The Constitution allows Ottawa and the provinces to set up a national securities regulator, the Supreme Court says in a ruling that could help advance a plan for countrywide oversight of capital markets. In its unanimous ruling Friday, the high court also found that federal draft legislation for national regulation of the trade in stocks, […]
Major extremes of wealth and poverty have the potential to destabilize the financial and social systems in which institutional investors operate, and should be treated as a long-term risk like any other, according to a new report by the United Nation’s Principles for Responsible Investing. Between 1988 and 2008, 44 per cent of rises in global […]
Why fee reviews are an important step for plan sponsors
Canadian investment managers had $2.1 trillion in assets using responsible investment strategies as of Dec. 31, 2017, a major jump from $1.5 trillion at the end of 2015, according to a new survey by the Responsible Investment Association. Indeed, responsible investing accounts for more than half (51 per cent) of Canadian assets under management, noted the survey. “Surpassing […]
Imagine there was an option to assemble the ideal retirement savings plan: a pinch of automatic features, a teaspoon of benefits guarantee, a cup of pooled investments, stirring the best elements of a defined benefit pension into the structure of a defined contribution plan. It may not be as simple as combining ingredients, but as […]
At 89 per cent, continental Europe has the most asset managers that are signatories of the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment, according to a new survey by Russell Investments. While the majority of managers surveyed are UNPRI signatories, participation varies significantly by region. Asia, excluding Japan, has no signatories, while 70 per cent of Japanese asset managers are signatories. […]
A group of U.S. institutional investors is petitioning the Securities and Exchange Commission to impose an obligation on companies to report on certain prescribed environmental, social and governance issues. “In response to changing business norms and pressure from investors, most of America’s largest public companies are attempting to provide additional information to meet these changing […]
Sponsors need to understand their responsibilities to minimize potential litigation.
Aon has developed a ratings system to more closely scrutinize how fund managers integrate environmental, social and governance issues into their investment strategies. The system begins with a proprietary questionnaire, followed by an examination of the manager’s responsible investing policy, should one exist, as well as its active ownership actions, stewardship policies and its ability to demonstrate how it’s previously applied the […]
While retirement income security is top of mind for many Canadians, British Columbia’s public sector pension plans are noteworthy models that can be emulated by sponsors seeking plan design solutions, particularly when it comes to governance. Some other Canadian jurisdictions have introduced, or are in the process of developing, pension governance models similar to British Columbia, but […]