In this unprecedented time, it’s more evident the physical, psychological and financial components of health are all interconnected, said Charmaine Alexander, senior disability management advisor at Desjardins Insurance, during a webinar hosted by Benefits Canada. Prior to the pandemic, in May 2018, Desjardins conducted a survey to measure these interactions to better understand how they […]
Employers across Canada were forced to adjust their Pride celebrations in June as the coronavirus pandemic necessitated social distancing and most traditional parades and events were cancelled. “[The coronavirus] forced us to think about how to still create these communities we’re trying to build,” says Meryem Benslimane, equity education advisor at McGill University in Montreal. This year, the university took […]
Pension plan members are buffeted from all sides by information on retirement options — some reliable, some not — especially now that the coronavirus pandemic is playing into the conversation. “People are scared,” said Peter Shena, executive vice-president and chief pension officer at the Ontario Pension Board, during a webinar hosted by Common Wealth last week. […]
In seeking to better serve its plan members, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan has been on a journey to change its strategic thinking to access a more meaningful picture of who its members are and what challenges they have in using the plan as it stands. That journey starts by asking what a member is […]
For institutional investors, the debate still rages over whether to divest from a company they find to have problematic practices where environmental, social and governance issues are concerned or to remain invested and engage with the company to try to push it in the desired direction. A new paper by smart beta platform provider Scientific Beta is […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is touting its 2019 environmental, social and governance successes in its annual ESG report. Some highlights from the year include that it finalized the introduction of a new corporate-wide ESG strategy including priorities and procedures for ESG reviews across all asset classes. As part of the strategy, the BCI’s […]
A group of more than 80 global investment managers with a combined $10 trillion in assets under management is calling on Alphabet Inc. to implement board-level oversight for human rights risks. The Investor Alliance for Human Rights, which includes co-filers Hermes Investment Management, Loring, Wolcott and Coolidge, Robeco and Canadian responsible investing firm NEI Investments, […]
When the dust settles from the coronavirus pandemic, what environmental, social and governance lessons will shine through? A recent blog post by Fiona Reynolds, chief executive officer of the Principles for Responsible Investment, pointed to differences between this crisis and the crisis of 2008. “While there are certainly parallels with the global financial crisis just […]
Corporate governance, climate change and human rights in the digital economy are primary focuses for Northwest & Ethical Investments in 2020. The Canadian firm’s annual corporate engagement focus list highlights five key themes and 26 investee companies it intends to engage with throughout the year. It’s planning to engage companies on governance issues including board diversity and board and […]
Between 2017 and 2019, the number of individuals reporting mental-health issues has risen by seven per cent, according to Dr. Sam Mikail, psychologist and senior mental-health consultant at Sun Life. “We haven’t seen an improvement,” he said during a session at Benefits Canada’s 2019 Toronto Mental Health Summit on Nov. 29. “If anything, we’ve seen […]