Getting to Know You: Canadian Investment Review’s first ETF Summit

By Caroline Cakebread

It’s a lesser-known fact that Toronto is the birthplace of exchange-traded funds (ETFs). The first one was created by the Toronto Stock Exchange in 1990, and its sole purpose was to make it easier for investors to track the TSE 35 Composite Index. But while ETFs can trace their roots to Canada, Canadian plan sponsors are still not using these products as fully as they could be, according to some speakers at the first ETF Summit hosted by Canadian Investment Review in Toronto. The event was designed to educate and inform while addressing plan sponsors’ top questions about ETFs. The roster of speakers also discussed ways pension funds are currently using these products and outlined a lack of information and education about the innovative and effective ways ETFs could help pension investors.



Read on for highlights from the event and a snapshot of the kinds of opportunities and challenges facing plan sponsors that are either investing in or planning to invest in these important products.