Wow, three of the five are MLPs (master limited partnerships) - ETE, PAA and EPO- but the issues with MLPs have not been flagged in the article.

In a nutshell, Canadians should not touch MLPs with a ten foot pole.

Firstly the distributions are distributions of business income, not dividends and hence not covered under the tax treaty on dividends. Therefore the withholding tax is at the highest US corporate marginal rate (35% currently, I believe) and is NOT recoverable in registered retirement plans.


But more concerning is that holders of MLPs are deemed  by the IRS to be conducting business in the US.  Therefore, if the MLP has positive business income, the IRS requires that holders file a US tax return.

Nasty. Don't go there!