Canadian Dividend Reinvestment Plans (DRIPs): February 2008
        
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Thursday, February 14, 2008

Enerplus Resources Fund (ERF.UN) and Focus Energy Trust (FET.UN) merge

Enerplus Resources Fund (TSX:ERF.UN) announced February 13, 2008 the following merger and subsequent changes to their distribution re-investment plan:

Enerplus Resources Fund ("Enerplus") and Focus Energy Trust ("Focus") are pleased to announce that the merger of Enerplus and Focus pursuant to a plan of arrangement (the "Arrangement") was completed today.

The combination of Focus and Enerplus has created a large oil and gas
producer that possesses high quality, long life assets with an extensive
portfolio of resource play opportunities in shallow natural gas, Bakken light
oil, crude oil waterfloods, deep tight gas and the oil sands. Enerplus
Unitholders will enjoy a diversified and balanced portfolio of oil and gas
assets producing approximately 100,000 BOE/day with a proved plus probable
reserve life index of approximately 14 years.


As previously announced by Focus, the Focus Dividend Reinvestment Plan
("DRIP") was suspended such that the cash distribution to be paid on February
15, 2008 to holders of record on January 31, 2008 is not be eligible for
reinvestment under the Focus DRIP. As the Arrangement has been completed, the
Focus DRIP has been terminated. Former Focus Unitholders who are resident in
Canada and who are interested in participating in the Enerplus DRIP should
contact their broker, investment dealer, financial institution or other
nominee through which their Enerplus Units are held. If you are a registered
unitholder, you must complete and deliver an authorization form found on our
website at www.enerplus.com and submit it to CIBC Mellon Trust Company with
instructions on how you wish to participate in the Enerplus DRIP.


Note that I have now removed Focus from the DRIP list of companies.

Full information of Enerplus' announcement can be found here: Enerplus and Focus announce closing of strategic merger



Great prices on Brand New business books!

Monday, February 04, 2008

Changes to Eveready Income Fund (EIS.UN)

Eveready Income Fund (TSX: EIS.UN) announced January 16, 2008 the following changes to their distribution re-investment plan:

"Eveready’s Board of Trustees has unanimously approved amendments to the Fund’s distribution policy to maximize the retention of operating cash flow to re-invest in growth. Eveready’s current monthly cash distribution of $0.06 per unit ($0.72 per unit on an annualized basis) will be eliminated and replaced with a quarterly “in-kind” distribution of $0.18 per unit ($0.72 per unit on an annualized basis). Distributions settled “in-kind” means that unitholders will receive additional Fund units instead of cash. “In-kind” Fund units will be issued at a deemed price equal to the volume-weighted average price of all units traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange on the ten trading days preceding the applicable record date. Eveready anticipates that the next distribution will be paid on or about April 15, 2008 to unitholders of record as of the close of business on March 31, 2008."

In summary, they have made the reinvestment of distributions mandatory for all shareholders. They have also eliminated the 5% discount and will now purchase the shares using a 10-day average price. Finally, they have changed the payment period from monthly to quarterly with the unit distribution amount staying the same. As such, I have changed Eveready's record on the DRIP list of companies to reflect that distribution reinvestment is now mandatory and that the discount has been removed.

Eveready is the first company that I have heard of that has gone to this type of mandatory dividend reinvestment program. This is how the company explained the move: “The market has been sending us a strong signal that our current distribution policy is not the most effective use of our cash,” comments Peter Lacey, Eveready’s Chairman of the Board. “We concur and believe that reinvesting the Fund’s cash in growing our business will maximize Eveready’s long-term value. Essentially, our new distribution policy will provide the benefits that a corporation enjoys of being able to reinvest its profits in growth, yet retains the positive flow-through tax characteristics of an income trust until our likely conversion to a corporation in 2011.”

The last line makes reference to the Canadian government's implementation of taxes on income trusts starting in 2011. (More info here: Canada’s New Government Announces Tax Fairness Plan) Eveready might be the first of many income trust funds in Canada to reduce or remove their distributions so they can stockpile money for the eventual tax hit once they change to a corporation.

Full information of Eveready's announcement can be found here: Eveready Income Fund Announces 2008 Growth Plans and Approves Strategic Changes to Distribution Policy



Great prices on Brand New business books!

