EHP Funds Inc. and EHP Global Multi-Strategy Alternative Fund
Headnote
National Policy 11-203 Process for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions -- Relief granted from sections 15.3(2), 15.3(4)(c), 15.6(1)(a)(i), 15.6(1)(d), 15.8(2)(a.1) and 15.8(3)(a.1) and 15.1.1 of National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds to permit a new prospectus qualified alternative mutual fund that has not distributed securities under a simplified prospectus in a jurisdiction for 12 consecutive months to include in its sales communications past performance data relating to a period when the fund's securities were previously distributed to investors on a prospectus-exempt basis and to use this past performance data to calculate its investment risk level in accordance with Appendix F Investment Risk Classification Methodology -- New alternative mutual fund having substantially the same investment objectives and fee structure as for a period when its securities were offered on a prospectus-exempt basis.
Relief granted from section 2.1 of National Instrument 81-101 Mutual Fund Prospectus Disclosure for the purposes of the relief requested from Item 10(b) of Part B of Form 81-101F1 Contents of Simplified Prospectus to permit the new alternative mutual fund to use the past performance data for a period when its securities were offered on a prospectus-exempt basis to calculate its investment risk rating in its simplified prospectus, and Item 5 of Part I of Form 81-101F3 Contents of Fund Facts Document to permit the alternative mutual fund to include in its fund facts document past performance data for a period when the fund was offered on a prospectus-exempt basis.
Relief granted from section 4.4 of National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure for the purposes of the relief requested from Items 3.1(7), 4.1(1), 4.1(2), 4.2(1), 4.3(1) and 4.3(2) of Part B of Form 81-106F1, and Items 3(1) and 4 of Part C of Form 81-106F1 Contents of Annual and Interim Management Report of Fund Performance, to permit the new alternative mutual to include in its annual and interim management reports of fund performance the past performance and financial data relating to a period when the fund was previously offered on a prospectus-exempt basis.
Applicable Legislative Provisions
National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds, ss. 15.3(2), 15.3(4)(c), 15.6(1)(a)(i), 15.6(1)(d), 15.8(2)(a.1), 15.8(3)(a.1), 15.1.1 and 19.1.
National Instrument 81-101 Mutual Fund Prospectus Disclosure, ss. 2.1 and 6.1.
Form 81-101F3 Contents of Simplified Prospectus, Item 10(b) of Part B.
Form 81-101F3 Contents of Fund Facts Document, Item 5 of Part I.
National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure, ss. 4.4 and 17.1.
Form 81-106F1 Contents of Annual and Interim Management Report of Fund Performance, Items 3.1(7), 4.1(1), 4.1(2), 4.2(1), 4.3(1) and 4.3(2) of Part B and Items 3(1) and 4 of Part C.
March 9, 2022
IN THE MATTER OF THE SECURITIES LEGISLATION OF ONTARIO (the Jurisdiction) AND IN THE MATTER OF THE PROCESS FOR EXEMPTIVE RELIEF APPLICATIONS IN MULTIPLE JURISDICTIONS AND IN THE MATTER OF EHP FUNDS INC. (the Filer) AND EHP GLOBAL MULTI-STRATEGY ALTERNATIVE FUND (THE FUND)
DECISION
Background
The principal regulator in the Jurisdiction has received an application (the Application) from the Filer on behalf of the Fund for a decision under the securities legislation of the regulator (the Legislation) exempting the Class A, Class UA, Class F, Class UF, and Class I (formerly Class E) units (collectively, the Units) of the Fund from:
(a) sections 15.3(2), 15.3(4)(c), 15.6(1)(a)(i), 15.6(1)(d), 15.8(2)(a.1) and 15.8(3)(a.1) of National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds (NI 81-102) to permit the Fund to include its past performance data in sales communications notwithstanding that the past performance data will relate to a period prior to the Fund offering its Units under a simplified prospectus;
(b) section 15.1.1(a) of NI 81-102 and Items 2 and 4 of Appendix F Investment Risk Classification Methodology to NI 81-102 (Appendix F) to permit the Fund to include its past performance data in determining its investment risk level in accordance with Appendix F;
(c) section 15.1.1(b) of NI 81-102 and Item 4(2)(a) and Instruction (1) of Item 4 of Form 81-101F3 Contents of Fund Facts Document (Form 81-101F3) to permit the Fund to disclose its investment risk level as determined by including its past performance data in accordance with Appendix F;
(d) Item 10(b) of Part B of Form 81-101F1 Contents of Simplified Prospectus (Form 81-101F1), including its substantially similar predecessor requirement in force prior to January 6, 2022 on which the Fund may rely until September 5, 2022, to permit the Fund to use its past performance data to calculate its investment risk rating in its simplified prospectus;
