At the Alberta Investment Management Corp., diversity, equity and inclusion has catapulted up the priority list when it comes to investment strategy. While DEI has long played a role in the decisions of the AIMCo and other institutional investors, says Alison Schneider, the organization’s vice-president of responsible investing, she credits the coronavirus pandemic for catalyzing […]
References to the United Nations’ sustainable development goals in corporate reports may be used to deceive the general public and would-be impact investors, according a scholarly review published in Nature. “This impact [of the SDGs] has been largely discursive, affecting the way actors understand and communicate about sustainable development,” wrote the authors, a group of […]
The Canadian Association of Pension Supervisory Authorities is seeking feedback on three risk management guidelines. The guidelines will cover pension plans’ use of leverage, cyber risks and environmental, social and governance considerations. In a letter to stakeholders, the CAPSA said it may incorporate these guidelines into a single risk management document that will also cover […]
An article on how pension plans are approaching risk management was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Expert panel: Is risk management the new frontier in pension governance? 2. Sun Life completes acquisition of U.S. dental benefits provider 3. 44% of employers believe remote […]
While there’s broad interest in environmental, social and governance factors, the majority of U.S. defined contribution pension plan consultants said their plan sponsor clients are looking for further clarity on the Department of Labor’s proposed guidelines before incorporating ESG into their investment options, according to a new survey by the Schaus Group and T. Rowe […]
Diversity, equity and inclusion is a business imperative that has a direct impact on institutional investors’ overall performance. While investors can have the best strategy and all the capital in the world, human capital is critical to executing the organization’s vision and generating returns, said Sunita Mahant, senior director of legal affairs and head of […]
More than a quarter (29 per cent) of global employees said their employers are focusing on supporting workers’ physical and mental well-being to address growing skills and labour shortages, according to a new survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers. The survey, which polled more than 52,000 employees across 44 countries and territories, found respondents said their employers are also combatting […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is backing McGill University’s launch of a sustainable growth initiative, a program dedicated to providing businesses with actionable solutions for building a more sustainable economy. The SGI is a cross-faculty venture designed to help businesses aim for both profitability and achieving a positive social and environmental impact. […]
Cadillac Fairview is adopting a series of sustainable investing goals to help its portfolio achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. The real estate arm of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan announced it would achieve net-zero emissions in its $35-billion portfolio before 2050 in stages. During the first stage, it aims to reduce its portfolio’s carbon emissions […]
While politics plays a role in most investment decisions, it tends to arise on a fairly localized basis, says Michael Craig, head of the asset allocation and derivatives teams at TD Asset Management Inc. In addition, its prominence as a factor usually rises and falls on a cycle, slipping easily off investors’ radar in times […]