Click here to get a summary of key information to help you prepare for this year’s RRSP season.

Please find below some key reminders regarding letters of indemnity (“LOIs”).

In order to streamline the processing of estate requests and ensure the timely liquidation of a deceased client’s account with the executor and/or beneficiaries, here are four useful tips:

As you may already know, the purpose of National Instrument 54-101 is to provide greater protection for investors by regulating the sharing of personal data with various organizations, including, among others, issuers of exchange traded funds (“ETFs”).

As part of this initiative, we are required to obtain our clients’ explicit authorization for the transmission of their personal information to these entities, or their refusal to do so. 

We are happy to present the full range of online group training courses available this quarter on Investia Learning (How to Register?).

Click here to save the dates for the 2025 National Business Conference.

Click here to read Louis’ heartfelt Holiday message, filled with gratitude and inspiring reflections for the year ahead.

Happy Holidays!

As you may have heard, Canada Post resumed operations on December 17, but mail delivery delays are expected over the next few weeks. 

We would like to thank everyone who attended our Virtual Water Cooler Chat last Thursday. For those of you who missed it, you can watch the presentation by clicking on the following recording link: 

To ensure our clients’ records are current and compliant, more fund companies now require the federal business number, in addition to the NEQ for Quebec. Some fund companies have already reached out to you regarding this. Therefore, we remind you that it is your responsibility to add this information to the company details in Univeris. 

Please be advised that the Product Review Committee will be taking a break for two weeks. Specifically, there will be no product approval/review process from December 23, 2024 to January 3, 2025 inclusively for the following products:

• Exchange traded funds (ETF)
• Liquid alternative funds
• Exempt market products
  

Please be advised that effective November 28, 2024, the risk rating of each the following funds was increased by Dynamic Funds (“DYN”):

A mandatory Univeris upgrade is required on Tuesday, December 31, 2024, between 4:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. ET. During this time, Univeris will be unavailable.

As a reminder, Head Office operating hours during the Holiday season are as follows:

December 24: 8:00 a.m. to 2 p.m. (reduced staff)
December 25 & 26: closed
December 27, 30 & 31: 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m.
January 1: closed
January 2: 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. (reduced staff)

Given the ongoing Canada Post strike, which is likely to extend through the holidays, we strongly advise you to prompt your clients to sign up for the Client Portal and e-delivery as soon as possible, if they haven’t done so already. This will ensure they receive their next quarterly statement as well as their tax slips on time. We remind you that clients can change their document  delivery preferences on the Client Portal at any time.

With the end of the year fast approaching, we would like to provide you with some important reminders to help you prepare for this period.

Due to recent technological and legal changes, the following documents have been updated accordingly:

• Order Instruction Forms for Systematic Withdrawals (F51-326A for nominee accounts and F51-394A for client-name accounts*); and
  
  
• Administrative Procedures #34 and #34A related to automatic withdrawal deposits (AWDs) (for client-name/intermediary and nominee accounts, respectively).

This memo aims to provide clarification regarding the witness confirmation process for client signatures on legal documents. Recently, there have been issues with documents not meeting the necessary requirements. 

Good news! We have collaborated closely with the iA Clarington team to make accessing their Advisor Hub easier for you.

It can sometimes be tricky to find relevant, up-to-date content, tools and promotional materials that meet your clients’ specific needs.

To assist you, if you don’t already know it, the document included herein, Investia Marketing Materials for Clients, summarizes our marketing resources for clients.

Please be advised that effective December 6, 2024, the risk rating of each of the following funds was increased by Fidelity Investments Canada ULC (“FID”):

We would like to remind you that your mutual fund licence with Investia will expire on December 31, 2024 and will be automatically renewed for 2025 unless we have received written notification of your resignation (or your license cancellation request) no later than December 15, 2024.

As you know, maintaining accurate and current information about your clients’ financial circumstances is essential. This also applies to non-financial details. As a reminder, it is the Representative’s responsibility to maintain and update client data in Univeris and send backup documentation to Imaging for dealer record-keeping purposes. As  stated in the November 7, 2024 communication, starting this week, any non-financial changes submitted to head office for processing will not be processed and will be redirected to Imaging without any action taken by head office. 

Due to the ongoing labour dispute at Canada Post, and in the event that the strike continues after the holidays, we strongly recommend that you encourage your clients to register for the Client Portal and e-delivery now, if they have not already done so, to ensure that they receive their next quarterly statement in a timely manner. As a reminder, clients can change their document  delivery preferences on the Client Portal at any time.

