In 2007, it seemed socially responsible investing (SRI) had finally reached its “tipping point” in Canada: institutional investors were on board following the UN’s Principles of Responsible Investment, and on the retail side, the big banks were launching their first-ever SRI funds. But, thanks to the credit crisis, the euphoria was short-lived, and today, SRI […]
A new report concludes that while socially responsible investors are ahead of the mainstream on many issues, such as transparency, corporate governance and predatory lending, they did not foresee the global credit crisis any better than the mainstream financial community. The report, The Financial Crisis: An Environmental, Social and Governance Perspective, was commissioned by the […]
Alberta’s oil sands are a controversial topic for Canada’s socially responsible investing (SRI) community. The 140,000-square-kilometre region has become a front-line issue for investors concerned about climate change. Yet, Canadian SRI retail and institutional investors can’t afford to ignore energy companies working in the sector, since energy makes up approximately 30% of the TSX. “It’s […]
Supplemental Employee Retirement Plans, or SERPs, are an important component of the total rewards package provided to many Canadian employees. To employees who are approaching retirement, a SERP entitlement can confer a significant amount of financial well-being. SERPs were originally created to provide a pension top-up to senior executives, primarily because limitations in the Income […]
Hydro One’s appeal to the Ontario Divisional court regarding pensions was dismissed recently, marking a second legal defeat for the utility company in a year. The case involves pension payouts to 73 former middle managers who were fired in 2002 as part of a cost-reduction program without adequate adjustments being made to their pensions. While […]
The Quebec Court of Appeal has struck down a lower court’s decision on multi-employer pension plans that denied plan sponsors a provision which linked funding to a plan to the delivery of agreed benefits. The April 2 decision overturned previous rulings by the Quebec Superior Court, the Administrative Tribunal of Quebec and the Review Board […]