(e) section 2.1 of National Instrument 81-101 Mutual Fund Prospectus Disclosure (NI 81-101) for the purposes of the relief requested herein from Form 81-101F1 and Form 81-101F3;
(f) Items 5(2), 5(3) and 5(4) and Instructions (1) and (5) of Part I of Form 81-101F3 in respect of the requirement to comply with sections 15.3(2), 15.3(4)(c), 15.6(1)(a)(i), 15.6(1)(d), 15.8(2)(a.1) and 15.8(3)(a.1) of NI 81-102 to permit the Fund to include in its fund facts the past performance data of the Fund notwithstanding that such performance data relates to a period prior to the Fund offering its Units under a simplified prospectus and the Fund has not distributed its Units under a simplified prospectus for 12 consecutive months;
(g) section 4.4 of National Instrument 81-106 Investment Fund Continuous Disclosure (NI 81-106) for the purposes of relief requested herein from Form 81-106F1 Contents of Annual and Interim Management Report of Fund Performance (Form 81-106F1); and
(h) Items 3.1(7), 4.1(1) in respect of the requirement to comply with subsections 15.3(2) and 15.3(4)(c) of NI 81-102, 4.1(2), 4.2(1), 4.3(1) and 4.3(2) of Part B of Form 81-106F1 and Items 3(1) and 4 of Part C of Form 81-106F1 to permit the Fund to include in its annual and interim management reports of fund performance (MRFP) the past performance data and financial highlights of the Fund notwithstanding that such performance data and financial highlights relate to a period prior to the Fund offering its Units under a simplified prospectus.
(collectively, the Exemption Sought).
Under the Process for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions (for a passport application):
(a) the Ontario Securities Commission is the principal regulator for this Application, and
(b) the Filer has provided notice that section 4.7(1) of Multilateral Instrument 11-102 Passport System (MI 11-102) is intended to be relied upon in each of the other provinces and territories of Canada (together with Ontario, the Canadian Jurisdictions).
Interpretation
Terms defined in National Instrument 14-101 Definitions, MI 11-102, NI 81-101, NI 81-102 and NI 81-106 have the same meanings if used in this decision, unless otherwise defined.
Representations
This decision is based on the following facts represented by the Filer:
1. The Fund is an open-ended mutual fund trust established under the laws of the Province of Ontario and governed by an amended and restated declaration of trust dated as of January 1, 2022, as same may be amended and/or restated from time to time.
2. The Filer is the investment fund manager, trustee and portfolio manager of the Fund. The head office of the Filer is located in Toronto, Ontario.
3. The Filer is registered as an investment fund manager in Ontario, Québec, and Newfoundland and Labrador and as a portfolio manager in Ontario.
4. Since the Fund's commencement of operations on May 1, 2013 through December 31, 2021, the Units of the Fund were distributed to investors on a prospectus-exempt basis in accordance with National Instrument 45-106 Prospectus Exemptions (NI 45-106) in the Canadian Jurisdictions.
5. The Fund commenced distributing Units of the Fund pursuant to a simplified prospectus and, to that end, filed a simplified prospectus, annual information form, and fund facts documents dated January 1, 2022 (the Disclosure Documents). Upon the issuance of the final receipt for the Disclosure Documents of the Fund, the Fund became a reporting issuer in each of the Canadian Jurisdictions and became subject to the requirements of NI 81-102 that relate to alternative mutual funds and the requirements of NI 81-106 that apply to investment funds that are reporting issuers.
6. The investment objective of the Fund is to generate superior risk adjusted investment returns over the long-term by utilizing a multi-strategy approach consisting of diversified quantitative and systematic investment strategies. In order to seek to achieve its investment objective, the Fund invests, directly or indirectly, in a diversified portfolio of North American and international developed-markets. The Fund uses leverage, through the use of cash borrowings, short sales of securities, and derivatives, with the aim of hedging or enhancing returns.
7. Effective December 28, 2020 (the Effective Date), the Fund made a material change to its investment strategy and the allocation of its net assets across different asset classes. In connection with this change, the Fund changed the implementation of its investment strategy to tactically invest the bulk of its net assets across certain alternative mutual funds that are each offered under a simplified prospectus and managed by the Filer.