Please note that effective January 1, 2025, Quebec’s life income fund (“LIF”) accounts will undergo changes to offer more flexibility in accessing retirement savings for people aged 55 and over in accordance with Quebec’s Regulation to amend the Regulation respecting supplemental pension plans (the “Regulation”). Changes to Quebec LIF accounts set out in the Regulation include the following:

We would like to remind you that your mutual fund licence with Investia will expire on December 31, 2024 and will be automatically renewed for 2025 unless we have received written notification of your resignation (or your license cancellation request) no later than December 15, 2024.

This year, Investia, in collaboration with iA Financial Group, is once again providing you with the opportunity to take advantage of competitive group pricing if you subscribe to Morningstar’s Advisor Workstation investment platform.

The holiday season is just around the corner! This year, you can order paper or virtual cards to send holiday greetings to your clients and business partners. 

Pension buy backs are time-sensitive and are considered transfer outs. As such, they follow the same procedures and processing timeframes as all other transfer out requests.

Please be advised of the following update to the “Unsuitable” tile in the Advisor Dashboard regarding currency conversion.

Good news! As discussed in our last Water Cooler session, the Advisor Centre’s managing client banking information section has been enhanced with a new automated character recognition tool.

In light of recent technological advancements and in line with our commitment to meet regulatory audit requirements, we have implemented the necessary updates to our three New Account Application Forms (for intermediary/client-name, nominee and nominee TFSA accounts) and KYC Update Form. Below is a summary of the main changes.

With the end of the year fast approaching, we would like to provide you with some important reminders to help you prepare for this period.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the Virtual Water Cooler Chat last Thursday, November 14. For those of you who missed it, you can watch the presentation by clicking on the following recording link: Virtual Water Cooler Chat – November 14, 2024

In view of the impending labour dispute at Canada Post, please be aware that a strike may begin at midnight on Friday, November 15, if no agreement has been reached with the union by then. Currently, we are unsure of the strike’s specifics (such as duration and regional alternation), but we will provide updates as soon as we have more information.

To reduce the impact of any mail service disruptions while ensuring timely client payments, please consider the following important points and reminders.

Once again this year, Investia, in collaboration with iA Financial Group, is providing you with the opportunity to take advantage of competitive group pricing if you subscribe to Morningstar’s Advisor Workstation investment platform.

Please be advised that we will be conducting system maintenance on the weekend of November 15, 2024.

As a result, Univeris, as well as the Investia Advisor Centre, Client Portal and mobile application, will be unavailable from Friday, November 15, 2024, 9:00 p.m., to Sunday, November 17, 2024, 8:00 p.m. (ET).

We would like to remind you that if you paid this year’s Client Administrative Fees on behalf of your clients, the 3^rd and last charge was made today, November 14, which will be reflected in your pay deposited on Thursday, November 21.

With the end of the year fast approaching, we would like to provide you with some essential information to help you prepare for this period.  

As you know, your mutual fund licence with Investia will expire on December 31, 2024 and will be automatically renewed for 2025 unless we have received written notification of your resignation (or your license cancellation request) no later than December 15, 2024.

We would like to remind you that, effective August 28, 2024, clients’ AWDs are no longer adjusted by Head Office in the event of insufficient funds. 

We would like to remind you that if you paid this year’s Client Administrative Fees on behalf of your clients, the 3^rd and last charge will be made on November 14, which will be reflected in your pay deposited on Thursday, November 21.

Click here to save the dates for the 2025 National Business Conference.

We would like to remind you that our next Water Cooler session will be held on Thursday, November 14, 2024, at 2:30 p.m. (ET).

Maintaining accurate information regarding your clients’ financial circumstances is essential. This also applies to non-financial details.

We are pleased to inform you that the accreditation process for this course has now been completed by the various regulatory bodies responsible. You can now generate your certificate on Investia Learning to obtain the following continuing education (CE) credits:

As you may already know, Canada Post employees might go on strike as early as this weekend (November 3, 2024) if no agreement is reached with the union by then. To minimize the impact of any mail delivery service interruptions for your clients, please find below a few important considerations and reminders.

We are pleased to announce that 3 new processes have been added to the Business Tracker tool to facilitate the ability for you to view the status of these types of requests. 

On October 18, 2024, CIRO issued a press release warning Canadian investors not to be fooled by a fraudster currently impersonating an employee of the regulatory organization to launch investment recovery scams.

Please be aware that this scam is specifically aimed at investors. We encourage you to inform your clients to help them stay alert and cautious.

We are excited to announce the launch of our new Business Continuity and Transition microsite, now available on the Advisor Centre under the “Tools and Resources” heading of the “Useful Links” section.

Once again this year, Investia, in collaboration with iA Financial Group, is providing you with the opportunity to take advantage of competitive group pricing if you subscribe to Morningstar’s Advisor Workstation investment platform.

In order to enhance our services by reducing waiting times and informational inquiries, we would like to remind you that we will soon introduce a new option in our phone menu.

