June 27, 2005 Securities CSA

Vancouver - Investors and industry wanting information about public companies and individuals that have been ordered to cease trading securities in Canada now can find it on a website run by Canada’s securities regulators.

The National Cease Trade Order Database is a repository of orders issued by provincial securities regulators against public companies, management, and individuals. It is the authoritative source of cease trade orders in Canada including orders from British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, and Québec.

Other provincial securities regulators will soon include their issuer and non-issuer cease trade orders in the database as well.

Starting today, the database will be accessible at www.csa-acvm.ca This link will open in a new window, a website administered by the Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA), the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories that coordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.

The database was a joint initiative of the CSA and Market Regulation Services Inc. (RS), the independent regulation services provider for Canadian equity markets, in February 2003. The database quickly became an indispensable tool for compliance by investment dealers and for the public.

RS will continue to provide a link from its website to the cease trade order database’s new location.

The cease trade order database will continue to provide subscribers with near real-time e-mail notification of new cease trade orders as they are posted by participating securities regulators.

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