GCG Guardian Capital Group Ltd

Guardian Capital LP (“Guardian Capital”) is pleased to announce the launch of exchange traded fund (“ETF”) series of each of Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund and Guardian Strategic Income Fund, and the launch of Series A, F and I mutual fund series of Guardian i3 US Quality Growth Fund (together with Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund and Guardian Strategic Income Fund, the “Guardian Funds”).

Each of Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund and Guardian Strategic Income Fund has closed its initial offering of ETF Units, and the units are expected to commence trading on Cboe Canada Inc. (“Cboe”) when the market opens this morning. The mutual fund series of Guardian i3 US Quality Growth Fund are also available for purchase effective immediately.

These new series launches represent a continuation of Guardian Capital’s ongoing effort to provide investors and their advisors with convenient access to our professional-managed investment mandates in various vehicle types that best suit their needs and preferences.

In launching these new series, Guardian Capital aims to provide investors with exposure to actively managed products with attractive performance profiles*.

Additional details about the new series launches are set out in the table below:

Guardian Fund	New Series	Overview	Management Fee1		Administration Fee1		Distribution Frequency
Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund	ETF Series (Cboe: GIQI)	The primary objective of the Guardian Fund is the achievement of long-term growth of capital primarily through investment in equity and equity-related securities of issuers outside of North America. The Guardian Fund maintains a mid-large capitalization bias and is broadly diversified by issuer, sector and geographic region, seeking to isolate stock selection as the primary source of alpha.	0.65%		0.19%		Income and Capital Gains - Annually
Guardian i3 US Quality Growth Fund(prior to September 19, 2024, Guardian i3 US Quality Growth ETF)	Series A	The primary objective of the Guardian Fund is the achievement of long-term capital appreciation by investing in a portfolio of equity or equity-related securities of issuers based in the U.S. with business operations potentially located throughout the world. The Guardian Fund maintains a mid-large capitalization bias and is broadly diversified by issuer, sector and geographic region, seeking to isolate stock selection as the primary source of alpha.	1.55%		0.18%		Quarterly, if any
	Series F		0.55%		0.18%
	Series I		N/A2		0.18%
Guardian Strategic Income Fund4	ETF Series (Cboe: GSIF)	The Guardian Fund is an Alternative Mutual Fund3 with its primary objectives being to generate capital gains, preserve capital and make monthly distributions by investing primarily in securities that can benefit from changes to interest rates and credit spreads. The Guardian Fund aims to maintain low volatility and low correlation with traditional equity and fixed income markets.	0.85%		0.20%		Income, Capital Gains or Capital – MonthlyCapital Gains - Annually
1 Plus applicable taxes.2 No management fee is payable by the investor or the Guardian Fund in respect of the Series I Mutual Fund Units. Instead, an investment advisory fee is negotiated and paid directly by each Series I Mutual Fund Unit investor.3 This Guardian Fund is an alternative mutual fund. It is permitted to invest in asset classes or use investment strategies that are not permitted for other types of mutual funds. The specific strategies that differentiate this Guardian Fund from other types of mutual funds include borrowing cash, engaging in short selling and investing in specified derivatives. While these strategies will be used in accordance with the Guardian Fund's objectives and strategies, during certain market conditions they may accelerate the pace at which your investment decreases in value.4 The Guardian Fund also pays a performance fee to the manager based on the investment performance of the Guardian Fund.  Please refer to the Guardian Fund’s prospectus for additional details.

i3 Investments

Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund and Guardian i3 US Quality Growth Fund are managed by Guardian Capital’s i3 Investments team, which uses an investment process that combines innovative A.I.-driven investment analysis with traditional human portfolio management in an effort to deliver superior risk-adjusted returns.

“Guardian Capital’s i3 Investments team has been at the forefront in using new technology, which includes the increasing use of artificial intelligence, to improve security selection,” said Barry Gordon, Managing Director, Head of Retail Asset Management, Guardian Capital LP. “Many Canadian advisors and investors are probably well aware of how successful this team has been in managing global equity portfolios, but we have seen similar performance profiles in both International and U.S. equity selection. We are excited to offer increased access to these strategies in mutual fund and ETF formats.”

