OSC publishes new Charter of Governance

TORONTO – The Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) today published its Charter of Governance (Charter), which outlines the Commission’s three distinct functions in support of its mandate – making policies and rules, serving as the board of directors and adjudicating. The Charter consolidates information that was previously contained in 11 separate governance documents and outlines the OSC’s governance framework in a way that is concise, accessible and easy for readers to navigate.

“The Ontario Securities Commission aims to continuously advance and innovate its governance framework,” said Grace Knakowski, Secretary to the Commission. “We are committed to transparency and accountability, and the Charter allows the public to easily access the OSC’s key corporate governance information in one clear, well-organized resource.”

The OSC follows best practices in corporate governance disclosure for public companies, where appropriate for a regulatory body. No changes were made to governance roles and responsibilities, processes or reporting requirements in drafting the Charter. The Charter is available on the OSC’s website.

The mandate of the OSC is to provide protection to investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices, to foster fair and efficient capital markets and confidence in the capital markets, and to contribute to the stability of the financial system and the reduction of systemic risk.  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 http://www.osc.gov.on.ca.

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