Scotia Capital Unveils Quebec Equity Indices Online

MONTREAL, April 5, 2000 — For the first time, Scotia Capital is providing online access to its Quebec Equity Indices – a leading edge tracking tool for Quebec-based public companies, previously available to institutional clients only. By accessing the firm's Web site, the public can now follow the daily performance of the 90 largest companies in the province through a family of indices.

"The Quebec Equity Indices have been designed to ensure that investors can easily and confidently track the activity of the Quebec marketplace," said Anthony Zicha, Special Situations Analyst, Scotia Capital. "Now people can go online and have access to three indices, each of them measuring the market value of publicly traded companies."

The Quebec Equity 90 Index tracks the daily performance of the largest companies in the province, which are divided into two groups – the Quebec Equity 30 Large Cap Index and the Quebec Equity 60 Small Cap Index.

To be included in the indices, a company's head office must be based in Quebec, with shares listed on any stock exchange in North America. Companies are indexed by their respective market float value – the float number of common shares multiplied by the most recent trading price. Partnership units, preferred shares, exchangeable shares, trust units, stocks trading on the over-the-counter market and those with a share price below $1 are not eligible for inclusion.

The Scotia Capital Quebec Equity Indices, available in both English and French, are updated daily on Scotia Capital's Web site at under the Research Capabilities banner. The indices can also be found on Bloomberg (SCQI Index) and Reuters (SM2L).

Scotia Capital is a leader in the corporate and investment banking industry, with a presence in both major and regional financial centres around the world. Scotia Capital is a member of the Scotiabank Group.

For more information:

Anthony Zicha, Scotia Capital, (514) 350-7748 or

Stéphane Héroux, Scotia Capital, (514) 350-7748 stéphane_héroux@scotiacapital.com or

Shelley Jourard, Public Affairs, (416) 866-6204