We are now in Month 14 of the coronavirus pandemic. For institutional investors like pension plans, this pandemic and its consequences highlight the reality of systemic risk: events like the ongoing pandemic can and do happen and pension plans need to get ready. Because another systemic risk is at our doorstep: climate change. 2020 was one […]
It isn’t just asset managers who are increasingly embracing the integration of environmental, social and governance factors into investment decision-making. An important contributor to “record inflows” into sustainable investing strategies over the past 12 to 18 months is demand from plan members, as well as individual retail investors, says Eric Monteiro, senior vice-president, group retirement […]
Quebec-based pension fund Bâtirente is applauding CIBC for joining the Partnership for Carbon Accounting Financials. Through the industry initiative, the bank will publish the greenhouse-gas emissions associated with its loans and investments and consider the adoption of reduction targets aligned with the Paris Agreement, according to a press release. A shareholder proposal submitted by the […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is raising its environmental, social and governance-related expectations for the publicly-traded companies it invests in. Under its new proxy-voting guidelines, updated every two years, the BCI made several significant changes in relation to diversity and inclusion, climate change and executive compensation. Specifically, the BCI now expects that women will […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is raising its environmental, social and governance-related expectations for the publicly-traded companies it invests in. Under its new proxy-voting guidelines, updated every two years, the BCI made several significant changes in relation to diversity and inclusion, climate change and executive compensation. Specifically, the BCI now expects that women will […]
Institutional investors, regulators and financial standard organizations are calling on Canadian corporations to adopt transparent climate-risk reporting, according to a new report from the C.D. Howe Institute. The report noted corporate directors have the legal and fiduciary duty to act in the best interests of their companies in developing strategies to address climate-related financial risks […]
Two Canadian investment leaders endorsed a transition to clean energy at a virtual Davos World Economic Forum on Wednesday as more investors worldwide push for concrete sustainability commitments. Former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney said that politicians can help markets finance the transition to zero-emission economies by setting credible forward commitments. Canada’s carbon pricing […]
The Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions is launching a three-month consultation on risks arising from climate change that can affect the safety and soundness of federally-regulated pension plans and financial institutions. Along with a discussion paper, the consultation’s objective is to understand how plans and institutions identify, measure and build resilience to climate […]
An environmental coalition is appealing to Ontario teachers to pressure their pension fund to divest from companies that develop or transport fossil fuel products. In a four-minute YouTube video, a group of students from across Ontario read a letter to their teachers, asking them to push the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to stop investing their […]
For institutional investors keen to maintain environmental, social and governance commitments made in recent years, there’s a steep climb ahead. The Paris Agreement — and its call to keep climate change to a 2°C warming scenario — is shrinking the investable universe for those still seeking to align with its confines, according to a report […]