Taking too long? Close loading screen.
Generating
Companion Policy to NI 81-102 Investment Funds
Part 2 Comments on Definitions Contained in the instrument
Section 2.15

“sales communication”

(1) The term “sales communication” includes a communication by an investment fund to

(i) a securityholder of the investment fund and

(ii) a person or company that is not a securityholder if the purpose of the communication is to induce the purchase of securities of the investment fund.

A sales communication therefore does not include a communication solely between an investment fund or its promoter, manager, principal distributor or portfolio adviser and a participating dealer, or between the principal distributor or a participating dealer and its registered salespersons, that is indicated to be internal or confidential and that is not designed to be passed on by any principal distributor, participating dealer or registered salesperson to any securityholder of, or potential investor in, the investment fund. In the view of the Canadian securities regulatory authorities, if a communication of that type were so passed on by the principal distributor, participating dealer or registered salesperson, the communication would be a sales communication made by the party passing on the communication if the recipient of the communication were a securityholder of the investment fund or if the intent of the principal distributor, participating dealer or registered salesperson in passing on the communication were to induce the purchase of securities of the investment fund.

(2) The term “sales communication” is defined in the Instrument such that the communication need not be in writing and includes any oral communication. The Canadian securities regulatory authorities are of the view that the requirements in the Instrument pertaining to sales communications would apply to statements made at an investor conference to securityholders or to others to induce the purchase of securities of the investment fund.

(3) The Canadian securities regulatory authorities are of the view that image advertisements that are intended to promote a corporate identity or the expertise of an investment fund manager fall outside the definition of “sales communication”. However, an advertisement or other communication that refers to a specific investment fund or funds or promotes any particular investment portfolio or strategy would be a sales communication and therefore be required to include warnings of the type now described in section 15.4 of the instrument.

(4) In the case of an investment fund, paragraph (b) of the definition of a “sales communication” in the Instrument excludes sales communications contained in certain documents that the investment fund is required to prepare, including audited or unaudited financial statements, statements of account and confirmations of trade. The Canadian securities regulatory authorities are of the view that if information is contained in these types of documents that is not required to be included by securities legislation, any such additional material is not excluded by paragraph (b) of the definition of sales communication and may, therefore, constitute a sales communication if the additional material otherwise falls within the definition of that term in the Instrument.