MORN Morningstar Inc

TORONTO, Dec. 1, 2011 /CNW/ - Morningstar Canada, a subsidiary of Morningstar, Inc. , a leading provider of independent investment research, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Morningstar(®) Canadian Investment Awards(TM). This year's awards gala, held last night in Toronto, marked the 17(th) edition of Canada's premier annual awards event for the investment industry. The evening honoured companies and individuals that Morningstar believes have made a difference in the lives of investors through superior investment products, service, marketing, and education. Improv comedian Colin Mochrie served as master of ceremonies for the more than 500 guests in attendance. The awards encompass a wide range of investment products, including mutual funds, pooled funds, and hedge funds. Additional awards recognize outstanding individual managers, career achievement, discount brokerage, and marketing. The awards program represents the year-long evaluation efforts of dozens of firms, analysts, and expert jury members. The Morningstar Canadian Investment Awards winners are: Morningstar Domestic Equity Fund Manager of the Year Winner: Martin Ferguson, director and portfolio manager, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. "In the long term, Martin Ferguson has done a fantastic job," said David O'Leary, director of fund analysis for Morningstar Canada. "His main mandate is Mawer New Canada, a Canadian small/mid cap fund. It is a relatively large fund by standards of a Canadian small cap fund, managing about $1.2 billion in assets, and that comes into play because some of the stocks in that space are fairly illiquid. Martin's been with Mawer since December 1996, running the same fund for a decade, so we have a long track record to evaluate and it's been outstanding relative performance." Morningstar Foreign Equity Fund Manager of the Year Winner: Paul Musson, Mackenzie Financial Corp. "Paul Musson leads the Ivy team at Mackenzie and took over the full reins when Jerry Javasky retired in 2008," O'Leary said. "Under Musson's leadership, the Ivy group really operates as a team, essentially looking for quality companies with clean balance sheets. Investors who stuck with Mackenzie Ivy Foreign Equity were rewarded during the market downturn. Year to date, the fund is only up about 2.5%, but it's been a really rocky period, especially for foreign equities, so it really is an outstanding performance for that period." Morningstar Fixed Income Fund Manager of the Year TD Asset Management Fixed Income Team, TD Asset Management Inc. "The huge team includes a risk management team alone of 26 people so that's why we didn't just pick one individual team member for the award," O'Leary said. "The strong, long-term performance reflects the rigorous, extensive research process of this deep and experienced team." Analysts' Choice Investment Fund Company of the Year Winner: Dynamic Funds Silver:   CI Investments Inc.  Bronze: Mawer Investment Management Ltd. This award is chosen by the Investment Fund Analyst Committee, which includes Morningstar analysts as well as other analysts from across the industry. The criteria include performance, risk management, breadth of offerings, investor and advisor education, fund governance, and investor communication. Advisors' Choice Investment Fund Company of the Year Winner: Fidelity Investments Canada Silver:   Dynamic Funds Bronze: CI Investments Inc. This award is voted on by a committee of jurors that spans Canadian advisors, mutual fund, hedge fund, and other investment fund companies. Advisors consider quality and range of products, performance, fees, service, education, community investment, and management criteria. Investment Funds Institute of Canada (IFIC) Investor Education Award Winner: My Retirement Café, Sun Life Financial Silver:   Solut!ons, Manulife Investments Sun Life was recognized for its user-friendly and interactive website www.myretirementcafe.ca, which is aimed at Canadians over 55 who are about to retire or have just retired and are interested in learning how to be better prepared both emotionally and financially. Career Achievement Award Winner: Jim Hunter Hunter is a creator of tax-efficient fund products, a former Mackenzie Financial president and CEO, and founder of the fund company NexGen Financial. He has served on the board of the Investment Funds Institute of Canada, the Richard Ivey School of Business, the Trillium Foundation and Basketball Canada, and has been active in supporting charitable organizations. Best Asian Equity Fund Winner: Fidelity Far East, Fidelity Investments Canada Silver:   Dynamic Far East Value, Dynamic Funds Bronze: BMO Guardian Asian Growth & Income, BMO Investments