For Immediate Release

6 March 2006

CSA promotes Fraud Awareness Month

Montreal – The Canadian Securities Administrators has joined the Fraud Prevention Forum to promote March 2006 as Fraud Awareness Month. In doing so, the CSA hopes to increase public awareness about fraud resources available from trusted sources that can help people protect their personal finances and avoid investment frauds and scams.

As a Fraud Prevention Forum partner, the CSA joins more than 75 government and private sector organizations to promote the ongoing national public education and awareness campaign “Recognize It. Report It. Stop It.” Throughout the month of March, partners are involved in a number of national, regional and local activities supporting fraud awareness.

Canadians are encouraged to visit the CSA website at www.csa-acvm.ca, to learn more about how to avoid investment fraud. On the site, visitors can take the Investment Fraud Awareness Quiz and view a new Fraud Awareness section. The site also provides access to resources and helpful links to a wealth of other important investing information from the provincial and territorial securities regulators.

The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories, coordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets. Their mandate is to protect investors from unfair or fraudulent practices through regulation of the securities industry. Part of this protection is educating investors about the risk, responsibilities and rewards of investing.

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