Glancing Back Before Moving Full Steam Ahead

It’s summertime and, like many of you, CIRI is planning for the fall. Before I tell you what we have in store for the remainder of 2013, I would like to draw your attention to what we have accomplished recently; call it my 12-month report. Here are the highlights.

We Garnered Results on our Advocacy Efforts for Equal Access to SEDAR Filings

We made progress on advocacy efforts with the CSA to gain equal access for all stakeholders to information filed by publicly traded companies on SEDAR. As of April 16, 2013 all market participants have equal, timely access to company filings on SEDAR.com.

We Advocated and Raised Awareness for a Reduced Early Warning Reporting Threshold

We made a submission in response to the CSA Notice and Request for Comment, recommending that the threshold should be reduced to 5% from 10% and that additional disclosure be made for incremental increases and decreases in ownership of 1%. We also called on you, our members, to support this initiative with a letter to the CSA from your own organizations. In addition, we have increased awareness of this issue through media interviews with The Globe and Mail and Les Affaires.

We Issued Four Comment Papers and Eight IR Backgrounders/IR Briefs

The Issues Committee submitted three comment papers in response to proposed regulatory changes (supporting a reduction in early warning reporting threshold, majority voting and the regulation of proxy advisory firms), submitted a comment paper to the International Integrated Reporting Council’s proposed <IR> Framework and issued eight IR Backgrounders/IR Briefs (on advance notice by-laws, majority voting, integrated reporting, notice-and-access, ongoing governance and disclosure requirements for venture issuers, dark pools, emerging markets and prospectus offerings).

We Delivered 47 Professional Development Events

Between National and the Chapters, we hosted 47 professional development events, all aimed at keeping our members up-to-date on the changing role of investor relations and the evolving capital markets.

We Virtualized CIRI Professional Development

We virtualized CIRI National and Chapter events, making professional development available in-person and through live and archived webcasts. This means all members have the ability to participate in any CIRI event that is taking place across Canada, at any time.

We Recognized the First Certified Professionals in Investor Relations (CPIRs)

With the successful completion of the first CIRI/Ivey Investor Relations Certification Program and the certification exam that followed, 21 students were awarded the CPIR designation.

We Released CIRI’s 2012 Investor Relations Compensation and Responsibilities Survey

We had 230 individuals, including 51% of CIRI’s corporate members, complete CIRI’s 2012 Investor Relations Compensation and Responsibilities Survey, which was published in the summer of 2012. All participants received a complimentary copy of the publication.

We Released CIRI’s Guide to Developing an IR Program

This publication went through an intense review and has been updated from the 2^nd edition released in 2005 to reflect the current regulatory environment and the evolving IR practices and communications channels. All members received a complimentary print or electronic copy.

So What’s Next?

We will continue to advocate for a lower early warning reporting threshold and share our views on shareholder democracy and integrated reporting. As other IR-relevant issues arise, we will ensure that our members are informed and, if appropriate, we will take a position.

We will provide relevant learning opportunities for investor relations professionals at all levels through our robust fall schedule of professional development events at both the Chapter and National levels.

We will be launching a research initiative, which, with the participation of members, will identify investor relations best practices and trends.

Lastly, we will be checking in with you, our members, through CIRI’s Member Needs Survey to see how you think we’re doing and hear what other member offerings you would find valuable. This will be coming to you before the summer is out and I encourage you to take the time to provide us with candid feedback.

Thanks and enjoy the summer!