Firstly, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone who joined us at our National Business Conference in Quebec City two weeks ago. The event was a great success and we were delighted to see you all in person!

We would like to thank everyone who attended our live webinar dedicated to nesto, which was held on Thursday, September 19.

Need to stay updated on essential economic news and its impact on your finances in less than ten minutes? Look no further! 

We would like to inform you that Administrative Procedure # 21 – Commission Reports has recently been updated.

In-cash transfers into Investia nominee accounts are sums received by electronic funds transfer between the relinquishing dealer and Investia via Fundserv or by physical cheque received at Investia Head Office.

Upon receipt of these funds, head office staff will deposit them to the client’s nominee cash account and code the deposit appropriately to ensure the accuracy of the contribution receipts in cases where a receipt is required.

As you are aware, a minimum annual payment (MAP) is mandatory for all RRIF and LIF accounts. In accordance with Section 146.3(1) of the Income Tax Act, Investia is responsible for ensuring that all minimum payments are made before the last day of the year.

We would like to inform you that Q3 statements (from July 1 to September 30, 2024) will be available next week in the Investia Client Portal for all clients registered for e-delivery. For clients opting to receive paper statements, they will be mailed out to your clients shortly. 

With the introduction of the new Electronic Funds Transfer (“EFT”) purchase option in Univeris (for nominee accounts only), please note that the default payment method in the system has changed from “Client Cheque Deposit” to “Client EFT Deposit”.

We would like to remind you that our 2024 Virtual Conference for Administrative Personnel will be held on Tuesday, October 29 and Wednesday, October 30, 2024. The virtual conference will consist of 2.5 hours of live presentations each day from 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. (ET). 

We are pleased to announce the release of an updated version of Investia’s Compliance Policies & Procedures Manual (CPPM”), reflective of policy changes and enhancements arising from internal, and regulatory developments made over the past year.   

We would like to inform you that the Investia Relationship Disclosure Information Document (“RDID”) has been recently reviewed and amended.

Please note that our T2033 transfer form has been revamped.

Following the September 19, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that holders of a nominee RRSP or LIRA/locked-in RRSP who will have reached age 71 by December 31, 2024 must transfer their account to a RRIF or LIF before year end.

In order to enhance our services by reducing waiting times and informational inquiries, we will soon introduce a new option in our phone menu.

Please be advised that effective Friday, October 18, 2024, the risk rating of several funds will change in Univeris. 

For the past few months, the Investia IT team has been working on something very exciting! We have developed a brand-new application protocol interface (API) that connects to your CRM (Salesforce, Power BI or Equisoft).  

We would like to remind you that if you paid this year’s Client Administrative Fees on behalf of clients, the second charge was made today and will be reflected on your pay deposited next Thursday, October 17.

As communicated by email on September 19, 2024, following the recent launch of the purchase option by electronic funds transfer (EFT) deposit in nominee accounts, we experienced temporary issues with this new functionality. 

As such, we are pleased to inform you that the issues have been resolved. We apologize again for any inconvenience caused.

As you are aware, a minimum annual payment (MAP) is mandatory for all RRIF and LIF accounts. In accordance with Section 146.3(1) of the Income Tax Act, Investia is responsible for ensuring that all minimum payments are made before the last day of the year.

Please be advised that Monday, October 14, 2024, is Thanksgiving Day and a statutory holiday in several provinces, including Ontario. As a result, markets and Fundserv will be closed, which means that no trading or settlement will take place on that day. We will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, October 15.

We would like to inform you that we are currently experiencing a technical issue with the display of market values for certain guaranteed investment certificates (“GICs”) in Investia nominee accounts.

More specifically, the various reports generated from Univeris may display an incorrect market value for GICs that have been internally transferred between two Investia nominee plans.

We would like to remind all those who have paid this year’s Client Administrative Fees on behalf of their clients that the 2^nd charge will be made on October 10, which will be reflected in your pay deposited on Thursday, October 17.

As you may already know, Fundserv, and therefore Univeris, requires the gender of the beneficiary when opening a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) account that holds segregated funds, as the premium calculation is based on the age and gender of the beneficiary. However, due to a system limitation, this requirement is mandatory for all RESP beneficiaries, whether or not they hold segregated funds.

We are pleased to announce the update of our mandatory training on anti-money laundering (AML) and anti-terrorist financing (ATF), now available on Investia Learning. As this topic is a priority for our industry, it is necessary to complete this training every two (2) years to keep knowledge current and enhance your skills in identifying indicators and reporting suspicious transactions.

Please be advised that effective September 27, 2024, the risk rating of each the following funds was increased by Mackenzie (“MFC-MRD”):

As you know, as part of our Digital Adoption Campaign, we launched a contest last August offering clients the opportunity to win $1,000 by logging into the Investia Client Portal or app. The contest will run until December, and we are very enthusiastic about its potential success. 

