Franklin Templeton Investments Corp.

Headnote

National Policy 11-203 Process for Exemptive Relief Applications in Multiple Jurisdictions -- Relief granted from paragraphs 2.5(2)(a), (a.1) and (c) of National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds to permit investment funds to invest up to 10% of their respective net asset value, in aggregate, in securities of underlying ETFs that are subject to the U.S. Investment Company Act of 1940 -- U.S. underlying ETFs are not IPUs, are not reporting issuers in a Canadian jurisdiction and are not subject to NI 81-102 -- Relief granted subject to conditions.

Applicable Legislative Provisions

National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds, ss. 2.5(2)(a), 2.5(2)(a.1), 2.5(2)(c), and 19.1.

October 3, 2024

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 FRANKLIN TEMPLETON INVESTMENTS CORP. AND ITS AFFILIATES (collectively, the Filer)

DECISION

Background

The principal regulator in the Jurisdiction has received an application from Franklin Templeton Investments Corp., on behalf of existing and future investment funds that are or will be managed by the Filer (the Funds), for a decision under the securities legislation of the principal regulator (the Legislation):

(a) exempting each Fund from the following provisions of National Instrument 81-102 Investment Funds (NI 81-102) in order to permit the Funds to invest in securities of existing and future exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that are not index participation units (IPUs) and whose securities are, or will be, listed for trading on a stock exchange in the United States (the Underlying ETFs):

(i) paragraphs 2.5(2)(a) and (a.1) to permit each Fund to purchase and/or hold securities of an Underlying ETF even though the Underlying ETF is not subject to NI 81-102; and

(ii) paragraph 2.5(2)(c) to permit each Fund to purchase and/or hold securities of an Underlying ETF even though the Underlying ETF is not a reporting issuer in any province or territory of Canada

(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 and NI 81-102 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:

The Filer

1. The Filer is a corporation amalgamated under the laws of the Province of Ontario with its head office in Toronto, Ontario.

2. The Filer is registered as:

(a) an investment fund manager in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland & Labrador;

(b) a portfolio manager, mutual fund dealer and exempt market dealer in each province of Canada and the Yukon territory; and

(c) a commodity trading manager in Ontario.

3. The Filer or an affiliate or associate of the Filer acts, or will act, as investment fund manager of each Fund.

4. The Filer is not in default of securities legislation in any of the Canadian Jurisdictions.

The Funds

5. Each Fund is, or will be, an investment fund organized and governed by the laws of a Canadian Jurisdiction.

6. Each Fund is, or will be, governed by the applicable provisions of NI 81-102, subject to any exemptions therefrom that have been, or may in the future be, granted by the securities regulatory authorities.

7. Each Fund is, or will be, a reporting issuer in one or more Canadian Jurisdictions.

8. Each Fund is, or will be, subject to National Instrument 81-107 Independent Review Committee for Investment Funds.

9. The Funds may, from time to time, wish to invest in Underlying ETFs.

10. Each existing Fund is not in default of applicable securities legislation in any Canadian Jurisdiction.

The Underlying ETFs

11. The securities of an Underlying ETF will not meet the definition of an IPU in NI 81-102 because the purpose of the Underlying ETF will not be to:

(a) hold the securities that are included in a specified widely quoted market index in substantially the same proportion as those securities are reflected in that index; or

(b) invest in a manner that causes the Underlying ETF to replicate the performance of that index.

12. The securities of an Underlying ETF are, or will be, listed on a recognized exchange in the United States and the market for them is, or will be, liquid because it is, or will be, supported by designated brokers. As a result, the Filer expects a Fund to be able to dispose of such securities through market facilities in order to raise cash, including to fund the redemption requests of its securityholders.

13. An Underlying ETF may be managed by the Filer or an affiliate or associate of the Filer, or by a third party investment fund manager.

14. An investment in an Underlying ETF by a Fund will otherwise comply with section 2.5 of NI 81-102, including that:

(a) no Underlying ETF will hold more than 10% of its net asset value (NAV) in securities of another investment fund unless the Underlying ETF (a) is a clone fund, as defined in NI 81-102, or (b) in accordance with NI 81-102, purchases or holds securities (i) of a money market fund, as defined in NI 81-102, or (ii) that are IPUs issued by an investment fund; and

(b) no Fund will pay management or incentive fees which to a reasonable person would duplicate a fee payable by an Underlying ETF for the same service.

15. Each Underlying ETF is, or will be, a publicly offered mutual fund subject to the United States Investment Company Act of 1940 (the Investment Company Act).

16. Absent the Exemption Sought, an investment by a Fund in an Underlying ETF would:

(a) be prohibited by paragraphs 2.5(2)(a) or (a.1) of NI 81-102, as applicable, because such Underlying ETF may not be subject to NI 81-102;

(b) be prohibited by paragraph 2.5(2)(c) of NI 81-102 because such Underlying ETF may not be a reporting issuer in any Canadian Jurisdiction; and

(c) not qualify for the exception in paragraph 2.5(3)(a) of NI 81-102 because the securities of the Underlying ETF are not IPUs.

17. The key benefits of a Fund investing in the Underlying ETFs are greater choices, improved portfolio diversification and potentially enhanced returns. For example:

(a) an investment in the Underlying ETFs will provide the Funds with access to specialized knowledge, expertise and/or analytical resources of the investment advisor to the Underlying ETFs;

(b) the Underlying ETFs provide a potentially better risk profile, diversification and improved liquidity/tradability than direct holdings of asset classes to which the Underlying ETFs provide exposure; and

(c) the investment strategies of the Underlying ETFs offer significantly broader exposure to asset classes, sectors and markets than those available in the existing Canadian exchange-traded fund market.

18. The Filer submits that having the option to allocate a limited portion of each Fund's assets to Underlying ETFs will increase diversification opportunities and may improve a Fund's overall risk/reward profile.

19. An investment in an Underlying ETF by a Fund is an efficient and cost-effective alternative to obtaining exposure to securities held by the Underlying ETF rather than purchasing those securities directly by the Fund.

20. An investment in an Underlying ETF by a Fund should pose limited investment risk to the Fund because each Underlying ETF will be subject to the Investment Company Act, subject to any exemption therefrom that is or may in the future be granted by the applicable securities regulatory authorities.

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) the investment by a Fund in securities of an Underlying ETF is in accordance with the investment objective of the Fund;

(b) a Fund does not purchase securities of an Underlying ETF if, immediately after the purchase, more than 10% of the NAV of the Fund, in aggregate, taken at market value at the time of the purchase, would consist of securities of Underlying ETFs;

(c) securities of each Underlying ETF are listed on a recognized exchange in the United States;

(d) each Underlying ETF is, immediately before the purchase by a Fund of securities of that Underlying ETF, an investment company subject to the Investment Company Act in good standing with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission; and

(e) the prospectus of each Fund discloses, or will disclose in the next renewal of its prospectus following the date of this decision, in the investment strategy section, the fact that the Fund has obtained the Exemption Sought to permit investments in Underlying ETFs on the terms described in this decision.

Application File #: 2024/0528

SEDAR+ File #: 6181988