For institutional investors looking at farmland, various strategies are available that span a range of asset classes, from real assets to private equity to venture capital, said Bernice Miedzinski, president of Starbridge Capital Ltd., during a webinar hosted by the Canadian Investment Review this week. Lower risk strategies include buying land and leasing it back to farmers, […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is taking over Webster Ltd., an Australian agribusiness company, for A$854 million. While the PSP already owns 19.1 per cent of Webster’s ordinary shares, its subsidiary PSP BidCo is acquiring the total remaining ordinary shares for A$2 per share, which is a 57 per cent premium on Webster’s most recent closing […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System, alongside the Bank of Montreal, is committing $33 million in funding to District Ventures Capital. Founded by financier Arlene Dickinson, the fund focuses on consumer goods-related venture capital. With the new investment, the fund now totals $70 million. Read: PSP Investments takes on Hawaiian farmland “We are pleased to have these institutional investors […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is taking on a majority stake in B.F.B. Pty Ltd., an Australia-based agricultural business. Currently, BFB has taken on more than 441 square kilometres of arable land and operates businesses in grain storage, fertilizer, agronomy, livestock, farming and logistics. “We’re impressed with BFB’s team, performance and integrated business model, and we’re excited to […]
Through a joint venture with California-based agricultural firm Pomona Farming, the Public Sector Pension Investment Board is buying about 165 square kilometres of land to diversify into GMO-free farms. Formerly used by Alexander & Baldwin Inc. to grow sugar cane, the land is on the Hawaiian island of Maui. The venture, called Mahi Pono, which translates to […]
Factoring environmental, social and governance considerations into investment decisions is good risk management, according to one pension plan sponsor. “Definitely for real assets, we see it presenting risks, but also opportunities,” said Donna Mathieu, chief executive officer of NAV Canada Corp.’s pension plan, while speaking on a panel at the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute’s 2018 […]
It was a bumpy ride for commodity prices between 2014 and 2016, a result of their close correlation to the state of the global economy. In particular, 2015 saw a major downward trend in many of the more frequently traded commodities, such as corn, gold, lead, silver, soy and wheat, with iron ore, natural gas […]
There’s plenty of room to grow in Canadian farmland, according to Kevin Fahey, director of investments at the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan. The United States and emerging markets offer opportunities as well, but farmland in Canada is cheaper than it is south of the border at the moment, he notes. As for emerging markets, while […]
Caisse de depôt et placement du Québec is purchasing a $2.5 million stake in Glutenberg Holding Co. The investment is through the Caisse’s Fonds Espace CDPQ, which was set up in 2016 to help small- and medium-sized businesses in Quebec finance global expansion projects. Along with further loans totalling another $2.5 million from the Business Development Bank of Canada […]
Look to the emerging world for change going forward.