As announced on April 27, 2023 and in other communications, members of the New Self-Regulatory Organization of Canada approved the new name of this organization to Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (“CIRO”) following the amalgamation of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (“IIROC”) and the Mutual Fund Dealers Association (“MFDA”) on January 1, 2023.

Always with the goal of achieving the highest level of efficiency for you and your clients, we would like to provide an important reminder regarding internal transfers between two Investia nominee accounts.

Please be advised that Monday, September 30, 2024, all banks will be closed because of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. As a result, September 30 will be a trade day, but not a settlement day.

As a follow-up to the September 12, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that we will be sending over the bank files to the various financial institutions today, Thursday, September 19, 2024 to enable the withdrawal of Investia’s Client Administrative Fees from clients’ bank accounts for eligible clients:

The 8th edition of iA Financial Group’s Canada-wide philanthropic contest is open! To mark the occasion, iA will be giving out $500,000 in donations. 

This year, the contest is focused on supporting Canadian charities that work in the health, education, environment or social services fields and have a mission, or a component of their mission, which supports people struggling with social issues such as homelessness, food insecurity, dropping out of school, addictions, violence, mental health or isolation.

In order to facilitate the opening of your clients’ accounts with all the necessary documentation, we would like to remind you that our “Forms Checklist (Appendix 4)” is available for you to use. You can access this document in the Document Centre of the Advisor Centre via this link:  Forms Checklist (Appendix 4).

We would like to thank everyone who attended the Virtual Water Cooler Chat held on Thursday, September 12. For those of you who missed it, you can watch the presentation by clicking on the following recording link: Virtual Water Cooler Chat – September 12, 2024

Following the August 29, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that holders of a nominee RRSP or LIRA/locked-in RRSP who will have reached age 71 by December 31, 2024 must transfer their account to a RRIF or LIF before year end.

We are excited to announce the dates for the 2024 Virtual Conference for Administrative Personnel. 

Following the September 5, 2024 communication, we would like to inform you of an amendment recently made to Administrative Procedures # 47 – Electronic Funds Transfer – Investia Nominee Accounts and #47A – Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) - Purchase in a Client-Name Account. More specifically, these procedures were reviewed, and clarifications related to EFTs from a third party’s bank account have been added.

Good news! As previously announced, we are pleased to confirm that starting September 16, 2024, it will be possible to make purchases via electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) deposit in Investia nominee accounts.

Following the launch of the Business Tracker last year, we are pleased to announce that we have made an enhancement to this tool.

Effective September 12, 2024, in the “Processing Timelines” section, a column will be added next to the existing estimated timelines to indicate the current processing times. This column will allow you to view the status of delays, if any.

We are happy to introduce to you the new online group training courses that are now available on Investia Learning.

As a follow-up to the September 5, 2024 communication, we would like to inform you that we will be sending over the bank files to the various financial institutions on September 19, 2024, to enable the withdrawal of Investia’s Client Administrative Fees from clients’ bank accounts for eligible clients:

• who have provided consent up to and including June 30, 2024;
• who have valid banking information on file;
• whose fee was not redeemed via investments;
• where the Representative has indicated that they are not paying the fee on behalf of the client.
  

In order to facilitate your transactions in client-name accounts and answer questions you may have on the Electronic Processing Agreement (“EPA”), we are providing you with a document entitled “EPA Guidelines (Client-Name Accounts Only)”.

The “Great Renewal” is coming. Are your clients ready for the mortgage renewal payment shock?

Millions of homeowners locked in super-low rates during the pandemic are about to face a financial reality check. When those terms expire, higher payments could seriously strain their budgets. Are you equipped to guide your clients through this turbulent transition?

We would like to inform you that we will be sending over the bank files to the various financial institutions during the week of September 16, 2024 to enable the withdrawal of Investia’s Client Administrative Fees from clients’ bank accounts for eligible clients:

We are pleased to announce the launch of our new dedicated estate email estates@investia.ca, effective Monday, September 9, 2024. This new channel will allow you to communicate directly with our team of Estate Specialists to ensure that you receive their expert support in a timelier manner.

The “Great Renewal” is coming. Are your clients ready for the mortgage renewal payment shock?

Millions of homeowners locked in super-low rates during the pandemic are about to face a financial reality check. When those terms expire, higher payments could seriously strain their budgets. Are you equipped to guide your clients through this turbulent transition?

We would like to inform you of an amendment recently made to Administrative Procedure # 47A – Using Nominee CCA (Open or TFSA) for a Purchase in a Client-Name Account. More specifically, this procedure was reviewed so that it can now apply to open accounts and nominee TFSAs which hold assets in the plans, whereas before this procedure was reserved for accounts opened for cash account purposes only.

