Canadian Advantaged Convertibles Fund Announces Expiry of Forward Agreement and Amendments to Declaration of Trust

/NOT FOR DISSEMINATION TO U.S. NEWSWIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA./

TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2015 /CNW/ - First Asset Investment Management Inc. (the "Manager"), the manager of Canadian Advantaged Convertibles Fund (the "Fund") (TSX: ADC.UN), announces that the Fund's forward agreement (the "Forward Agreement") will expire on December 21, 2015 (the "Expiry Date"). The Fund currently obtains exposure to the portfolio (the "Portfolio") held by Canadian Convertibles Fund (the "Reference Fund") through the Forward Agreement. The Portfolio is comprised primarily of convertible debentures of Canadian issuers.

The Income Tax Act (Canada) was amended in December 2013 to implement proposals that were first announced in the March 21, 2013 federal budget regarding the income tax treatment of character conversion transactions (the "Tax Changes"). Under the Tax Changes, the favourable tax treatment of character conversion transactions will be eliminated. After a prescribed date (the "Effective Date"), gains (and losses) realized by a fund under certain forward purchase and sale agreements will be treated as ordinary income (or loss) rather than a capital gain (or capital loss). The Expiry Date for the Fund is the Effective Date.

Upon expiry of the Forward Agreement on the Expiry Date, the Manager intends to continue to pursue the Fund's investment strategy directly without the Forward Agreement.

Subject to obtaining the required regulatory approvals, the Fund's investment objectives will be amended on or about the Expiry Date to remove all references to the use of forward agreements to gain exposure to the Reference Fund, to delete references to "tax-advantaged" and to clarify that the Fund will invest directly in securities similar to those held by the Reference Fund.  The Fund's name will also change from "Canadian Advantaged Convertibles Fund" to "First Asset Canadian Convertibles Fund".  The Fund's ticker symbol (ADC.UN) will remain unchanged.

The investment objectives of the Fund after the amendments will be to provide holders of units with: (i) quarterly distributions, and (ii) the opportunity for capital appreciation.

Following the termination of the Forward Agreement, a greater portion of distributions paid by the Fund will be characterized primarily as income for tax purposes to the extent they exceed available noncapital losses of the Fund.   However, it is anticipated that the Fund, and therefore its holders, will save approximately 0.73% of net asset value per annum by not employing the Forward Agreement.  The termination of the Forward Agreement will not affect the status of the Fund as a "mutual fund trust" under the Tax Act.

It is expected that the Fund will generate capital gains upon the termination of the Forward Agreement. To the extent the Fund realizes capital gains which exceed its distributions, the Fund intends to declare a special capital gains distribution to unitholders of record on December 31, 2015.

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SOURCE First Asset

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