OSC announces activities for World Investor Week and Investor Education Month

TORONTO – The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) today announced that it will be hosting events and activities throughout October to recognize World Investor Week and Investor Education Month.

“The OSC is a proud participant in IOSCO World Investor Week,” said Tyler Fleming, Director of the Investor Office at the OSC. “Through international cooperation and coordination, securities regulators around the world are emphasizing the importance of investor education and protection.” 

Taking place from October 2-8, 2017, World Investor Week is sponsored by the International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO) and is designed to raise awareness about the importance of investor education and protection. For Investor Education Month, which runs throughout October, the OSC will be focused on raising awareness about financial scams and fraud prevention.

On October 24, the OSC will be holding a province-wide teletownhall for investors to learn how best to recognize, reject and report investment scams.  Teletownhalls allow the OSC to connect with thousands of Ontarians at a time. Similar in format to a call-in radio show, during the teletownhall, OSC staff provide information, answer questions and conduct live polls over the course of one hour. Visit the OSC’s website to register for the upcoming teletownhall.

Additionally, the OSC will be hosting a number of events as part of the OSC in the Community initiative, an outreach program that takes the OSC’s important regulatory mandate from Bay Street to Main Street. OSC in the Community events give audience members an opportunity to ask OSC staff questions and learn how to protect their money from investment fraud. Upcoming events include:

• October 3, 2017: The Grand Chalet, 324 Steeles Avenue E., Milton. 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• October 11, 2017: Westin Prince Hotel, 900 York Mills Road, Toronto. 1:15 p.m. to 2:45 p.m.
• October 17, 2017: 4240 Anderson St., Whitby. 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m.
• October 25, 2017: Humber College, 2 Col. Samuel Smith Drive, Etobicoke. 1:15 p.m. to 2:15 p.m.
• October 26, 2017: David Durward Centre, 62 Dickson Street, Cambridge. 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
• October 30, 2017: Unifor Meeting Hall, 1425 Phillip Murray Avenue, Oshawa. 12 p.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Please visit the OSC’s website for more information about attending or registering for these events.

For each day of World Investor Week, the OSC will be sharing tips through its education and outreach activities in keeping with priority messages outlined by IOSCO related to investor protection. Investors are encouraged to follow the #WIW2017 and #InvestorEducationMonth hashtags on Twitter, and posts from @GetSmarterAboutMoney on Facebook.

Investors are also encouraged to visit InvestorOffice.ca to sign up for Investor News and stay informed about the latest investor initiatives, topical issues, educational resources, key dates and investor alerts. They are also encouraged to visit GetSmarterAboutMoney.ca for more resources, including information on retirement planning, working with an advisor and avoiding fraud.

The mandate of the OSC is to provide protection to investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices and to foster fair and efficient capital markets and confidence in the capital markets. Investors are urged to check the registration of any persons or company offering an investment opportunity and to review the OSC investor materials available at www.osc.ca

 

-30-