When Saskatchewan’s Public Employees Pension Plan decided to make investments in alternative assets, it took a defined benefit approach to its defined contribution pension plan, giving its members access to private equity and infrastructure while still offering daily liquidity. The strategy was fitting, given the PEPP’s companion DB plan, the Municipal Employees Pension Plan, had […]
Ivanhoé Cambridge, the real estate arm of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, is announcing the results of a pilot project incorporating a new energy-saving technology at two malls within its portfolio. Developed by Turntide Technologies, a company in which the Caisse invests, the proprietary technology reduces the energy use of older electrical […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. generated returns of 7.4 per cent during the year ending on March 21, 2022, according to its annual report. During the year, the investment organization’s net assets surpassed the $200-billion mark, rising from $199.6 billion to $211.1 billion. The results were hampered by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is securing a share in a holding company consolidating two European high-speed rail companies. Alongside a group of other institutional investors, the Caisse will own a 19.31 per cent share in the Eurostar Group, a holding company that will control both Eurostar Ltd and THI Factory, which […]
As the financialization of the real estate sector comes under increased scrutiny from the general public, institutional investors must mitigate the systemic risks posed by housing inequality issues, says Tamara Herman, program manager of capital strategies at the Shareholder Association of Research and Education. “There’s a lot of discussion about the role of institutional investors […]
Pension plan sponsors pay too much attention to predictions and not enough to demographic data, according to Darrell Bricker, chief executive officer of Ipsos Public Affairs and a senior fellow at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Policy. “Demographics . . . is like a glacier,” he said during a session at the Canadian Investment […]
The coronavirus pandemic will leave an indelible mark on the way businesses operate, said Gary Timlick, chair of the investment committee at the Winnipeg Civic Employees’ Benefits Program, during a panel session on the long-term impact of the pandemic on commercial real estate at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2021 Investment Innovation Conference. “There will be opportunities […]
While the percentage of office spaces that are vacant in Canada is higher than at any point since 1994, rental prices have remained fairly stable as a result of institutional owners willing to pay pre-pandemic rates, according to a new report by CBRE Group. “I think everyone has to stop clutching at pearls, take a […]
As the era of cap rate compression draws to a close, how can institutional investors maintain the outsized returns they’ve enjoyed for over a decade? Over the past 15 years, the growing popularity of real estate in institutional investment portfolios has increased against the backdrop of a sustained decline in yields, called cap rate compression. […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing a further US$75 million in Azure Power Global Ltd., an independent solar power developer in India. Once the deal is approved by Azure shareholders, the investment will raise the Caisse’s stake in the company, from 41.4 per cent to 49.4 per cent. In October 2018, […]