Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. launches Northwest Tactical Yield Fund

New High Yield Option for Investors Seeking Income

TORONTO, Sept. 1 /CNW/ - Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. (NEI) today announced the launch of the Northwest Tactical Yield Fund designed to meet the need of income investors wanting a higher yield than traditional income investments and some upside participation.

"We are excited to offer investors a fund that seeks income opportunities across the globe and from any asset class," said John Kearns, CEO at NEI. "This flexibility, along with fund manager Aviva Investors' disciplined investment process and risk management expertise, will provide conservative investors with the potential for higher income and excellent downside protection.

The Fund provides exposure to a wide range of high-yield securities including but not limited to corporate bonds, government bonds, dividend-paying shares, REITs, and income trusts-all without geographic constraints. The Fund manager is able to vary the asset mix of the Fund throughout the market cycle to take advantage of attractive income opportunities where they exist.

Northwest Tactical Yield Fund is managed by Aviva Investors North America, Inc., which is part of Aviva Investors, a globally integrated asset management business with more than 20 locations and 450 institutional investment clients worldwide. This global vantage point helps Aviva Investors better identify income opportunities worldwide. Aviva Investors has a proven track record of consistent performance and a disciplined bond and equity selection process. River Road Asset Management, a leading value-oriented US equity manager, will be a co-fund manager on a portion of the Fund, focusing on dividend-paying common equity investments. River Road is an Aviva Investors company.

Aviva Investors North America, Inc. is also the manager of the Northwest Specialty High Yield Bond Fund and the Northwest Specialty Global High Yield Bond Fund.

For more information, visit www.northwestfunds.com

    
    About Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P.
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Northwest & Ethical Investments L.P. (NEI) is owned 50% by the Provincial Credit Union Centrals and 50% by Desjardins Group, and offers a wide range of conventional and corporate class funds from Northwest Funds and the largest sustainable investing funds family in Canada from Ethical Funds. NEI currently has over $4 billion in assets under management.

NEI has offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal.

    
    About Aviva Investors North America, Inc.
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Aviva Investors (www.avivainvestors.com) is the global asset management business operated by affiliates of Aviva plc, the world's fifth-largest insurance group (as of December 31, 2008). The affiliates operate under a single brand with more than 1,300 employees in 16 countries across Asia Pacific, Europe, the UK and North America. Aviva Investors affiliates manage more than $400 billion worldwide (as of December 31, 2009).

    
    About River Road Asset Management, LLC
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River Road Asset Management, LLC (www.riverroadam.com) is an institutional investment management firm founded in April 2005. River Road provides institutional separate account and investment sub-advisory services to a broad range of domestic and international clients, using a proprietary "Absolute Value" investment discipline. River Road manages more than $3.5 billion in assets.

No Aviva Investors affiliate is engaging in or holding itself out as engaging in the business of advising others as to investing in securities or the business of buying or selling securities in any jurisdiction where it is not qualified to do so.

For further information: Media Contact: Leslie Wood, Executive Vice-President, Phone Number: 416.933.6262, Email: [email protected]