News Release

Toronto - Chinese immigrants will soon gain a better understanding of the Canadian capital markets through access to multi-media educational resources available in their native tongues.

The Calgary Chinese Cultural Society is pleased to announce the development of an Online Investor Education Program for Chinese immigrants.  This program is sponsored by the Alberta Capital Market Foundation, the British Columbia Securities Commission and the Investor Education Fund of Ontario.

The Online Investor Education Program will be presented in video format in English, Mandarin and Cantonese and will be accessible for free 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the World Wide Web. Six online video segments will be produced focussing on important investor education messages such as understanding the Canadian capital market, the basics of investing, how to choose a financial advisor and how to avoid scams and frauds.

“This program will allow immigrants of Chinese speaking origin to learn more about how to participate in the Canadian capital market,” said Dr. Kok Wah Chang, President of the Calgary Chinese Cultural Society. "I am pleased that the sponsoring organizations are taking a proactive approach to educating Chinese immigrants."

While active with investor education initiatives in their own provinces, the sponsorship is the first time the three funding organizations have entered into a joint project that will benefit investors across Canada.

The Calgary Chinese Cultural Society will work with eBridge Learning Solutions Inc. of Calgary to develop the online videos, which are scheduled for completion in the Fall of 2005. The online videos will be available through links from all the organizations’ websites.

About the sponsoring organizations:

The Alberta Capital Market Foundation funds specific projects to educate the public and entrepreneurs about the functions, operations, benefits and risks associated with capital markets.  The Foundation was established in November 1998 with funding from the Alberta Securities Commission and The Alberta Stock Exchange (now the TSX Venture Exchange).

The British Columbia Securities Commission (BCSC) is an independent provincial government agency responsible for regulating trading in securities within the province.  The commission-administered Education Fund supports projects that help investors to protect themselves against fraud and unsuitable investments and industry to better understand and comply with securities regulation.

The Investor Education Fund offers trustworthy and unbiased investment education to the general public via www.investorED.ca.  It also enables partners to educate investors by offering them high-quality educational content to use, and by providing funding support to not-for-profit and community organizations. The Investor Education Fund was established by the Ontario Securities Commission, Ontario's investment industry regulator and is funded through OSC enforcement settlements. 

For more information, contact:

Calgary Chinese Cultural Society
Dr. K.W. Chang
403-220-6301
kchang@ucalgary.ca 

Alberta Capital Market Foundation
Barbara Romaniuk, Secretary
403-271-1929
acmf@telusplanet.net

British Columbia Securities Commission
Michael Bernard, Manager,
Communications and Education
604-899-6524
mbernard@bcsc.bc.ca 

Investor Education Fund
Terri Williams, President
416-593-2350
twilliams@investorED.ca

• Chinese version