We would like to remind you that in the situation where you are appointed as the executor/liquidator of a client’s estate, as a general rule, you must transfer the client’s account to another dealer. 

You missed these communications while you were on vacation this summer? Here are two initiatives released by our Compliance team last June and July to facilitate your day-to-day activities. 

We would like to remind you that our next Virtual Water Cooler Chat will be held on Thursday, September 12, at 2:30 p.m. (ET).

We would like to remind you that a new self-serve reporting tool is available on the Investia Advisor Centre. Launched on the week of August 12, 2024 (ref. August 1, 2024 communication), this tool enables you to generate useful reports for your practice, including the “Advisor Service Fee Invoice” report, which was made available upon launch.

Following the August 1, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that holders of a nominee RRSP or LIRA/locked-in RRSP who will have reached age 71 by December 31, 2024 must transfer their account to a RRIF or LIF before year end.

Please be advised that effective Friday, August 30, 2024, the risk rating and asset class of several funds will change in Univeris. 

As a follow-up to the June 20, 2024 communication, we would like to inform you that as of Tuesday, September 3, 2024, Client Services will be returning to its regular operating hours of 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET.

Please be advised that Monday, September 2, 2024, is Labour Day and a statutory holiday in all the provinces. As a result, markets and Fundserv will be closed, which means that no trading or settlement will take place on that day. We will resume regular business hours on Tuesday, September 3.

As a follow-up to the June 27, 2024 communication, we remind you that effective August 28, 2024, Head Office will no longer manually adjust your clients’ AWDs in the event of insufficient funds. This applies to the payment cycle of September 5, 2024 as well as all subsequent AWDs.

To promote digital adoption, we would like to remind you that a contest was launched on August 7 to give clients the chance to win $1,000 by simply logging in to the Investia Client Portal or app. An amount of $1,000 in cash will be drawn each month until December among every client who logs in at least once during the month.

For those of you who may not know, a new global client management initiative was launched on July 18, 2024 (ref. Launch of Global Management memo).

As a follow-up to the June 27, 2024 communication, please be reminded that effective August 28, 2024, Head Office will no longer manually adjust your clients’ AWDs in the event of insufficient funds. This applies to the payment cycle of September 5, 2024 as well as all subsequent AWDs.

As a follow-up to the July 25, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that the trade settlement cycle changed from T+2 to T+1 effective May 27, 2024.

We are pleased to inform you that a new client marketing document has been made available: the Investia Corporate Profile. This 4-page promotional document provides a high-level overview of Investia and the services we offer as dealer which set us apart in terms of client experience. 

Have you started using it yet? Launched on June 27, 2024, our Automated KYC Update Tool allows clients to review their KYC profile easily, quickly and securely through their Client Portal, and Representatives to approve the KYC much more efficiently.

After a well-deserved summer break, our Water Cooler Chats are now back in full force!

Effective April 29, 2024, Investia introduced a new process for adding clients’ banking information to Univeris via the Advisor Centre. The process has been in place for a couple of months, and we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few key steps to ensure a smooth process for both Representatives and Head Office. 

Following the August 1, 2024 communication, we are pleased to inform you that our client contest was launched yesterday, Wednesday, August 7. To promote digital adoption, this contest will give your clients the chance to win $1,000 for logging on to the Investia Client Portal or Mobile App. All they have to do is log on to the portal or app! $1,000 will be awarded each month until the contest ends on December 31, 2024. 

We are pleased to share with you some excellent news concerning the identification process for global management clients. As you know, we had previously announced that the use of the (*) symbol to identify these clients was a temporary measure. After analysis, we have found a simpler and more permanent way of facilitating this process.

Please be advised that effective Monday, August 12, 2024, Representatives will once again be able to access the “Unsuitable” tile on their Advisor Dashboard in the Advisor Centre. This tile was temporarily suppressed earlier this year due to an internal review.

Please be advised that effective July 26, 2024, the risk rating of each the following funds was increased by Invesco Canada Ltd (“AIM”):

We are thrilled to announce that a brand-new self-serve reporting solution is on the horizon! Starting the week of August 12, 2024, the Advisor Service Fee Invoice report will be the first report available to you through the Advisor Centre. As we continue to fine-tune the new tool, additional reports will be made available to you. Stay tuned via the weekly The 360 Newsletter for updates. 

As a follow-up to the communication sent to you by email on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, we have received confirmation from iA Clarington and CIBC regarding their revised client fee collection date (i.e., July 29 and July 30 respectively). 

Following the July 25, 2024, communication, we are writing to provide you with an update regarding our client contest that was scheduled for launch on August 1, 2024 as part of our Digital Adoption Campaign.

