Regulatory Framework

Complaint Process

We appreciate your trust in us

iA Private Wealth (iAPW) has a complaints process in place to ensure that complaints received from our clients are processed fairly and in a timely manner. We are committed to delivering quality service that meets your expectations. Sharing your complaints or dissatisfaction regarding our products, services and our Advisors help us to better understand your needs and be able to address them.

Trade confirmation notices/account statements

For questions about your trade confirmations, monthly/quarterly client account statements and other required documents, please contact your Advisor using the contact information listed on your account statements.

Service complaints

Service complaints relate to dissatisfaction with the level of service provided by iAPW or our Advisors. Examples of service complaints include a delay in the transfer out of a client account to another financial institution or a lack of responsiveness to client requests by an Advisor.

For any concerns regarding the service provided by your Advisor, please contact their Branch Manager. You can obtain the Branch Manager’s contact information by calling the iAPW Head Office at 1-800-361-7465.

For any concerns regarding the service provided by iAPW, please contact us using one of the methods set out in the section below.

Regulatory complaints

Regulatory complaints may consist of a reproach or dissatisfaction with our products, services or Advisors. For example, these complaints may relate to investment accounts for the client receiving advisory services from an iAPW Advisor.

If you wish to file regulatory complaint, please contact your Advisor. In the alternative, you may contact us by using one of the following methods:

Writing to us at the following address:

  • iA Private Wealth Inc.
    Attention: Complaints Officer
    26 Wellington Street East, Suite 600
    Toronto, ON M5E 1S2
  • Calling us at 647-258-3773 or 1-833-297-3773
  • Emailing us at complaints@iagto.ca

We can also accept verbal complaints. We will provide you with support during the complaint process, including assisting you in formulating your complaint, if needed, and keeping you updated about the status of our review.

What to expect when you file a complaint

We make sure that complaints are assigned promptly and processed in a timely manner. In our complaint response, we will explain how we analyzed the complaint and reached our conclusion. We will continue to respond to any questions you may have after you receive our final response and, if applicable, review any new information you may submit that is relevant to your complaint. Please click below for a detailed summary of our complaints process.

Upon receipt of a regulatory complaint (as defined by the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organizations (CIRO)):

  • We will send an acknowledgement letter to you within five business days. We may request that you provide or clarify your complaint in writing.
  • After analyzing the complaint, we will send you our detailed response letter and a copy of the CIRO “How to Make a Complaint” brochure as soon as possible within 90 calendar days following the date of receipt of the complaint. This response will include the results of our analysis and our final response regarding the complaint.
  • If we are not able to send a final response to you within 90 calendar days, you will be informed of the reason for the delay and of the new timeline for completion of the complaints process.
  • If you are not satisfied with our final response, you can send your complaint to the Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments (OBSI) for their review within 180 calendar days of receiving our final response.
  • In addition, you may consult the CIRO “How to Make a Complaint” brochure found below on this page, which describes other dispute resolution processes that are available to you, including arbitration, civil litigation or submitting your complaint to CIRO.

Upon receipt of a complaint (as defined by the Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF)):

  • We will send you an acknowledgment letter within five business days.
  • After analyzing the complaint, a detailed response letter will be sent to you within 60 calendar days following receipt of the complaint.
  • If in certain circumstances we are unable to send a final response within 60 calendar days, we will inform you of the delay, the reason for the delay, and that we will send the response letter within an additional 30 calendar days.
  • If we present an offer to you, we will give you time to assess and respond to it. You can decide to accept or refuse the offer, or you can present a counteroffer. Once we reach an agreement with you to resolve your complaint, we will settle the offer within 30 calendar days, unless we agree upon a different time period with you when it is in your interest to do so.
  • For each complaint, we create a record in which we keep all the documents and information required for the processing of your complaint.
  • If you are not satisfied with the outcome or with the examination of the complaint, you can request that the AMF examine your complaint and provide dispute resolution services. iAPW must send the complaint file to the AMF within 15 calendar days of your request.
  • In addition, you may consult the CIRO “How to Make a Complaint” brochure found below on this page, which describes other dispute resolution processes that are available to you, including arbitration, civil litigation or submitting your complaint to CIRO.
  • Activities carried out by the iAPW mutual fund dealer and its Advisors in Québec are under the jurisdiction of the AMF. As such, any complaints or inquiries submitted by iAPW to CIRO regarding its mutual fund dealer activities conducted in Québec will be forwarded to the AMF.
  • If you think you are a victim of fraud, fraudulent tactics or embezzlement, you can contact the AMF to see if you are eligible to submit a claim to the Fonds d’indemnisation des services financiers (financial services compensation fund). An indemnity of up to $200,000 may be paid for eligible claims from monies accumulated in the financial services compensation fund.
  • For more information, you may contact the AMF by telephone at 418-525-0337 (in Québec), or toll free at 1-877-525-0337, or visit the AMF website at www.lautorite.qc.ca.
  • Please note that we may use a simplified process for certain complaints that we are able to resolve to your satisfaction in 20 calendar days. We consider a complaint to be resolved to your satisfaction when you accept our proposed solution to your complaint or when the explanation we provide to you is sufficient to resolve your complaint. If this complaint cannot be resolved within 20 calendar days (for example, the complaint is more complex than initially expected or you are not satisfied with the proposed solution), we will notify you in writing and provide you with a final response letter within 60 calendar days following receipt of the complaint. The simplified process does not extend the deadline for providing you with our final response letter.

Additional Resources

CIRO is the national self-regulatory organization that oversees investment dealers, mutual fund dealers and trading activity on Canada’s debt and equity marketplaces. Clients of a CIRO member firm who are not satisfied with a financial product or service have a right to make a complaint and to seek resolution of the problem.

Please refer to the CIRO “How to Make a Complaint” brochure below or visit the CIRO website at www.ciro.ca for more information on filing a complaint, the dispute resolution mechanisms available to clients and the relevant time limits.

How to make a Complaint

The AMF is the organization mandated by the Québec government to regulate Québec’s financial markets and assist consumers of financial products and services. They oversee the areas of securities, derivatives, insurance, certain deposit institutions as well as the distribution of financial products and services. Please refer to the “Making a complaint” section of the AMF website at www.lautorite.qc.ca for more information on filing a complaint and the complaint processing framework in Québec.