News Release

Vancouver - Brenda M. Leong, Chair and CEO of the British Columbia Securities Commission, is pleased to announce the appointment of Paul C. Bourque to the position of Executive Director of the Commission, effective May 17, 2010. 

Mr. Bourque has an extensive regulatory and law enforcement background that includes eight years as Senior Vice President, Member Regulation, at the Investment Dealers Association (now the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada) during the period when the Investment Dealers Association merged with Market Regulation Services Inc. He served as Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General for the Alberta Government. Most recently, he was Associate Partner and Leader, Securities and Regulatory Investigations Practice for Deloitte & Touche. He also worked at the Ontario and B.C. Securities Commissions in the mid-1990s in key operational functions. A graduate of Osgoode Hall Law School, Paul is a member of the bars of Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia.

"I am confident that Paul, with his extensive experience in securities regulation and enforcement, will provide strong leadership to the Commission.  We will work together to continue to build on our integrated approach to protect investors - through strong compliance programs, innovative investor education, tough enforcement and cost effective regulation," states Brenda Leong.

As Executive Director, Mr. Bourque will be the chief operating officer of the Commission, overseeing the financial and administrative affairs of the Commission and directing the activities of the staff to effectively enforce the Securities Act.

The B.C. Securities Commission is the independent provincial agency responsible for regulating trading in securities in the province. If you have questions, contact Brenda-Lea Brown, media relations 604-899-6554.

Learn how to avoid investment fraud at the BCSC's investor education website: www.investright.org .