Guardian Strategic Income Fund

Guardian Strategic Income Fund is a liquid alternative mutual fund with a track record of positive returns. With a track record longer than 11 years, it stands as one of Canada’s oldest fixed-income focused liquid alternative mandates and has been available via prospectus since 2019.

“Our fixed income team continues to deliver strong results for clients, particularly with increasing complexity in the market, and we believe our Strategic Income Fund may provide investors with an uncorrelated source of returns within their portfolios,” said Mr. Gordon. “This mandate underscores the importance of having access to alternative solutions in Fixed Income. The team generally uses the alternative investment fund structure to reduce volatility and risk, which helped them deliver strong relative returns during the recent periods of fixed income volatility.”

In addition to ETF Units, each of Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund and Guardian Strategic Income Fund already offers Series A Mutual Fund Units, Series F Mutual Fund Units and Series I Mutual Fund Units. Guardian i3 US Quality Growth Fund already offers Hedged and Unhedged ETF Units (TSX: GIQU, GIQU.B). Units of the Guardian Funds are denominated in Canadian dollars.

For further information regarding the Guardian Funds, please visit www.guardiancapital.com (for Series I mutual fund units) or www.guardiancapital.com/investmentsolutions (for all other series of units).

*Annual Compound Returns (%) as of August 31, 20241

Guardian Fund, Series	1 Year	3 Year	5 Year	10 Year	Since Inception	Inception Date
Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund2
Series A Mutual Fund Units	22.79	3.58	n/a	n/a	5.31	2021-07-05
Series I Mutual Fund Units	25.09	5.54	9.20	8.09	6.45	2003-12-31
Guardian Strategic Income Fund3
Series A Mutual Fund Units	9.43	2.59	2.69	3.28	4.35	2013-05-31
Series F Mutual Fund Units	10.66	3.72	3.80	4.38	5.40	2013-05-31
Series I Mutual Fund Units	11.63	4.63	4.65	n/a	5.66	2015-11-06
Guardian i3 US Quality Growth Fund
Hedged ETF Units	30.94	3.57	n/a	n/a	9.91	2020-08-11
Unhedged ETF Units	31.49	7.47	n/a	n/a	11.37	2020-08-11

1 The indicated rates of return are the historical annual compounded total returns including changes in unit value and reinvestment of all distributions and do not take into account sales, redemption, distribution or optional charges or income taxes payable by any unitholder that would have reduced returns. Past performance is not indicative of future results.

2 In accordance with regulatory requirements, investment performance for the Series F Mutual Fund Units of Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund cannot be shown as they have less than 12 months of performance history. The performance data provided for the Series I Mutual Fund Units of Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund includes performance during a period when the fund was not a reporting issuer (the period prior to March 30, 2011). The expenses of Guardian i3 International Quality Growth Fund could have been higher during the applicable period had the fund been subject to the additional regulatory requirements applicable to a reporting issuer. Guardian Capital filed for and obtained exemptive relief on behalf of the fund to permit the disclosure of performance data since inception of the private fund. The Series I Mutual Fund Units do not charge a management fee, commission or trailer fee. Series I Mutual Fund Units are also subject to the minimum investment requirements set forth in the prospectus for the Guardian Fund and are only eligible to be purchased in certain circumstances. Series A and F Mutual Fund Units have different management fees, commissions and trailer fees, as applicable, and performance will be lower on that series as a result.

3 The performance data provided for the Series A Mutual Fund Units, Series F Mutual Fund Units and Series I Mutual Fund Units of Guardian Strategic Income Fund includes performance during a period when the fund was not a reporting issuer (the period prior to December 13, 2019). The expenses of Guardian Strategic Income Fund could have been higher during the applicable period had the fund been subject to the additional regulatory requirements applicable to a reporting issuer. Guardian Capital filed for and obtained exemptive relief on behalf of the fund to permit the disclosure of performance data since inception of the private fund. The Series I Mutual Fund Units do not charge a management fee, commission or trailer fee. Series I Mutual Fund Units are also subject to the minimum investment requirements set forth in the prospectus for the Guardian Fund and are only eligible to be purchased in certain circumstances. Series A and F Mutual Fund Units have different management fees, commissions and trailer fees, as applicable, and performance will be lower on those series as a result.

