INTRODUCTION
On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization
("WHO") declared the COVID-19 strain of
coronaviruses ("COVID-19") a public
health emergency. The outbreak was officially classified as a
pandemic by the WHO on March 11, 2020. Given the significant impact
of COVID-19 on the global economy, reporting issuers in Canada are
urged to be mindful of their ongoing corporate governance
requirements and continuous disclosure obligations.
A. DISCLOSURE
On March 18, 2020, the Canadian Securities Administrators
("CSA") announced temporary relief for
certain regulatory filings required to be made on or before June 1,
2020, providing issuers with a 45-day extension for their periodic
filings. An exhaustive list has not yet been provided by the CSA,
but filings subject to relief include financial statements,
management's discussion and analysis
("MD&A"), management reports of fund
performance, annual information forms
("AIF"), technical reports and
