Thieves of Bay St. author aims to tackle Canadian business fraud

A new Toronto-based business brings together the combined power of investigative journalists, forensic accountants, and law enforcement veterans to combat the risk of fraud in Canadian business.

i20 Research was founded by Bruce Livesey, an award-winning investigative reporter who has worked for the CBC, the New York Times, and the Globe and Mail.

He says that a weak regulatory regime, weak law enforcement, and decline of conflict-free analysis has led to a lack of reliable information to help investment firms, law firms, corporations, and financial institutions manage risk.

"I believe that business people in Canada need in-depth information in order to make informed decisions," says Livesey. "A firm like ours can produce valuable information they cannot find elsewhere."

Livesey authored the 2012 bestseller Thieves of Bay Street which investigated Canada’s biggest financial scandals of recent years in the wake of the financial crisis.

i20 provides targeted insights and investigative expertise in the following areas:

· Investment and transaction intelligence
· In-depth due-diligence
· Litigation strategy, especially with class action lawsuits
· Background investigations on management teams and asset managers
· Investigating companies for their soundness, quality of leadership, and track record in respect to business practices, ethical behaviour, and regulatory compliance
· Review of a company and its assets to help determine, for example, if it should be acquired, invested in, or sold

"I feel business people need an honest and objective source of research that reveals warts and all, and that's what we provide," said Livesey.