Recent News, Commentary and Press
Consumer and Investor Advisory Council to OBSI alarmed by TD Bank decision
TORONTO, Oct. 26, 2011 /CNW/ - The Consumer and Investor Advisory Council to the Ombudsman for Banking Service and Investments (OBSI) was established to bring the voice of the everyday Canadian consumer to this sector.
The Council reacted with alarm and disappointment to TD Bank's decision to withdraw from the services of OBSI for its banking clients, a neutral, impartial ombudsman scheme that has been recently reviewed and assessed to be a 'gold standard' in the financial ombudsman sector.
Council member Julia Dublin notes that the challenges faced are largely attributable to the original design of OBSI as an institution, and if not addressed will continue to hamper OBSI's operations. "I do not believe that consumers benefit at all from a system that delivers them to a confusing array of competing private financial dispute resolution services. The experience in jurisdictions such as New Zealand that have experimented with this approach demonstrates that a single mandatory system is the way to go."
Current Boards, Committees and Appointments
- Adjunct Professor, Osgoode Hall Law School, Advanced Securities Law
- Board Member, Investor Education Fund
- Chair, Independent Review Committee for the Jovian Group of Funds
- IIROC Hearing Panels Chair
- Member, OBSI Consumer and Investor Advisory Council
- Consultant, Canadian Foundation for the Advancement of Investor Rights
- Invited Participant, Canadian Securities Transition Office Roundtable on Independent Investor Panel
Past Committees and Appointments
- Member, OSC Small Business Advisory Committee
- Member of two CSA/IDA/MFDA working groups participating in CSA Registration Reform Project on cost and compensation disclosure and personal portfolio performance reporting
- Chair, Fair Dealing Model Committee
- Chair, CSA Financial Planning Exam Committee
- Participant, Committee on Corporate Disclosure of the Toronto Stock Exchange (Allen Committee)
Selected Publications
- The IFM Mystery, Investment Executive Guest Column, October 2010
- Mutual Fund IRCs: Investor Workhorse or Expensive Luxury? Investment Executive Guest Column, August 2008
- The Fallacy of Civil Remedies, Investment Executive Guest Column, January 2007
- The David Brown Years at the Ontario Securities Commission, Queen’s Business Law Symposium, 2005, published 2006
- The Law and the Fair Dealing Model, Special Lectures of the Law Society of Upper Canada: Corporate and Commercial Law, 2004
- The POP System, Dissemination and Civil Liability: A Proposed Alternative to the Closed System, Special Lectures of the Law Society of Upper Canada, 1989. (Quoted in Pearson et al. v. Boliden Limited et al., BCCA, 2002)
Selected Presentations
- Speaker, “Cancellation and Rescission Rights” Strategy Institute Conference on Mutual Fund Point of Sales Strategies, 2010
- Speaker, “Compliance Basics” Investment Counsel Association of Canada Conference, 2008
- Panelist, “Canadian Issues” National Society of Compliance Professionals National Membership Meeting, 2006
- Lecturer, Canadian Institute for the Administration of Justice, 2004 Annual Conference: Governance of Public Institutions, Professions, Corporations, Tribunals Courts: Ethics, Responsibility and Independence
- Lecturer, LSUC Special Lectures 2004: Corporate and Commercial Law
- Speaker, Investment Management Consultants Association, 2004 Canadian Conference
- Speaker, Strategy Institute 6th Annual Conference on Compliance Readiness Strategies for Investment Counsel and Portfolio Management, 2004
- Guest Speaker, Osgoode Hall LL.M. (Securities) program, 2004
- Speaker, Dalhousie Business Conference, 2004
- Guest Speaker, Rotman School of Management MBA program, 2003, 2004
- Speaker, Canadian Life and Health Insurance Association Compliance Section Annual Meeting, 2003.
- Speaker, Canadian Institute of Financial Planners Founding National Convention, 2003
- Speaker, Langdon Hall Annual Mutual Funds Conference, 2003
- Invited Participant in Adviser’s Edge 5th Anniversary Symposium, 2003
- Panelist, LSUC Continuing Education program, “Corporate Disclosure at the Crossroads”, 2002
Education
- University of Waterloo B.Sc. (Hons.)
- Queens University M.Sc. (ABD)
- Queens University LL.B.
Memberships
- The Law Society of Upper Canada
- The Advocates Society
- Canadian Bar Association
- American Bar Association