MFDA announces settlement hearing to take place in respect of Rhys Martell

March 6, 2018 (Toronto, Ontario) – The Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada (“MFDA”) commenced a disciplinary proceeding in respect of Rhys William Douglas Martell (“Respondent”) by Notice of Hearing dated August 24, 2017.

As the result of a settlement agreement entered into between Staff of the MFDA and the Respondent, the settlement hearing in this proceeding will take place on March 13, 2018, commencing at 10:00 a.m. (Pacific) or as soon thereafter as the matter can be heard, in the hearing room at the British Columbia Securities Commission, located at 1200-701 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia.

The subject matter of the proposed settlement agreement concerns matters for which the Respondent may be disciplined pursuant to ss. 20 and 24.1.1 of By-law No. 1 of the MFDA. In particular, the settlement agreement concerns allegations that the Respondent:

1. between August 2012 and April 2015, processed transactions in the accounts of clients, without obtaining client instructions in respect of the amount of the transaction, the mutual fund being purchased or sold, or timing of the transactions, thereby engaging in discretionary trading, contrary to MFDA Rules 2.3.1 and 2.1.1; and
2. between July 23, 2015 and July 25, 2015, failed to record and maintain evidence of client trade instructions with respect to transactions in client accounts, contrary to the Member’s policies and procedures, and MFDA Rules 1.1.2, 2.5.1, 2.1.1, and 5.1(b).

MFDA settlement hearings are typically held in the absence of the public pursuant to section 20.5 of MFDA By-law No. 1 and Rule 15.2(2) of the MFDA Rules of Procedure. If the Hearing Panel accepts the settlement agreement, then the proceeding will become open to the public and a copy of the decision of the Hearing Panel and the settlement agreement will be made available at www.mfda.ca.

A copy of the Notice of Hearing is available on the MFDA website at www.mfda.ca. During the period described in the Notice of Hearing, the Respondent carried on business in the Abbotsford, British Columbia area.

The MFDA is the self-regulatory organization for Canadian mutual fund dealers, regulating the operations, standards of practice and business conduct of its Members and their approximately 83,000 Approved Persons with a mandate to protect investors and the public interest. For more information about the MFDA’s complaint and enforcement processes, as well as links to ‘Check an Advisor’ and other Investor Tools, visit the For Investors page on the MFDA website.