Inc. Best Canadian Balanced Fund Winner: Fidelity Canadian Balanced, Fidelity Investments Canada Silver:   Fidelity Monthly Income, Fidelity Investments Canada Bronze: Steadyhand Income, Steadyhand Investment Funds Inc. Best Canadian Dividend & Income Equity Fund Winner: RBC Canadian Equity Income, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. Silver:   Dynamic Equity Income, Dynamic Funds Bronze: Fidelity Dividend Plus, Fidelity Investments Canada Best Canadian Equity Fund Winner: Mawer Canadian Equity, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Silver:    Bissett Canadian Equity, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. Bronze:  Mackenzie Cundill Canadian Security, Mackenzie Financial Corp. Best Canadian Fixed Income Fund ward Winner: PH&N Bond, Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Ltd. Silver:   TD Canadian Bond, TD Asset Management Inc. Bronze: Beutel Goodman Income, Beutel Goodman & Company Ltd. Best Canadian Small/Mid Cap, Equity Fund Winner: Beutel Goodman Small Cap, Beutel Goodman & Company Ltd. Silver:   Mawer New Canada, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Bronze: Mackenzie Saxon Microcap, Mackenzie Financial Corp. Best Emerging Markets Equity Fund Winner: AGF Emerging Markets, AGF Management Ltd. Silver:   Brandes Emerging Markets Equity, Brandes Investment Partners & Co. Bronze: Desjardins Emerging Markets, Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec Best European Equity Fund Winner: Mackenzie Ivy European Class, Mackenzie Financial Corporation Silver:   Trimark Europlus, Invesco Canada Ltd. Bronze: CIBC European Equity, CIBC Asset Management Inc. Best Global Balanced Fund Winner: CI Signature High Income, CI Investments Inc. Silver: Dynamic Global Asset Allocation, Dynamic Funds Bronze: Mawer Canadian Diversified Investment, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Best Global Equity Fund Winner: Dynamic Power Global Growth, Dynamic Funds Silver:   Mackenzie Ivy Foreign Equity, Mackenzie Financial Corp. Bronze: Castlerock Global Leaders, Castlerock Investments, a division of CI Investments Best Global Fixed Income Fund Winner: Templeton Global Bond, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. Silver:   RBC Global Corporate Bond, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. Bronze: Manulife Canadian Bond Plus, Manulife Mutual Funds Best Global Small/Mid Cap Equity Fund Winner: Mawer Global Small Cap, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Silver:  Trimark Global Endeavour, Invesco Canada Ltd. Bronze: CI Global Small Companies, CI Investments Inc. Best Healthcare Equity Fund Winner: TD Health Sciences, TD Asset Management Inc. Silver:   CI Global Health Sciences, CI Investments Inc. Bronze:  Renaissance Global Health Care, CIBC Asset Management Inc. Best High Yield Fixed Income Fund Winner: PH&N High Yield Bond, Phillips, Hager & North Investment Management Silver:   Dynamic High Yield Bond, Dynamic Funds Bronze: Manulife Strategic Income, Manulife Mutual Funds Best International Equity Fund Winner: Mawer World Investment, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Silver:  Invesco International Growth, Invesco Canada Ltd. Bronze: CI International Value, CI Investments Inc. Best Natural Resources Equity Fund Winner: RBC Global Resources, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. Silver:  Bissett Energy, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. Bronze: Front Street Special Opportunities Canadian, Front Street Capital Best Precious Metals Equity Fund Winner: RBC Global Precious Metals, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. Silver:   Sentry Precious Metals Growth, Sentry Investments Inc. Bronze: Mackenzie Universal World Precious Metals, Mackenzie Financial Corp. Best US Equity Fund Winner: Dynamic Power American Growth, Dynamic Funds Silver:  Dynamic American Value, Dynamic Funds Bronze: RBC O'Shaughnessy U.S. Value, RBC Global Asset Management Inc. Best US Small/Mid Cap Equity Fund Winner: Trimark U.S. Small Companies, Invesco Canada Ltd. Silver: TD U.S. Small-Cap Equity, TD Asset Management Inc. Bronze: Mackenzie Universal American Growth, Mackenzie Financial Corp. Best Canadian Balanced Pooled Fund Winner: QV Canadian Balanced, QV Investors Inc. Silver:   Beutel Goodman Balanced, Beutel Goodman & Company Ltd. Bronze: Bissett Dividend Income, Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. Best Canadian Equity Pooled Fund Winner: Mawer Canadian Equity Pooled, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Silver:   Burgundy Focus Canadian Equity, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. Bronze/Tie: BlackRock Active Canadian Equity, BlackRock Asset Management Canada Ltd. & Hexavest