Canadian securities regulators highlight common deficiencies in issuers’ continuous disclosure

CSA Securities

Toronto - The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) today published Staff Notice 51-355 Continuous Disclosure Review Program Activities for the fiscal years ended March 31, 2018 and March 31, 2017, a biennial report that summarizes CSA staff’s ongoing review of reporting issuers’ (issuers) continuous disclosure and highlights common deficiencies and best practices.

“Among other issues, we continue to see deficiencies in issuers’ use of non-GAAP financial measures, and this remains an area of focus for the CSA,” said Louis Morisset, Chair of the CSA and Chair and CEO of the Autorité des marchés financiers. “We strongly encourage issuers to use this report as a guide to make improvements, as disclosure requirements are at the core of our investor protection regime.”

Other areas where issuers can improve disclosures include, but are not limited to: fair value measurements and disclosures; forward looking information; discussions of issuers’ results of operations and significant projects in development; climate change disclosures; and mineral project disclosure.

In fiscal 2018, 51 per cent (2017 – 43 per cent) of review outcomes required issuers to take action to improve and/or amend their disclosure, or resulted in the issuer being referred to enforcement, cease traded or placed on the default list.

The CSA’s continuous disclosure review program assesses the compliance of issuers’ continuous disclosure documents with securities law. The program also aims to help issuers improve the completeness, quality and timeliness of their disclosure. 

CSA Staff Notice 51-355 is available on CSA members’ websites.

The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories, co- ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.

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For more information:

CSA member name

Point of contact

Phone number

Autorité des marchés financiers

Caroline Trottier

418-525-0337 #4115 This link will open in a new window

Alberta Securities Commission

Alison Trollope

403-297-2664

British Columbia Securities Commission

Andrew Poon

604-899-6880

Financial and Consumer Affairs Authority of Saskatchewan

Shannon McMillan

306-798-4160

Financial and Consumer Services Commission, New Brunswick

Sara Wilson

506-643-7045

Government of Prince Edward Island, Superintendent of Securities

Steve Dowling

902-368-4550

Manitoba Securities Commission

Jason (Jay) Booth

204-945-1660

Nova Scotia Securities Commission

David Harrison

902-424-8586

Nunavut Securities Office

Jeff Mason

867-975-6591

Office of the Superintendent of Securities, Newfoundland and Labrador

Craig Whalen

709-729-5661

Office of the Superintendent of Securities, Northwest Territories

Tom Hall

867-767-9305

Office of the Yukon Superintendent of Securities

Rhonda Horte

867-667-5466

Ontario Securities Commission

Kristen Rose

416-593-2336