Good news! Following the launch of our automated KYC tool on June 27, 2024, we are pleased to inform you that the joint representative code functionality has been activated. Going forward, your clients under a joint code can also be eligible for automated KYC updates if they meet the other eligibility criteria (ref. Question 4 of the FAQ below).

As part of our year-end process, we would like to remind you that holders of a nominee RRSP or LIRA/locked-in RRSP who will have reached age 71 by December 31, 2024 must transfer their account to a RRIF or LIF before year end.

Please be advised that the risk rating of the following funds was increased by CI Global Asset Management (“CIG”) effective July 23, 2024, and by TD Asset Management (“TDB”) effective July 25, 2024:

Please be advised that the Product Review Committee will be taking a break for the next two weeks. As a result, we will not follow up on any product review/approval requests between August 5, 2024 and August 16, 2024 for the following products:

• Exchange traded funds (ETF)
• Liquid alternative funds
• Exempt market products
  

Please note that Monday, August 5, 2024 is a statutory holiday in several provinces, including in Ontario. As a result, the markets and Fundserv will be closed, which means that no trading or settlements will take place on that day.

As announced during our recent Best Business Practices Roadshows, iA Financial Group has recently launched a Digital Adoption Campaign across its lines of business and subsidiaries to promote the use of digital tools and platforms by clients.

We would like to inform you that the accreditation process for the presentations of this year’s Virtual Best Business Practices Roadshows is now complete. Below are details of the CE credits granted by presentation. Please note that no accreditation has been granted for Monday, June 3 presentations.

As announced in the May 23, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that the trade settlement cycle changed from T+2 to T+1 effective May 27, 2024.

Please be advised that effective Friday, July 26, 2024, the risk rating and asset class of several funds will change in Univeris. 

As mentioned in the June 27, 2024 communication and as outlined in Administrative Procedure #34A – Automatic Withdrawal Deposits (AWD) – Investia Nominee Accounts, it is the responsibility of the Representative to ensure that the unit balance within a particular fund is sufficient to allow the scheduled systematic payment to be made.  

Please be reminded that we will be conducting system maintenance tomorrow, Friday, July 26, 2024. As a result, Univeris will be unavailable tomorrow from 10 p.m. to midnight ET.

As announced in the July 4, 2024 communication, we are ready to officially launch our new global client management initiative.

We would like to inform you that Q2 statements (from April 1 to June 30, 2024) will be available before the end of the week in the Investia Client Portal for all clients registered for e-delivery. For clients opting to receive paper statements, they will be mailed out to your clients shortly. 

Following the July 11, 2024 communication, we would like to remind you that this year’s client administrative fees will be processed and taken from client-name accounts starting tomorrow, Friday, July 19, 2024.

On July 4 (click here to read the communication), we announced the launch of a new online course, aimed at increasing the overall level of mastery of regulatory requirements in order to reduce the most frequent compliance failures.

We are pleased to inform you that a brand-new section has just been added to the accordion on the Advisor Centre.

Please be advised that we will be conducting a system maintenance on Friday, July 26, 2024. 

As a result, the Univeris system will be unavailable from 10 p.m. to midnight ET on July 26, 2024.

We would like to remind you that this year’s client administrative fees will be processed and taken from clients’ accounts as follows:

• For nominee accounts: fees will be taken from clients’ accounts over the weekend of July 13-14, which means transactions will be visible on Monday, July 15.
  
  
• For client-name accounts: fees will be processed on or about Friday, July 19.

The new online group training series titled “Enhancing Client Experience (CX) Using the Microsoft Suite” kicked off last Tuesday. Here’s a quick reminder, summarizing the 5 themes covered in this series, which is offered throughout the summer season.

Following the June 13, 2024 communication, we would like to provide you with some additional information on our revamped version of our The 360 Newsletter, launched on June 27.

I am pleased to share with you the arrival of our new Regional Vice-President for the Western Canada region, Mr. Daniel Bengtsson. Daniel graduated with a degree in economics from the University of Toronto and has been working in the industry for over 25 years, serving as an investment advisor and, more recently, helping advisors implement the best possible practices within their business to help them at every stage of their activities, from growth to maintenance and transition. 

We would like to inform you that a system update is scheduled to take place this weekend, which will impact the entry and update of client banking information.

Please be advised that effective June 26, 2024, the risk rating of each of the following funds was increased by CI Global Asset Management (“CIG”):

Please be advised that effective June 27, 2024, the risk rating of each of the following funds was increased by RBC Global Asset Management Inc. (“RBF”):

As mentioned during our recent Best Business Practices Roadshows, we are in the last stages of finalizing the launch of another important compliance initiative at Investia, i.e., global client management.

