the net investment results achieved by an actual or hypothetical investment that is not justified under the circumstances;

(b) a representation about security of capital or expenses associated with an investment that is not justified under the circumstances or a representation about possible future gains or income; or

(c) a representation or presentation of past investment performance that implies that future gains or income may be inferred from or predicted based on past investment performance or portrayals of past performance.

3. A statement about the characteristics or attributes of an investment fund or an asset allocation service would be misleading if

(a) it concerns possible benefits connected with or resulting from services to be provided or methods of operation and does not give equal prominence to discussion of any risks or associated limitations;

(b) it makes exaggerated or unsubstantiated claims about management skill or techniques; characteristics of the investment fund or asset allocation service; an investment in securities issued by the fund or recommended by the service; services offered by the fund, the service or their respective manager; or effects of government supervision; or

(c) it makes unwarranted or incompletely explained comparisons to other investment vehicles or indices.

4. A sales communication that quoted a third party source would be misleading if the quote were out of context and proper attribution of the source were not given.

(2) Performance data information may be misleading even if it complies technically with the requirements of the Instrument. For instance, subsections 15.8(1) and (2) of the Instrument contain requirements that the standard performance data for investment funds given in sales communications be for prescribed periods falling within prescribed amounts of time before the date of the appearance or use of the advertisement or first date of publication of any other sales communication. That standard performance data may be misleading if it does not adequately reflect intervening events occurring after the prescribed period. An example of such an intervening event would be, in the case of money market funds, a substantial decline in interest rates after the prescribed period.

(3) An advertisement that presents information in a manner that distorts information contained in the preliminary prospectus or prospectus, or preliminary prospectus, preliminary fund facts document or prospectus, and fund facts document, as applicable, of an investment fund or that includes a visual image that provides a misleading impression will be considered to be misleading.

(4) Any discussion of the income tax implications of an investment in an investment fund security should be balanced with a discussion of any other material aspects of the offering.

(5) Paragraph 15.2(1)(b) of the Instrument provides that sales communications must not include any statement that conflicts with information that is contained in, among other things and as applicable, a prospectus or fund facts document. The Canadian securities regulatory authorities are of the view that a sales communication that provides performance data in compliance with the requirements of Part 15 of the Instrument for time periods that differ from those shown in a prospectus, fund facts document or management report of fund performance does not violate the requirements of paragraph 15.2(1)(b) of the Instrument.

(6) Subsection 15.3(1) of the Instrument permits an investment fund or asset allocation service to compare its performance to, among other things, other types of investments or benchmarks on certain conditions. Examples of such other types of investments or benchmarks to which the performance of an investment fund or asset allocation service may be compared include consumer price indices; stock, bond or other types of indices; averages; returns payable on guaranteed investment certificates or other certificates of deposit; and returns from an investment in real estate.

(7) Paragraph 15.3(1)(c) of the Instrument requires that, if the performance of an investment fund or asset allocation service is compared to that of another investment or benchmark, the comparison sets out clearly any factors necessary to ensure that the comparison is fair and not misleading. Such factors would include an explanation of any relevant differences between the investment fund or asset allocation service and the investment or benchmark to which it is compared. Examples of such differences include any relevant differences in the guarantees of, or insurance on, the principal of or return from theinvestment or benchmark; fluctuations in principal, income or total return; any differing tax treatment; and, for a comparison to an index or average, any differences between the composition or calculation of the index or average and the investment portfolio of the investment fund or asset allocation service.