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 […]
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 […]
A Canadian charitable initiative is criticizing the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s new environmental investing strategy. “It’s encouraging to see that the CPPIB wants to invest in critical decarbonization pathways for hard-to-abate sectors,” wrote Patrick DeRochie (pictured), senior manager at Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health, in an email to the Canadian Investment Review. “But the CPP […]
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 […]
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System is the latest pension plan to commit to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions across its total portfolio by 2050. In a press release, the OMERS said its path to net zero will be informed by the annual calculation and public disclosure of its total portfolio carbon footprint. The release also […]
Oregon’s state employee retirement fund is coming under increased scrutiny as the U.S. state is facing increased calls for divestment from companies that have environmental, social and governance issues. Oregon residents are increasingly pushing for the state to divest from fossil fuel companies and other controversial investments, but the state treasury is resisting and putting […]
As talks at the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference winds down, 2022 is poised to become the “show me” year for environmental, social and governance factors and sustainability measures, says Eugene Lundrigan, president of Sun Life Capital Management Inc. This year’s conference, dubbed COP26, brought world leaders and thousands of delegates from participating countries to Glasgow, […]
One year into a five-year plan to reduce its investments in greenhouse gas-emitting companies by 50 per cent, the Bâtirente is on pace to reach its target. Last year, the defined contribution pension fund announced a number of environmental commitments it intended to reach by 2025, including a pledge to reduce its exposure to climate-related […]
The University of Toronto is the latest institution committing to the divestment movement, saying Wednesday it will sell off all fossil fuel investments in its $4 billion endowment fund by the end of 2030 to help fight climate change. The commitment by its investment manager, the University of Toronto Asset Management Corp., includes divesting from all direct investments […]
Our story revealing the employers that took the top spots at the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards was the most-read story over the past week on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Who are the winners of the 2021 Workplace Benefits Awards? 2. ‘Significant’ wave of terminations coming due to workplace vaccine mandates: lawyer […]