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Canadian Regulators

Financial institutions in Canada are regulated at either the federal or provincial level, or a combination of both. Banks and insurance federally incorporated insurance companies are regulated at the federal level. However securities dealers and provincially incorporated companies are regulated at the provincial level. 

Canada's financial regulators are outlined below. 

Federal regulators

The Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) is responsible for enforcing many of the federal laws that protect consumers in their dealings with financial institutions. The FCAC has a responsibility to ensure that federally regulated financial institutions comply with federal consumer protection laws and regulations, and is one of three agencies regulating the activities of financial institutions under federal jurisdiction. 

The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) is the regulator in charge of supervising the financial health and stability of federal financial institutions. These include all banks and all federally incorporated or registered insurance companies, trust and loan companies, co-operative credit associations, and fraternal benefit societies. 

The OSFI monitors these institutions on an ongoing basis to ensure certain operational requirements are met, such as having sufficient capital resources, liquidity levels and loan loss provisions. The OSFI conducts on-site reviews and uses its supervisory powers to take action in situations of gross breach of rules or in case of practices creating excessive risks.

Provincial and territorial regulators

Every province and territory has one or more bodies to regulate financial institutions under provincial responsibility. These institutions include securities dealers, credit unions and caisses populaires, as well as other financial institutions that are registered or incorporated at the provincial level.

The regulation of the securities industry is a provincial responsibility and each province has its securities commission or administrator that is generally accountable to the Provincial Ministry of Finance. However these provincial regulators participate in an organization called the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA).

The CSA is a forum for the 13 securities regulators of Canada's provinces and territories to coordinate and harmonize regulation of the Canadian capital markets. The CSA has a mission to give Canada a securities regulatory system that protects investors from unfair, improper or fraudulent practices and fosters fair, efficient and vibrant capital markets, through developing the Canadian Securities Regulatory System (CSRS), a national system of harmonized securities regulation, policy and practice.

The CSA has introduced an alphabetical list of disciplined persons for all of Canada. Ontario is not yet participating but is expected to be included in the near future. Consumer/investors can check whether their representatives have been disciplined on this website.

The provincial securities commissions have delegated some of the regulation to self regulatory organizations (SRO) such as the Investment Regulator of Canada (IIROC) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association (MFDA). The IIROC is responsible for regulating those firms that are members of the Investment Dealers Association (IDA). The MFDA regulates the firms that are members of the MFDA.

The mandate of the regulators is to ensure that the rules and regulations are followed. They are empowered to investigate and to hold hearings, however that power has certain limitations. They do not have the power to order restitution. So if you have a complaint, the regulators can't get your money back. You will need to pursue other options.

Alberta

Alberta Securities Commission
Suite 600, 250–5 Street SW
Calgary Alberta
T2P 0R4

Tel:  (403) 297-6454
Toll Free: 1-877-355-0585
Fax: (403) 297-6156

Web site: www.albertasecurities.com
Inquiries:  Inquiries@asc.ca

British Columbia

British Columbia Securities Commission
P.O. Box 10142, Pacific Centre
701 West Georgia Street
Vancouver, BC
V7Y 1L2

Tel:  (604) 899-6500
Toll Free:; 1-800-373-6393
Fax: (604) 899-6506

Web site: www.bcsc.bc.ca
Inquiries:  inquiries@bcsc.bc.ca

Manitoba

The Manitoba Securities Commission
500 - 400 St. Mary Avenue
Winnipeg, MB 
R3C 4K5

Tel:  (204) 945-2548
Fax: (204) 945-0330

Web site: www.msc.gov.mb.ca
Inquiries:  securities@gov.mb.ca

New Brunswick

Financial and Consumer Services Commission
85 Charlotte Street, Suite 300
Saint John, NB
E2L 2J2

Tel:  (506) 658-3060
Fax: (506) 658-3059

Web site: http://www.fcnb.ca
Inquiries:  info@fcnb.ca

Newfoundland and Labrador

Office of the Superintendent of Securities,
Service Newfoundland & Labrador
2nd Floor, West Block
Confederation Building
P.O. Box 8700
St. John's, NL
A1B 4J6

Tel:  (709) 729-4189
Fax: (709) 729-6187

Web site: http://www.servicenl.gov.nl.ca/securities/index.html

Northwest Territories

Northwest Territories Securities Office
1st Floor Stuart M. Hodgson Building
5009 - 49 th Street
P.O. Box 1320
Yellowknife, NT
X1A 2L9

Tel:  (867) 920-3318
Fax: (867) 873-0243

Web site: www.justice.gov.nt.ca/SecuritiesRegistry

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia Securities Commission
Suite 400, 5251 Duke Street
Halifax, NS
B3J 1P3

Tel:  (902) 424-7768
Fax: (902) 424-4625

Web site: www.gov.ns.ca/nssc

Nunavut

Nunavut Securities Office
1st Floor, Brown Building
P.O. Box 1000 - Station 570
Iqaluit, NU
X0A 0H0

Tel:  (867) 975-6590
Fax: (867) 975-6594

Web site:http://nunavutlegalregistries.ca/sr_index_en.shtml

Ontario

Ontario Securities Commission
20 Queen Street West
22nd Floor
Toronto, ON
M5H 3S8

Tel:  (416) 593-8314
Toll Free: 1-877-785-1555
Fax: (416) 593-8122

Web site:www.osc.gov.on.ca
Inquiries: Inquiries@osc.gov.on.ca

Prince Edward Island

The Office of the Superintendent Securities
Consumer, Corporate and Insurance Services Division
Office of the Attorney General
95 Rochford Street, P.O. Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE
C1A 7N8

Tel:  (902) 368-4569
Fax: (902) 368-5283
Web site:www.gov.pe.ca/securities

Québec

Autorité des marchés financiers
800, Square Victoria, 22e étage
C.P. 246, Tour de la Bourse
Montréal, QC
H4Z 1G3

Tel:  (514) 395-0337 (Montréal)
         (418) 525-0337 (Québec)
Toll Free: 1-877-525-0337
Fax: (514) 873-3090

Web site:http://www.lautorite.qc.ca/en/index.html

Saskatchewan

Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan
6th Floor 1919 Saskatchewan Drive
Regina, SK
S4P 3V7

Tel:  (306) 787-5645 (Regina)
Fax: (306) 787-5899 (Regina)

Web site: www.sfsc.gov.sk.ca

Yukon

Office of the Yukon Superintendent of Securities
307 Black Street,
1st Floor,
Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2N1

Courier: 2130 Second Avenue, 3rd Floor
Whitehorse, Yukon Y1A 5H6
Tel:  (867) 667-5225
Fax: (867) 393-6251

Web site: http://www.community.gov.yk.ca/corp/securities_about.html