How often does today’s news present stories about environmental issues? Climate change, pollution, overpopulation, deforestation, biodiversity degradation — the list is endless and these long-term shifts are far from new. We’re failing our environment and our people. Our world is changing. Food, fresh water, other natural resources and clean energy are all under strain. Unfortunately, […]
The focus on environmental, social and governance factors is a train that’s leaving the station, but some pension plan sponsors and institutional investors remain hesitant to hop aboard. Over the past decade, interest in incorporating ESG factors into investment decisions has increased. Indeed, a 2020 survey by investment consulting firm Callan found 42 per cent […]
The federal government’s 2022 budget, which set out $56 billion in new spending on Thursday, has a few offerings that could impact employers and employees. Dental-care program, pharmacare The budget confirmed the government’s commitment to rolling out a national dental-care program, which was announced in March, by specifying a $5.3-billion investment in its implementation. It also […]
For three-quarters (75 per cent) of institutional investors, climate change is now central to — or a significant factor in — their investment policies, a steep increase from only 34 per cent two years ago, according to a new survey by Robeco Institutional Asset Management. The survey, which polled 300 of the world’s largest institutional […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System returned 15.7 per cent for 2021, a significant increase on its 2020 return. In its annual report, the OMERS said four key factors drove the outperformance relative to its benchmark, which was 6.6 per cent — its portfolio of public equities returned 20.7 per cent; its private equity businesses grew […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is committing to making its portfolio net zero by 2050, but says it won’t be making any blanket divestments. The organization said Thursday it plans to achieve the goal while continuing to invest in the whole economy and will push for an economic transition to a lower carbon economy as an […]
Nearly two years after the declaration of the global coronavirus pandemic and its subsequent impact on the worldwide economy, institutional investors are looking to the future with cautious optimism. Amid a recovering economy and rising inflation, pension plan sponsors are taking a long-term investment view and staying the course in the year ahead, while incorporating […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and the Public Sector Pension Investment Board are part of a consortium acquiring an Australian infrastructure investment fund. The consortium, which also includes KKR, paid A$5.2 billion ($4.6 billion) to acquire all outstanding equities in Spark Infrastructure. The deal has been approved by Australian regulatory authorities. Spark’s assets provide electricity […]
A growing number of institutional investors are pledging to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in their portfolios by 2050, according to a new survey by Cerulli Associates. Nearly a third of asset managers (31 per cent) and institutional asset owners (32 per cent) said they’ve made a formal commitment to a net-zero goal, while another 21 per […]
The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees is calling on the Alberta Investment Management Corp. to “quantify the climate risks of its investments and adopt a path to net zero.” The AUPE’s call for action was one of three environmental resolutions for which the union’s membership voted in favour during its annual convention held earlier this […]