Order

WHEREAS on May 9, 2019, the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (the “MFDA”) issued a Notice of Hearing pursuant to section 24.4 of By-law No. 1 in respect of Robert Douglas Johnston (the “Respondent”);

AND WHEREAS the Respondent entered into a settlement agreement with Staff of the MFDA, dated June 27, 2019 (the “Settlement Agreement”), in which the Respondent agreed to a proposed settlement of matters for which the Respondent could be disciplined pursuant to ss. 20 and 24.1 of By-law No. 1;

AND WHEREAS the Hearing Panel has been advised that:

1. between August 2014 and April 2015, the Respondent obtained, possessed, and used to process transactions, 7 pre-signed account forms in respect of 4 clients, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1;
2. between October 2012 and February 2016, the Respondent altered and used to process transactions, 14 client forms in respect of 12 clients, by altering information on the account forms without having the clients initial the alterations, contrary to MFDA Rule 2.1.1; and
3. between September 2010 and March 2016, the Respondent:
   1. directed his assistant, for whom he was responsible, to falsely indicate that she had witnessed client signatures on two Limited Trade Authorization forms; and
   2. submitted one client Limited Trading Authorization form to the Member for processing that did not meet the Member’s signature verification requirements,

   thereby failing to comply with the Member’s policies and procedures, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.5.1, 1.1.2, and 2.1.1.

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED THAT the Settlement Agreement is accepted, as a consequence of which:

1. The Respondent shall be suspended from conducting securities related business in any capacity while in the employ or associated with any Member of the MFDA for a period of six months from the date of the settlement hearing, pursuant to section 24.1.1(e) of MFDA By-law No. 1;
2. The Respondent shall pay a fine in the amount of $2,500 in certified funds upon acceptance of the Settlement Agreement, pursuant to section 24.1.1(b) of By-law No. 1;
3. The Respondent shall pay costs in the amount of $2,500 in certified funds upon acceptance of the Settlement Agreement, pursuant to section 24.2 of By-law No. 1;
4. The Respondent shall in the future comply with MFDA Rules 1.1.2, 2.1.1 and 2.5.1; and
5. If at any time a non-party to this proceeding, with the exception of the bodies set out in section 23 of MFDA By-law No. 1, requests production of or access to exhibits in this proceeding that contain personal information as defined by the MFDA Privacy Policy, then the MFDA Corporate Secretary shall not provide copies of or access to the requested exhibits to the non-party without first redacting from them any and all personal information, pursuant to Rules 1.8(2) and (5) of the MFDA Rules of Procedure.