Truth to tell, the only incident I remember was being accosted by some kid in front of the Barkerville booth. He shoved a pamphlet at me, boasting that "the company had just started operating its mill yesterday." Furthermore they were going to produce some amount of gold which I've had too much beer to remember, and am too lazy in any case to look up or even direct you to the website.
So I asked him, "What do I get to do to you if the company doesn't deliver?" He looked slightly alarmed and confused. He asked what I meant. "Well, suppose I buy shares in this company on your recommendation, but the company fails to deliver on these promises, and I lose money. What do I get to do to you?" He took a couple of steps back, and started looking wildly around, possibly for Security. "Are you implying that all I can do is sell my shares?" He was like a drowning man thrown a lifeline. "Yes! You can sell your shares!"
"That won't be cathartic enough," I told him.
Over lunch I thought about what sorts of remedies there should be for disgruntled shareholders. It's unlikely they'd ever be allowed to physically injure anybody, but one idea that occurred to me was that for each board lot should entitle you to one sledge-hammer blow on the CEO's car. Now, it's true that after 50 or so such blows, the car would be a write-off, and the next 14,950 or so shareholder hammer-blows would technically be wasted, but may be cathartic. So that will be my next recommendation to the compliance officer at the OSC.
So I asked him, "What do I get to do to you if the company doesn't deliver?" He looked slightly alarmed and confused. He asked what I meant. "Well, suppose I buy shares in this company on your recommendation, but the company fails to deliver on these promises, and I lose money. What do I get to do to you?" He took a couple of steps back, and started looking wildly around, possibly for Security. "Are you implying that all I can do is sell my shares?" He was like a drowning man thrown a lifeline. "Yes! You can sell your shares!"
"That won't be cathartic enough," I told him.
Over lunch I thought about what sorts of remedies there should be for disgruntled shareholders. It's unlikely they'd ever be allowed to physically injure anybody, but one idea that occurred to me was that for each board lot should entitle you to one sledge-hammer blow on the CEO's car. Now, it's true that after 50 or so such blows, the car would be a write-off, and the next 14,950 or so shareholder hammer-blows would technically be wasted, but may be cathartic. So that will be my next recommendation to the compliance officer at the OSC.
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