Canadian Equity, Hexavest Asset Management Best Canadian Income Pooled Fund Winner: Beutel Goodman Income, Beutel Goodman & Company Ltd. Silver:   Baker Gilmore Bond, Connor, Clark & Lunn Financial Group Bronze: SSgA Active Canadian Universe Bond, State Street Global Advisors Best Canadian Small/Mid Cap Equity Pooled Fund Winner: Mawer New Canada, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Silver:   Beutel Goodman Small Cap, Beutel Goodman & Company Ltd. Bronze: Burgundy Canadian Small Cap, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. Best Fund of Funds Winner: Portfolio Series, CI Investment Inc. Silver:   Managed Portfolios, Fidelity Investments Canada Bronze: Meritage Portfolios, National Bank Securities Inc. Best Global Balanced Pooled Fund Winner: Mawer Canadian Balanced Pooled, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Silver:   Burgundy Pension Trust, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. Bronze: Goodman Value Balanced, Goodman & Company Investment Counsel Ltd. Best Global Equity Pooled Fund Winner:  Burgundy Partners Global, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. Silver:    MFS Global Equity (Canada), MFS Investment Management Bronze: Mawer Global Small Cap, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Best International Equity Pooled Fund Winner: Mawer World Investment, Mawer Investment Management Ltd. Silver:   Burgundy EAFE, Burgundy Asset Management Ltd. Bronze: Sprucegrove International Equity, Sprucegrove Investment Management Ltd. Best US Equity Pooled Fund Winner: Goodman U.S. Equity Growth, Goodman & Company Investment Counsel Ltd. Silver:   CI American Value, CI Investments Inc. Bronze: Hexavest US, Hexavest Asset Management Best Multi-Strategy or Fund of Hedge Funds Winner: Spartan Multi-Strategy Fund, Spartan Fund Management Inc. Silver:   Amethyst Arbitrage Fund, Crystalline Management Inc. Bronze: Garrison Hill Macro Opportunities Fund, Garrison Hill Capital Management Inc. Best Opportunistic Hedge Fund Winner: Friedberg Global Macro Hedge Fund Ltd., Friedberg Mercantile Group Ltd. Silver:   Auspice Diversified Trust, Auspice Capital Advisors Ltd. Bronze: Vision Opportunity Fund LP, Vision Capital Corp. Best Relative Value Hedge Fund Winner: Altairis Long/Short Class, Polar Securities Inc. Silver:   Picton Mahoney Market Neutral Equity Fund, Picton Mahoney Asset Management Bronze: CC&L Canadian Q Market Neutral Onshore, Connor, Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. Best Marketing Campaign Winner: 2011 Brand Advertising Campaign, Manulife Mutual Funds Silver:   The Sentry Difference, Sentry Investments Inc. Bronze: Capitalizing on a Changing World, Franklin Templeton Best Discount Brokerage Winner: Qtrade Investor Silver:  Credential Direct Bronze: TD Waterhouse Morningstar Best ETF Initiative Winner: Commission-Free ETF Trading Program, Scotia iTRADE/Claymore ETFs Silver:   Call for regulatory reform and need for more transparency, iShares ETFs, BlackRock Asset Management Canada Bronze: Commission Free ETF Program, Qtrade Morningstar Best Stewardship Initiative Winner: How is My Portfolio Doing … And What Should I Do About It? A Framework for Assessing Investment Performance, Steadyhand Investment Funds Inc. The Morningstar Canadian Investment Awards charititable partner is MusiCounts, the Canadian music-education charity associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization behind the nationally televised JUNO Awards. With the help of sponsors and guests, a generous donation was made to MusiCounts to assist in its mission to provide students with access to comprehensive music programs in schools across Canada. About Morningstar Morningstar Research Inc. is a Canadian subsidiary of Chicago-based Morningstar, Inc., a leading provider of independent investment research in North America, Europe, Australia, and Asia. The company offers an extensive line of products and services for individuals, financial advisors, and institutions. Morningstar provides data on approximately 330,000 investment offerings, including stocks, mutual funds, and similar vehicles, along with real-time global market data on more than 5 million equities, indexes, futures, options, commodities, and precious metals, in addition to foreign exchange and Treasury markets. Morningstar also offers investment management services through its registered investment advisor subsidiaries and has more than $167 billion in assets under advisement and management as of Sept. 30, 2011. The company has operations in 26 countries. Morningstar Research Inc. CONTACT: about the Morningstar Canadian Investment Awards, pleasevisit www.investmentawards.com.

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