Looking back to the future in 2015

For all those Back to the Future fans out there you may be surprised to know that in the second movie Marty McFly travels from 1985 to the year 2015.

This fun fact makes all fans stop and compared the fictional 2015 with the present one. Where are those cool hoverboards, self tying Nike’s or flying cars? Maybe in another 30 years.

One thing is for sure the writers were pretty confident in the financial stability of 2015. There is no mention in the movie of market melt downs, major scams or crazy new market trends. But, in the real 2015 it seems the topic of market stability is on everyone’s mind. So in order to help you weather your own lighting storm to be prepared when the investing clock tower strikes, the Commission wants to give you a review of the milestones we achieved in 2014 and highlight the new ones to look forward to in 2015.

This past year was a busy one for the Nova Scotia Securities Commission (NSSC) with positive outcomes. The main highlights for the year were the launch of our newly designed website and the creation of YouTube two investor education videos. One key element we added to the website is a Report and Scam online form so investors can express their concerns in a fast and efficient way.

Our outreach initiatives expanded to include hosting three public information session on the proposed Canadian crowdfunding rules. The public response was overwhelming including industry participants, local entrepreneurs, students and government attending every session. There was excellent dialog exchange with the key points put forward to the national committee which they will use to help shape the new rules set to be published this year.

A great investor education resource became available to investors in the fall with the NSSC publishing on the website a Sanction Payment Status Report (the Report). The Report sets out the names of the respondents who have been ordered to pay the Commission administrative penalties and associated costs from enforcement proceedings. It displays the original amount owing by the respondent and whether the penalty is paid, partially paid or unpaid, plus a link to the related order. The list will be updated quarterly. The Report is another investor protection resource that the Commission has added to its website to provide transparency for Nova Scotia’s capital markets participants

Looking to the future we’ll continue to build on our past achievements to ensure we are helping Nova Scotians become better informed investors. What to look for in 2015: 

The Client Relationship Model - Phase 2 (CRM2) amendments to NI 31-103 that came into effect on July 15, 2013 are being phased-in over a three-year period. Read More

Women on Boards (this article originally appeared in the January 2015 issue of The Bottom Line

Every mutual fund is now required to produce a document called Fund Facts. The Fund Facts is a short, easy-to-read document which highlights key information about a mutual fund 

The finalization of the equity crowdfunding rules

Happy Investing