CSA Canadian Securities Administrators

For Immediate Release
September 19, 2008

Canadian Securities Regulators Support Temporary Order
Issued by OSC Prohibiting Short Selling

Toronto – The Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) indicated support today related to the issuance of a Temporary Order by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC) prohibiting short selling of securities of certain financial sector issuers that are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and are also interlisted in the United States (with the exception of one issuer whose shares are interchangeable).

“The CSA is supportive of the action taken by the OSC today,” said Jean St-Gelais, Chair of the CSA and President & Chief Executive Officer of the Autorité des marchés financiers (Québec). “Other jurisdictions in the CSA will be taking similar action today, or in the coming days.”

The CSA will also monitor trading in securities of other Canadian financial issuers and take action if necessary.

The OSC took the action in its capacity as lead regulator of the TSX. The action taken by the OSC today supports the action taken by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission earlier today. The U.K. Financial Services Authority took similar action this week.

The issuers affected are: Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Investment Company Ltd., Bank of Montreal, The Bank of Nova Scotia, Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, Kingsway Financial Services Inc., Manulife Financial Corporation, Quest Capital Corp., Royal Bank of Canada, Sun Life Financial Inc., Thomas Weisel Partners Group Inc., The Toronto-Dominion Bank, and Merrill Lynch & Co., Canada Ltd.

The CSA, the council of the securities regulators of Canada’s provinces and territories, co-ordinates and harmonizes regulation for the Canadian capital markets.

For more information:

For media inquiries:

Laurie Gillett
Ontario Securities Commission
416-595-8913

Barbara Shourounis
Saskatchewan Financial Services
Commission
306-787-5842

Sylvain Theberge
Autorité des marchés financiers
514-940-2176

Andrew Poon
British Columbia Securities
Commission
604-899-6880

Natalie MacLellan
Nova Scotia Securities Commission
902-424-8586

Mark Dickey
Alberta Securities Commission
403-297-4481

Ainsley Cunningham
Manitoba Securities Commission
204-945-4733

Wendy Connors-Beckett
New Brunswick Securities Commission
506-643-7745

Marc Gallant
Prince Edward Island
Office of the Attorney General
902-368-4552

Doug Connolly
Financial Services Regulation Division
Newfoundland and Labrador
709-729-2594

Louis Arki
Nunavut Securities Registry
867-975-6587

Donn MacDougall
Securities Registry
Northwest Territories
867-920-8984

Fred Pretorius
Yukon Securities Office
867-667-5225