A series of webinars will be offered to the Bourstad 2021 Challenge participants to further support contest participants and their teachers.

These webinars, which will take place in February and March 2021, will welcome experts from CIRANO. Themes will include the functioning of financial markets, portfolio management, innovation, digital transformation and the sustainable impacts of COVID on the economy, sustainable development and corporate social responsibility.

• February 15, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  How Capital Markets Work
  Invited Expert: Miville Tremblay, Invited Fellow at CIRANO
   
• February 22, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  Portfolio Management
  Invited Experts: Ian Gascon, President of Idema Investments, and Sounda Ladouceur, Investment Advisor and Portfolio Manager, National Bank Financial
   
• March 11, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  Innovation, Digital Transformation, Sustainable Impacts of COVID on the Economy
  Invited Expert: Robert Normand, Projects Director at CIRANO
   
• March 15, 2021, 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
  Sustainable Development and Corporate Social Responsibility
  Invited Expert: Michel Magnan, Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Corporate Governance, CIRANO Fellow and Researcher

The Bourstad Program

An activity of CIRANO which receives support from many partners for this financial education project: the Autorité des marchés financiers, its main partner, the TD Bank, Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), CFA Montreal, Finance Montreal, TMX Group, Hyprasoft, Les Affaires newspaper, Croesus and QuoteMedia.

From February 16 to April 15, 2021, novice and experienced investors alike will have the opportunity to participate in the Bourstad 2021 Challenge and compete for prizes totalling more than $30,000. The Bourstad Challenge takes place on the Internet (www.bourstad.ca) and welcomes, each year, high school and CEGEP students as well as participants from the general public, including university students.

Participants must manage a virtual portfolio of $200,000 and invest this amount in various investment vehicles. Bourstad offers three types of participation: financial performance, portfolio management and responsible investment. The participants with the best performances will be rewarded at the awards ceremony to be held in May 2021.

Information: Paul Bourget, Bourstad's project director at CIRANO (bourgetp@cirano.qc.ca or 514 985-4000, poste 3006) – bourstad.cirano.qc.ca