List of Canadian DRIPs & SPPs

Company

Symbol

DRIP? SPP? Discount? Minimum Maximum
Aberdeen Asia-Pacific Income Investment Company Limited FAP Y Y N $100/Month $20,000/Year
ACTIVEnergy Income Fund AEU.UN Y Y 5% $100 -
AGF Management Limited AGF.B Y N N N/A N/A
Agnico Eagle Mines Limited AEM Y Y 5% US$100 US$20,000/Year
Allied Properties REIT AP.UN Y N 5% N/A N/A
AltaGas Ltd. ALA Y Y 5% $1,000 $100,000/Month
ARC Resources Ltd. ARX Y Y 5% $500 $3,000/Month
Artis REIT AX.UN Y Y 4% $1,000 $10,000
Bank of Montreal BMO Y Y N - $40,000/Year
Bank of Montreal Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) - Y N N N/A N/A
Bank of Nova Scotia BNS Y Y 2% $100/Month $20,000/Year
Baytex Energy Corp. BTE Y N 5% N/A N/A
BCE Inc. BCE Y Y N - $20,000/Year
Bell Aliant Inc. BA Y Y N - $3,400/Month
Brompton Oil & Gas Income Fund OGF.UN Y Y 5% - -
Brompton VIP Income Fund VIP.UN Y Y 5% - $20,000/Year
Brookfield Asset Management Inc. BAM.A Y N N N/A N/A
Brookfield Office Properties Canada BOX.UN Y N N N/A N/A
Brookfield Properties Corp. BPO Y N N N/A N/A
CAE Inc. CAE Y N N N/A N/A
Calloway REIT CWT.UN Y N 3% N/A N/A
Canadian Apartment Properties REIT CAR.UN Y N 5% N/A N/A
Canadian General Investments, Limited CGI Y Y N $100/Quarter $5,000/Quarter
Canadian REIT REF.UN Y Y 4% $250/Month $25,000/Year
Canadian Tire Corporation CTC Y N N N/A N/A
Canadian Western Bank CWB Y N N N/A N/A
Canexus Corporation CUS Y N 5% N/A N/A
Capstone Infrastructure Corporation CSE Y N N N/A N/A
Caribbean Utilities Company, Ltd. CUP.U Y N N N/A N/A
Cenovus Energy Inc. CVE Y N N N/A N/A
Cervus Equipment Corporation CVL Y N 5% N/A N/A
Chartwell Seniors Housing REIT CSH.UN Y N 3% N/A N/A
Churchill Corporation CUQ Y N 5% N/A N/A
CIBC CM Y Y 2% $100 $50,000/Year
Citadel Income Fund CTF.UN Y N N N/A N/A
Claymore Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) - Y N N N/A N/A
ClubLink Enterprises Limited CLK Y N 5% N/A N/A
Cominar REIT CUF.UN Y N 5% N/A N/A
COMPASS Income Fund CMZ.UN Y Y 5% $100 -
Corus Entertainment CJR.B Y N N N/A N/A
Crescent Point Energy Corp. CPG Y N 5% N/A N/A
Daylight Energy Ltd. DAY Y Y 5% $1,000 $100,000/Month
DDJ High Yield Fund HYB.UN Y N 5% N/A N/A
Dundee REIT D.UN Y Y 4% $1,000 $250,000/Year
Dundee International REIT DI.UN Y Y 4% $1,000 $250,000/Year
Eagle Energy Trust EGL.UN Y N 5% N/A N/A
Emera Inc. EMA Y Y 5% $25/Quarter $5,000/Quarter
Enbridge Inc. ENB Y Y 2% - $5,000/Quarter
Enbridge Income Fund Holdings Inc. ENF Y Y N $100/Month $1,000/Month
EnCana Corporation ECA Y N N N/A N/A
Energy Income Fund ENI.UN Y N N N/A N/A
Enerplus Corporation ERF Y Y N N/A N/A
EnerVest Diversified Income Trust EIT.UN Y Y N - $1,000/Month
EnerVest Energy & Oil Sands Total Return Trust EOS.UN Y Y N $100 $1,000/Month
Equitable Group Inc. ETC Y N N N/A N/A
Exchange Income Corporation EIF Y Y 3% $100 $10,000/Month
Extendicare REIT EXE.UN Y N 3% N/A N/A
Firm Capital Mortgage Investment FC Y Y N $250/Month $12,000/Year
Flaherty & Crumrine Investment Grade Fixed Income Fund FFI.UN Y Y 5% - -
Fortis Inc. FTS Y Y 2% $100/Quarter $30,000/Year
Freehold Royalties Ltd. FRU Y N N N/A N/A
Gibson Energy Inc. GEI Y N 3% N/A N/A
GMIncome & Growth Fund GMF.UN Y Y 5% $100 -
H&R REIT HR.UN Y Y 3% $250/Month $13,500/Year
Homburg Canada REIT HCR.UN Y N 3% N/A N/A
HOMEQ Corporation HEQ Y N 4% N/A N/A
Horizon Alpha Pro ETFs - Y N N N/A N/A
Husky Energy HSE Y N N N/A N/A
Imperial Oil Limited IMO Y Y N $50/Quarter $5,000/Quarter
Income Financial Trust INC.UN Y N N N/A N/A
INDEXPLUS Dividend Fund IDF.UN Y Y 5% $100 -
INDEXPLUS Income Fund IDX.UN Y Y 5% $100 -
Intact Financial Corporation IFC Y N N N/A N/A
Inter Pipeline Fund IPL.UN Y N 5% N/A N/A
InterRent REIT IIP.UN Y Y 4% $250 -
Just Energy Group JE Y Y 2% $500/Month $100,000/Year
