Registration, Fees & Forms

Firms must register with the NSSC if they conduct any of the following activities in Nova Scotia:

  • are in the business of trading in, or advising on, securities.
  • act as an investment fund manager
  • conduct trading activities involving commodity futures contracts or commodity futures options.

Individuals must register if they: 

Exemptions from the requirement to register are available to firms and individuals in certain circumstances. For more information, see Part 8 of National Instrument 31-103. 

Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO)

Investment dealers and mutual fund dealers

A firm registered as an investment dealer or a mutual fund dealer is required to be a member of a self-regulatory organization (SRO).

Prior to January 1, 2023, a firm registered as an investment dealer was required to be a member of the Investment Industry Regulatory organization of Canada (IIROC), and a firm registered as a mutual fund dealer was required to be a member of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (MFDA).

Effective January 1, 2023, IIROC and the MFDA amalgamated to become the New Self-Regulatory Organization of Canada (New SRO), and all existing IIROC and MFDA members became members of New SRO. On June 1, 2023 the New SRO was officially renamed the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO). Going forward, all firms registered as investment dealers or mutual fund dealers are required to be a member of CIRO.

Frequently Asked Questions and Other Information

To assist registration participants in understanding and applying for registration, the Nova Scotia Securities Commission staff has compiled this summary of answers of frequently asked questions around registration.

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