however their website is unknown--do we have a problem here HOUSTON?
Vancouver's Gordon Brent Pierce has lost his appeal of the permanent ban that the B.C. Securities Commission imposed on him earlier this year. On Monday, Dec. 19, the Court of Appeal for British Columbia denied him leave, which means that it will not hear his case. The court did not issue any reasons, but the ruling comes just over a month after the withdrawal of Mr. Pierce's lawyer.
The decision effectively upholds a ban that the BCSC imposed on Aug. 16, 2016. In an order issued on that date, the regulator found that Mr. Pierce, 59, represented a grave risk to the markets. The BCSC cited Mr. Pierce's history, which included lying to authorities and hiding his activities. The regulator barred him from acting as an officer or director of any company and from serving as a promoter or engaging in investor relations activities.
Mr. Pierce appealed within weeks, filing a notice on Sept. 2, 2016. The reasons for his appeal were not entirely clear, with the notice only stating that the BCSC erred in law when it imposed the ban and that it exceeded its jurisdiction. (He had previously protested the ban on the grounds that an underlying case from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission remained subject to a legal challenge. He has since lost that challenge.)