Mergers into Franklin Bissett Canadian Funds Approved

TORONTO, March 2, 2015 /CNW/ - Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. today announced that securityholders have approved the proposed mergers of Templeton Canadian Stock Fund, Templeton Canadian Stock Corporate Class and Templeton Canadian Balanced Fund into designated Franklin Bissett Canadian Equity and Franklin Bissett Canadian Balanced funds. The mergers were voted on at special meetings of securityholders held on February 27, 2015, in Toronto.  

Founded in 1982, Calgary-based Franklin Bissett Investment Management, the portfolio manager of Franklin Bissett Canadian equity and balanced funds, has a deep bench of 22 investment professionals who are dedicated to investing in Canada's equity and fixed income markets.

The approved mergers will occur after the close of business on or around March 12, 2015:

Terminating Funds	Continuing Funds
Templeton Canadian Stock Fund	Franklin Bissett Canadian Equity Fund
Templeton Canadian Stock Corporate Class	Franklin Bissett Canadian Equity Corporate Class
Templeton Canadian Balanced Fund	Franklin Bissett Canadian Balanced Fund

Franklin Bissett Canadian Equity Mandates
The C$2.7 billion Franklin Bissett Canadian Equity Fund and C$104 million Franklin Bissett Canadian Equity Corporate Class are co-managed by Tim Caulfield, director of Equity Research, and Garey Aitken, CIO, of Franklin Bissett Investment Management, part of Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. The Franklin Bissett team uses a disciplined growth-at-a-reasonable-price (GARP) investment style to deliver strong absolute, relative and risk-adjusted returns over time.

Franklin Bissett Canadian Equity Corporate Class is part of Franklin Templeton's Corporate Class structure, which allows investors to switch between funds and portfolios while deferring any taxable dispositions until they redeem from the structure.

Franklin Bissett Canadian Balanced Fund
The C$1.1 billion Franklin Bissett Canadian Balanced Fund is co-managed by Tom O'Gorman, director of Fixed Income, and Garey Aitken, CIO, of Franklin Bissett Investment Management. The team employs a balanced investment approach that includes a combination of fixed income and equity investments. This strategy provides access to diversification by asset class, market capitalization and geographic region, while helping to mitigate risk and deliver maximum returns over time.

Securityholders can elect to switch to a different fund or redeem their holdings in the terminating funds on or prior to the close of business on March 12, 2015. Any remaining securityholders who hold the terminating funds will automatically have their holdings switched on a dollar-for-dollar basis at the close of business on or around March 13, 2015. 

Securityholders are encouraged to speak with their investment advisor about any of these changes and review their options. For account information, our client service team can be reached between 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. at 1.800.387.0830 (toll-free). Please visit franklintempleton.ca for more information on Franklin Templeton's funds.

About Franklin Templeton Investments
Franklin Resources, Inc. [NYSE:BEN] is a global investment management organization operating as Franklin Templeton Investments. Franklin Templeton Investments provides global and domestic investment management to retail, institutional and sovereign wealth clients in over 150 countries. Through specialized teams, the company has expertise across all asset classes—including equity, fixed income, alternative and custom solutions. The company's more than 600 investment professionals are supported by its integrated, worldwide team of risk management professionals and global trading desk network. With offices in 35 countries, the California–based company has more than 65 years of investment experience and over US$871 billion (over C$1,107 billion) in assets under management as of January 31, 2015.

For more information, please visit franklintempleton.ca or connect with Franklin Templeton on Twitter (@FTI_Global). Read the Beyond Bulls & Bears blog featuring perspectives from Franklin Templeton investment professionals around the world and the Investment Adventures in Emerging Markets blog from Mark Mobius (@MarkMobius), executive chairman of Templeton Emerging Markets Group.

Copyright © 2015. Franklin Templeton Investments Corp. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Franklin Templeton Investments Corp.

Media contacts: Sarah Kingdon, Corporate Communications, Franklin Templeton Investments, 416.957.6191; Amie Lauder, Corporate Communications, Franklin Templeton Investments, 416.957.6560