Thursday, April 12 2007

AIC Limited has said that its AIC Canadian Balanced Fund has received the first ever Lipper Award in Canada. James Cole is the lead portfolio manager and Randy LeClair manages the fixed income portion of the Fund. The Fund has won in the category of Canadian Balanced Equity Focus for having achieved the highest risk-adjusted return in its class for the three years ended December 31, 2006.

“When I was appointed lead manager of AIC Canadian Balanced Fund in September 2002, we announced our intention to establish the Fund as a leader in the Canadian balanced category,” stated James Cole, senior vice-president of AIC. “I’m delighted that we have achieved excellent results for our unitholders and that the Fund has received the Lipper Award. Balanced funds, which combine the growth of equities with the income and safety of high quality bonds, are a popular investment choice for many Canadians,” he said.

The Lipper Fund Awards is part of a global programme of events, held in 21 countries, to reward funds that have delivered consistently strong risk-adjusted performance relative to their peers. The winners are selected using the Lipper Leader rating for consistent return.

AIC commenced operations in 1985 and has grown to become one of Canada’s largest privately-held mutual fund companies with assets under management exceeding $8 billion.