When Richard Manley, chief sustainability officer at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, joined the organization as managing director and head of sustainable investing in 2019, global financial markets were slowly dialling up the focus and integration of environmental, social and governance factors into investment strategies. Over the last three years — amid the ongoing […]
Institutional investors are steadily integrating environmental, social and governance into their investment reporting and practices, according to a new report by the United Nations’ principles for responsible investment. The report, which analyzed data from more than 1,800 investment organizations that have signed the PRI, found nearly all have formal, senior-level oversight and accountability for responsible […]
A watchdog organization is criticizing a government fund dedicated to attracting investments in green technologies. “The government seems to be saying this is concessional finance,” says Adam Scott, executive director of Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health. “The goal [of the Canada Growth Fund] is to put the first money into higher risk investments […]
The majority (83 per cent) of global employers say they have an employee well-being strategy, up significantly from 55 per cent in 2020, according to a new survey by Aon. The survey, which polled human resources and benefits leaders from more than 1,100 employers across 46 countries, found nearly two-thirds (63 per cent) of respondents […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is appointing Jennifer Coulson as its first global head of environmental, social and governance. In the new position, she’ll oversee all of the investment organization’s ESG strategies and programs at the total portfolio level. She’ll also be tasked with improving the BCI’s approach and leading its work supporting the […]
Amid the unprecedented events of the last three years, the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan has remained on course with its investment strategies, according to Asif Haque, the plan’s chief investment officer. “We held our focus on the key goal of the CAAT’s investment program. . . . The plan’s diversified asset […]
New York City comptroller Brad Lander and three of the city’s pension funds are offering shareholder proposals calling on several banks — including the Royal Bank of Canada — to disclose absolute greenhouse gas emissions targets for 2030. The shareholder proposals, which request a report within one year, call for an absolute reduction target aligned […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec received the highest mark in a report card grading the climate strategies of the 11 largest public pension investment organizations in Canada. The Caisse’s strategy, which received a B+ from Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health, was praised for including provisions to divest its portfolio […]
The Pension Investment Association of Canada is urging the Canadian Securities Administrators to work closely with its international counterparts to ensure consistency in regulations on climate-related disclosure. In an open letter to the Ontario Securities Commission, the PIAC called on the CSA to align its climate regulations with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and […]
Climate change presents an ongoing challenge to institutional investors’ allocations to domestic corporate bond, according to Soami Kohly, fixed income portfolio manager at MFS Investment Management, speaking during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2022 Investment Innovation conference. “The way that we think about [environmental, social and governance issues] is that it’s just another […]