8. The Fund is managed substantially similarly after it became a reporting issuer as it was during the period commencing as of the Effective Date through prior to becoming a reporting issuer. As a result of the Fund becoming a reporting issuer:
(a) the Fund's investment objective did not change, other than minor grammatical changes;
(b) the only changes to the fee structure associated with the Units were that the management fee and performance fee rates associated with the Class A and Class F Units were reduced. Based on its calculations, the Filer believes that the change to the performance fee calculation methodology will be immaterial; and
(c) the day-to-day administration of the Fund did not change, other than to comply with exemptive relief obtained on behalf of, among others, the Fund and the additional regulatory requirements associated with being a reporting issuer (none of which impact the portfolio management of the Fund) and to provide additional features that are available to investors of mutual funds managed by the Filer, as described in the Fund's simplified prospectus, annual information form and fund facts documents.
9. Since its inception, as a "mutual fund in Ontario", the Fund has complied with its obligation to prepare and send audited annual and unaudited interim financial statements to all holders of its securities in accordance with NI 81-106.
10. Since the inception of the Fund and prior to January 1, 2022, the Fund had not complied with the investment restrictions and practices contained in NI 81-102.
11. On and after January 1, 2022 and except as set out in any exemptive relief received by, among others, the Fund, the Fund has complied and will comply with the investment restrictions and practices contained in NI 81-102 that relate to alternative mutual funds.
12. The Filer and the Fund are not in default of securities legislation in any of the Canadian Jurisdictions.
13. The Filer proposes to present the performance data of each class of Units for the time period commencing as of the Effective Date in sales communications pertaining to the Fund. Without the Exemption Sought, the sales communications pertaining to the Fund cannot include performance data of the Fund that relates to a period prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer, and the Fund cannot provide performance data in its sales communications until it has distributed securities under a simplified prospectus for at least 12 consecutive months.
14. As a reporting issuer, the Fund is required under NI 81-101 to prepare and file a simplified prospectus and fund facts documents.
15. The Filer proposes to use the Fund's past performance data for the time period commencing as of the Effective Date to determine its investment risk level and to disclose that investment risk level in the simplified prospectus and the fund facts documents for each class of Units. Without the Exemption Sought, the Filer, in determining and disclosing the Fund's investment risk level in the simplified prospectus and the fund facts documents for each class of Units, cannot use performance data of the Fund that relates to a period prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer.
16. The Filer proposes to include in the fund facts documents for each class of Units past performance data for the time period commencing as of the Effective Date in the charts required by Items 5(2), 5(3) and 5(4) under the sub-headings "Year-by-year returns", "Best and worst 3-month returns" and "Average return", respectively, related to periods prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer in the Canadian Jurisdictions. Without the Exemption Sought, the fund facts documents of the Fund cannot include performance data of the Fund that relates to a period prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer.
17. As a reporting issuer, the Fund is required under NI 81-106 to prepare and send MRFPs to all holders of its securities on an annual and interim basis. Without the Exemption Sought, the MRFPs of the Fund cannot include financial highlights and performance data of the Fund that relates to a period prior to the Fund becoming a reporting issuer.
18. The performance data and other financial data of the Fund for the time period commencing as of the Effective Date and before it became a reporting issuer is significant and meaningful information for existing and prospective investors of Units of the Fund.
Decision
The principal regulator is satisfied that the decision meets the test set out in the Legislation for the principal regulator to make the decision.
The decision of the principal regulator under the Legislation is that the Exemption Sought is granted provided that:
(a) any sales communication, fund facts documents and MRFP that contains performance data of the Units of the Fund relating to a period of time prior to when the Fund was a reporting issuer discloses:
(i) that the Fund was not a reporting issuer during such period;
(ii) the expenses of the Fund would have been higher during such period had the Fund been subject to the additional regulatory requirements applicable to a reporting issuer;
(iii) the Filer obtained exemptive relief on behalf of the Fund to permit the disclosure of performance data of the Units relating to a period prior to when the Fund was a reporting issuer; and
(iv) with respect to any MRFP, the financial statements of the Fund for such period are posted on the Fund's website and are available to investors upon request; and
(b) the Filer posts the financial statements of the Fund since the Effective Date on the Fund's website and makes those financial statements available to investors upon request.
"Darren McKall"
Manager
Investment Funds and Structured Products Branch
Ontario Securities Commission
Application File #: 2022/0044
SEDAR #: 3328865