From reading so many posts on this board about " Anonymous " I know very few know anything about Anonymous. It isn't a " they " which I take as a group conspiring to do Noront in. It can be even you if you so direct the broker you do buiness with. While I knew this, I did not feel comfortable trying to explain the use of the term. So I emailed the TSX and asked for an explanation. They replied with the following. Now, to get it straight, I don't give a hoot if you agree or disagree with the practice. I could care less myself who uses it or why one would do so. ................In August 2001, the Ontario Securities Commission permitted marketplaces to determine whether they would require broker identification numbers. The TSX has had a long established practice of requiring both pre-trade and post trade disclosure of broker identification numbers.

But in the environment of Alternative Trading Systems competing with established exchanges which came into effect in late 2001, the TSX must offer market participants the choice of whether they wish to continue to disclose their broker identification number. Otherwise we face additional fragmentation of the Canadian equity market as those seeking not to disclose move their trading to another marketplace. Other major stock exchanges in countries around the world have moved in the direction of voluntary or non-disclosure of broker identification numbers.

The TSX's access technology partners modified their systems to provide their users the option of whether to 'attribute' the order to their firm. When the order is attributed, the order details include the numeric "Broker ID" of the responsible TSX Participating Organization. If the order is unattributed, the general ID "001" is shown in place of the Broker ID.

Benefits:
With the choice of attribution, Participating Organizations and their investing customers can:
· Advertise an interest or activity in a security by choosing to attribute orders and trades, or
· Avoid market impact costs associated with holding a known position or interest in a security.

Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (“IIROC”) (http://www.iiroc.ca/English/Pages/ho... , the independent trading regulator, tracks the "true" identity on all orders and trades. Where required, the compliance and risk management departments of the relevant Participating Organizations may review their firm's anonymous orders and trades during the trading day, and, again where required, may retrieve the identity of an anonymous counterparty at the end of the trading day.

You are welcome to provide us with specific comments of what you think is appropriate, together with a rational for a rule change in order to benefit the public, while balancing the interests of other market participants including retail and institutional shareholders, investment dealers and listed companies. You are of course welcome to take such matters up with the OSC. In addition, all changes which are of a public interest nature are put out for comment for a certain period when proposed and anybody is welcome to comment on those matters.


Best regards,

Michel Dorion
TMX Group