About Guardian Capital LP

Guardian Capital LP is the manager and portfolio manager of the Guardian Capital Funds and Guardian Capital ETFs, with capabilities that span a range of asset classes, geographic regions and specialty mandates. Additionally, Guardian Capital LP manages portfolios for institutional clients such as defined benefit and defined contribution pension plans, insurance companies, foundations, endowments and investment funds. Guardian Capital LP is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian Capital Group Limited and the successor to its original investment management business, which was founded in 1962. For further information on Guardian Capital LP, please call 416-350-8899 or visit www.guardiancapital.com.

About Guardian Capital Group Limited

Guardian Capital Group Limited (“Guardian”) is a global investment management company servicing institutional, retail and private clients through its subsidiaries. As at June 30, 2024, Guardian had C$58.6 billion of total client assets while managing a proprietary investment portfolio with a fair market value of C$1.1 billion. On July 2, 2024, Guardian completed its acquisition of Sterling Capital Management, LLC, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based investment management firm, adding approximately C$104.0 billion (US$76.0 billion) in client assets. Founded in 1962, Guardian’s reputation for steady growth, long-term relationships and its core values of authenticity, integrity, stability and trustworthiness have been key to its success over six decades. Its Common and Class A shares are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange as GCG and GCG.A, respectively. To learn more about Guardian, visit www.guardiancapital.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Guardian Capital LP Richard BritnellTelephone: +1-416-350-3117 Email: rbritnell@guardiancapital.com

Guardian Capital LP Commerce Court West Suite 2700, 199 Bay Street PO Box 201 Toronto, Ontario M5L 1E8

Caution Concerning Forward-Looking Statements

Certain information included in this press release constitutes forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. All information other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking information. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “outlook”, “objective”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “expect”, “intend”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “should”, “plan”, “continue”, or similar expressions suggesting future outcomes or events or the negative thereof. Forward-looking information in this press release includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to management’s beliefs, plans, estimates, and intentions, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events, results, circumstances, performance or expectations. Such forward-looking information reflects management’s beliefs and is based on information currently available. Certain material factors and assumptions were applied in providing this forward-looking information. All forward-looking information in this press release is qualified by the following cautionary statements.

Although Guardian Capital believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking information are reasonable, such information involves known and unknown risks and uncertainties which may cause actual performance and results in future periods to differ materially from any estimates or projections of future performance or results expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include but are not limited to: general economic and market conditions, including interest rates, business competition, changes in government regulations or in tax laws, the outbreak and severity of pandemics, such as COVID 19, military conflicts in various parts of the world, the failure to satisfy any applicable stock exchange requirements, as well as those risk factors discussed or referred to in the Guardian Funds’ prospectus and the disclosure documents filed by Guardian Capital with the securities regulatory authorities in the provinces and territories of Canada and available at www.sedarplus.com. The reader is cautioned to consider these factors, uncertainties and potential events carefully and not to put undue reliance on forward-looking information, as there can be no assurance that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking information.

The forward-looking information contained in this press release is presented as of the preparation date of this press release and should not be relied upon as representing Guardian Capital’s views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release. Guardian Capital undertakes no obligation, except as required by applicable law, to publicly update or revise any forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This communication is intended for informational purposes only and does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase Guardian Funds and is not, and should not be construed as, investment, tax, legal or accounting advice, and should not be relied upon in that regard. Commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with investments in Guardian Funds. Please read the prospectus before investing. ETFs and mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated. You will usually pay brokerage fees to your dealer if you purchase or sell units of an ETF on the Toronto Stock Exchange or Cboe. If the units are purchased or sold on the Toronto Stock Exchange or Cboe, investors may pay more than the current net asset value when buying units of the ETF and may receive less than the current net asset value when selling them.

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