The OSC
announced this week that it has awarded a total of $7.5 million
to three whistleblowers on separate matters. These awards are the
first of their kind by a Canadian securities regulator and were
made under the
OSC's Whistleblower Policy which we discussed in previous
articles
here and
here.
Under the OSC's Policy, eligible whistleblowers may be
awarded up to $5 million for reporting serious securities- or
derivatives-related misconduct that leads to significant
enforcement or settlement outcomes.
Under the Policy, the OSC makes all reasonable efforts to ensure
whistleblower confidentiality so the identity of the three
whistleblowers, what each whistleblower received, and the related
enforcement proceeding were not disclosed. Nonetheless, based on
the features of the Policy and given the $7.5 million aggregate
amount of the awards, certain deductions can be made regarding the
three matters that may have led to the awards.