We are pleased to inform you that a new course has just been added to the content available on Investia Learning. Its objective is to deepen your knowledge of the main forms and systems in order to identify the compliance deficiencies which are most often noticed by head office, all this by validating the robustness of your business processes and integrating good practices when appropriate.

As mentioned in the June 27, 2024 communication, we remind you that our new automated KYC update tool is now ready for use.

As you are aware, a minimum annual payment (MAP) is mandatory for all RRIF and LIF accounts. In accordance with Section 146.3(1) of the Income Tax Act, Investia is responsible for ensuring that all minimum payments are made before the last day of the year.

Effective April 29, 2024, Investia introduced a new process for adding clients’ banking information to Univeris via the Advisor Centre. The process has been in place for a couple of months, and we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few key steps to ensure a smooth process for both Representatives and Head Office.

Please be advised that effective June 28, 2024, the risk rating of the following funds was increased by SLGI Asset Management Inc. (SUN).

We hope you enjoy the new format (Web and email).

For more information, click here to read the June 13, 2024, communication.

As mentioned in the June 20, 2024 communication, the automated KYC update tool is now ready for use. Simply log into the Advisor Centre and access the “Client Search” section on the homepage (“View all clients”) to start performing your first automated KYC updates.

Please be reminded that you have until Sunday, June 30, 2024 (no exceptions) to use the Client Fee Dashboard to select clients for whom you would like to pay this year’s Client Fee, if applicable. After this date, this option will be locked down.

As outlined in Administrative Procedure #34A – Automatic Withdrawal Deposits (AWD) – Investia Nominee Accounts, it is the responsibility of the Representative to ensure that the unit balance within a particular fund is sufficient to allow the scheduled systematic payment to be made.  

Effective April 29, 2024, Investia introduced a new process for adding clients’ banking information to Univeris via the Advisor Centre. The process has been in place for a couple of months, and we would like to take this opportunity to remind you of a few key steps to ensure a smooth process for both Representatives and Head Office.

Please be advised that our office will be closed on Monday, July 1, 2024, for Canada Day. We will resume normal business hours on Tuesday, July 2.

On behalf of all the team at Investia, Happy Canada Day to everyone!

Great news! As mentioned during our recent Best Business Practices Roadshows, we are pleased to announce the official launch of our automated KYC update tool.

We would like to remind you that you have until June 30, 2024 (no exceptions) to use the Client Fee Dashboard to select clients for whom you would like to pay this year’s Client Fee, if applicable. After this date, this option will be locked down.

We are happy to introduce our brand new series of online group training focused on using the Microsoft suite to optimize your client experience (CX) and productivity. 

Please be advised that effective June 24, 2024, the usage of the PPI bank card will no longer be permitted. 

Following the July 20, 2023 communication regarding the Electronic Processing Agreement (“EPA”) between fund companies and distributors (Representatives/Head Office), please be advised that Investia will be implementing changes to the Limited Authorization Form (“LAF”) approval process.

As such, effective June 21, 2024, Investia will no longer affix any signatures on the LAF as part of the approval process.

We would like to inform you that as of Monday, June 24, 2024, operating hours for our Client Services for the summer period will be from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday.

As previously communicated, since March 2023, quarterly statements have been centralized in the Client Portal (available for consultation via the mirror access on the Advisor Centre) and are no longer archived in Univeris. Statements prior to this date are also available on the Client Portal.

Please be advised that Monday, June 24, 2024, is Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and a statutory holiday in the province of Quebec. As a result, our services will be maintained during regular business hours, however we will be operating with reduced staff.

As we continuously strive to enhance the communication experience between Investia and our network of advisors and assistants, we consulted with you as part of our most recent Advisor Workgroup and during the course of interviews, to gather feedback on how best we can reshape the way we communicate. We received a lot of positive feedback and suggestions, and our project team is actively working on studying the feasibility of all of them. 

Following the June 1, 2023 communication, we would like to remind you that effective June 1, 2023, you must provide the French version of the following documents to all your Quebec-based clients, regardless of the client’s language, upon account creation:

• Investia NCAF (client-name, nominee and TFSA accounts);
• Investia Relationship Disclosure Information Document (“RDID”). 

Please be advised that following the release of the Univeris update (V24) on June 10, 2024, the “Options” tab in Univeris is no longer available.

As we wrap up another successful edition of our Best Business Practices Roadshows, we would like to thank you for attending in such large numbers this year. Your interest and participation are very important to us!

We would like to remind you that you have until June 30, 2024 (no exceptions) to use the Client Fee Dashboard to select clients for whom you would like to pay this year’s Client Fee, if applicable. After this date, this option will be locked down.

