What We Do

The BC Securities Commission creates and enforces rules to keep the investment marketplace fair, honest and resilient, and adapts those rules in response to new risks, new investment products and new business models. This balancing act requires us to be constantly vigilant, but also flexible and innovative.

We make sure that B.C. companies listed on stock markets and investment funds that are publicly distributed provide accurate and complete information about their finances, strategy and operations, so investors can make sound decisions. We require private companies and investment funds to abide by rules on how they raise money and who they raise it from.

We expect investment firms to meet standards for professional knowledge and integrity, emphasizing that they treat clients honestly and fairly.

When securities rules are violated, we hold the wrongdoers accountable through financial penalties and banishment from the investment markets. We also work with criminal prosecutors to put some wrongdoers in jail. Either way, we strive to return ill-gotten gains back to victims.

We want people to feel empowered about investing so they see it as a sound way to achieve their financial goals. So we demystify investing by sharing un-biased, reliable information about categories of securities, ways to invest and pitfalls to avoid.

Through all of these activities, we serve as guardians of the province’s investment marketplace, enabling people to achieve their financial goals, enterprises to grow, and British Columbia to thrive.