All of the sudden

In announcing a corporate beneficial ownership registry, Ontario is following the lead of Quebec and B.C. [British Columbia], which have made similar commitments to fight money laundering through anonymous corporate entities. Ottawa also has a beneficial ownership registry for federally registered companies. Ontario made its recent announcement amid heightened attention on fighting organized crime, said Christian Leuprecht, a security expert and professor at Queen's University and the Royal Military College. It also coincided with an onsite evaluation by the Financial Action Task Force, a global body that sets standards to combat money laundering and terrorist financing. The organization is scheduled to release a final report next June. "I think politicians all of the sudden have an incentive to be more responsive to these concerns," said Prof. Leuprecht, who co-edited a book on financial crime in Canada.