Please be advised that we will be conducting system maintenance for Univeris on the weekend of June 7, 2024.  As a result, Univeris, as well as the Investia Advisor Centre, Client Portal and Mobile App will be unavailable, for viewing and trading purposes, from Friday, June 7, 2024, 9:00 p.m., to Sunday, June 9, 2024, 5:00 p.m. (ET).

We would like to inform you that the online group training offer will be limited between June 15 and September 15.

Always with the goal of achieving the highest level of efficiency for you and your clients, we would like to provide an important reminder regarding internal transfers between two Investia nominee accounts.

Good news! Starting the week of June 3, 2024, clients will be able to select their document delivery mode on the Investia mobile app as well based on the following document types:

• Statements
• Tax documents
• Transaction documents

Please be advised that the following improvements will be made to the KYP tool effective June 3, 2024.

Currently, the North American investment industry supports a trade date plus two business days (T+2) transaction settlement period. However, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) mandated the U.S. market participants to shorten this settlement cycle from T+2 to T+1, which has prompted the Canadian Capital Markets Association (CCMA) to announce to move in tandem with the U.S. market and support a T+1 settlement period standard in Canada.

We would like to inform you that changes have been made to the Client Fee FAQ to clarify the following:

In preparation for the collection of 2024 Client Fees on June 30, please be advised that the Client Fee Dashboard has been reactivated.

Given the large number of documents we receive on a daily basis and in order to optimize their indexing to make your work easier, we would like to share with you a revamped version of our imaging procedure.

Please note that Monday, May 20, 2024, is a statutory holiday in several provinces of Canada, which means that markets and Fundserv will be closed and that no trading or settlement will take place on that day.

In preparation for the collection of 2024 Client Fees on June 30, please be advised that the Client Fee Dashboard has been reactivated.

In an effort to facilitate trading involving U.S. currency, we have gathered all the necessary steps in a comprehensive and easy-to-read procedure.

Yesterday, May 1, 2024, CIRO issued a press release warning Canadian investors not to be fooled by fraudsters currently impersonating the regulatory organization to launch investment recovery scams.

We would like to thank everyone who attended our live webinar dedicated to our new and improved process for adding and cancelling banking information, which was held on Wednesday, April 24.

Following the announcement of our new partnership with the financial planning firm Conquest Planning last March, we are pleased to provide you with a new FAQ document, which highlights all the information you will need about Conquest:

• Overview of the firm and description of the service offering for advisors
• Detailed plan features (standard and advanced)
• Pricing information and packages available
• How to sign up, including the request form*
• Advisor support contact information

As announced in the last federal budget on April 11, the Home Buyers’ Plan (HBP) withdrawal limit was raised from $35,000 to $60,000. As such, Investia has just received confirmation that we can now proceed with this change for our clients.

With the increased threat of potential cyber incidents, it is important for Investia and its Representatives to have cyber insurance coverage in place. For all Investia-licensed individuals (Representatives, Branch Managers, Assistants, Associate Advisors), cyber insurance coverage is now a mandatory requirement as part of your registration with Investia.   

It’s finally here! As discussed in last week’s Water Cooler session and yesterday’s webinar, effective Monday, April 29, 2024, all client banking information addition or deactivation will have to be made via the Advisor Centre, as follows: 

• Log in to the Investia Advisor Centre;
• Search for the client in the window below;
• Use the new “Manage Banking Information icon”:

Following the April 18, 2024 communication, the Client Fee Dashboard on the Advisor Centre has been updated in preparation for the collection of 2024 Client Fees. The Client Fee Dashboard will be accessible to Representatives in the next couple of weeks, i.e., early May.

On January 25, 2024, CIRO published its Position Paper: “Policy options for leveling the advisor compensation playing field”. This document aims, at a glance, to bring the industry (mutual fund and investment dealers) at the same playing field level in terms of available options for payment of commissions, and consequently address existing gaps and adverse consequences that have been known for a long time in the industry. 

As any intermediary, B2B Bank (“B2B”) has its own procedure when applying a power of attorney (“POA”) to client’s account. 

When a Representative wants to open an investment account with an intermediary, the Representative is obligated  to comply with the intermediary’s polices and procedures, even if they may differ or be stricter than the ones included in the Investia Compliance Policies and Procedures Manual.

We would like to thank everyone who attended the Virtual Water Cooler Chat held on Thursday, April 18. Below is a summary of key topics which were covered:

• IT technology update, including Conquest Planning integration;
• Compliance update, including upcoming Investia initiatives for 2024; and
• Operations update, where we provided information about the Client Fee Dashboard and the new banking information addition feature on the Advisor Centre.

As part of our fee structure harmonization initiative, we are waiving the Client Fee for Representatives’ personal and corporate accounts, as well as for those of their spouses and assistants (Investia nominee accounts only).