Keyera Corp. KEY Y N 3% N/A N/A
Killam Properties Inc. KMP Y N 3% N/A N/A
Lanesborough REIT LRT.UN Y Y 4% $1,000 $10,000/Month
Liquor Stores N.A. Ltd. LIQ Y N 3% N/A N/A
Manitoba Telecom Services Inc. MBT Y Y 3% $100 $20,000/Year
Manulife Financial Corporation MFC Y Y 3% $100/Quarterly $250,000/Year
MCAN Mortgage Corporation MKP Y N N N/A N/A
Medical Facilities Corporation DR Y N N N/A N/A
MINT Income Fund MID.UN Y Y N $100 -
Morguard Corporation MRC Y N N N/A N/A
Morguard REIT MRT.UN Y N N N/A N/A
MOSAID Technologies MSD Y N N N/A N/A
Mulvihill Premier Canadian Income Fund PCU.UN Y N 5% N/A N/A
Mulvihill Top 10 Canadian Financial Trust TCT.UN Y N 5% N/A N/A
NAL Energy Corp. NAE Y Y 5% $1,000 $5,000/Month
National Bank of Canada NA Y Y N $500 $5,000/Quarter
Nexen Inc. NXY Y N 5% N/A N/A
Northland Power Inc. NPI Y N N N/A N/A
NorthWest Healthcare Properties REIT NWH.UN Y N 3% N/A N/A
Olympia Financial Group Inc. OLY-X Y Y N - -
Onex Corporation OCX Y N N N/A N/A
Parkland Fuel Corporation PKI Y N N N/A N/A
Partners REIT PAR.UN Y Y 3% $1,000 $12,000/Year
PATHFINDER Convertible Debenture Fund PCD.UN Y Y 5% $100 -
Pengrowth Energy Corporation PGF Y Y 5% - $1,000/Month
Penn West Exploration PWT Y Y 5% $500 $5,000
Phoenix Technology Services PHX Y N 5% N/A N/A
Plazacorp Retail Properties Limited PLZ-X Y N 3% N/A N/A
Potash Corporation POT Y N N N/A N/A
Precious Metals and Mining Trust MMP.UN Y N N N/A N/A
Primaris Retail REIT PMZ.UN Y N 3% N/A N/A
Progress Energy Resources Corp. PRQ Y N 5% N/A N/A
Provident Energy Ltd. PVE Y Y 5% $1,000 $100,000/Month
REIT INDEXPLUS Income Fund IDR.UN Y Y 5% $100 -
Retrocom Mid-Market REIT RMM.UN Y N 4% N/A N/A
RioCan REIT REI.UN Y Y 3.1% $250/Month $25,000/Year
Rogers Communications Inc. RCI.B Y N N N/A N/A
Royal Bank of Canada RY Y N N N/A N/A
Senior Gold Producers Income Corp GPC Y Y 5% - $20,000/Year
Shaw Communications Inc. SJR.B Y N N N/A N/A
Skylon Growth & Income Trust SKG.UN Y N N N/A N/A
Student Transportation of America Ltd. STB Y N 3% N/A N/A
Suncor Energy Inc. SU Y Y N $100 $5,000/Quarter
Sun Life Financial SLF Y Y 2% $100/Quarter $50,000/Year
Superior Plus Corp. SPB Y Y 5% $1,000/Month $20,000/Year
Telus Corporation T Y Y N $100/Month $20,000/Year
Thomson Reuters Corporation TRI Y N N N/A N/A
Timbercreek Mortgage Investment Corporation TMC Y N 5% N/A N/A
Tim Hortons THI Y Y N $25 $250,000/Year
Toronto-Dominion Bank TD Y N 1% N/A N/A
Torstar Corporation TS.B Y N N N/A N/A
TransAlta Corporation TA Y Y 3% - $5,000/Quarter
TransCanada Corporation TRP Y Y N $50/Quarter $10,000/Quarter
TransGlobe REIT TGA.UN Y N 3% N/A N/A
Triax Diversified High-Yield Trust TRH.UN Y N N N/A N/A
Troy Resources NL TRY Y N 5% N/A N/A
Valener Inc. VNR Y N 5% N/A N/A
Veresen Inc. VSN Y N 5% N/A N/A
Vermilion Energy Trust VET Y N 5% N/A N/A
Whiterock REIT WRK.UN Y Y 4% $250 -
Yellow Media Inc. YLO Y N 5% N/A N/A
YIELDPLUS Income Fund YP.UN Y Y 5% $100 -
Zargon Oil & Gas Ltd. ZAR Y N 5% N/A N/A

LEGEND: Company - name of company offering a Dividend Reinvestment Plan (DRIP); Company Hyperlink - click the link to view the plan details;
Symbol - company's stock ticker symbol; Symbol Hyperlink - click the link to view the current Globe Investor stock quote; DRIP - does the company have a DRIP?;
SPP - does the company offer a Share Purchase Plan (SPP) or Optional Cash Purchase Plan (OCP) which allows the user to purchase additional shares/units through the company's transfer agent?;
Discount - does the company offer a discount on the price of additional shares/units purchased through an SPP/OCP or through dividend reinvestment?;
Minimum - the minimum amount per SPP/OCP; Maximum - the maximum amount per SPP/OCP; Highlighted Row - company has an SPP/OCP