An article on how remote and hybrid working arrangements are leading to a ‘Great Exhaustion’ was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com. Here are the top five human resources, benefits, pension and investment stories of the past week: 1. Rise of remote, hybrid working leading employees to a ‘Great Exhaustion,’ says expert 2. Sounding Board: How employers can create […]
As I write this column, I’m reflecting on the spectrum of weather I’ve witnessed this past winter. From my office window in southwestern Ontario, I looked out onto snowy rooftops for maybe a week over the last several months. That’s contrasted with a recent trip to Nova Scotia, where a series of winter storms brought […]
An academic says environmental, social and governance terminology should evolve alongside understanding of the concept, while a consultant favours a focus on substance over form. Amir Akbari, assistant professor of finance, McMaster University As our understanding of sustainable development evolves, so, too, should our characterization of responsible investment. For instance, consider the United Nation’s Kunming-Montreal Global […]
A growing wave of opposition to environmental, social and governance factors has turned life in the sustainable finance industry into something of a roller coaster over the last couple of years. But a little turbulence is to be expected, says Alyson Slater, managing director of sustainable investment at Manulife Investment Management, encouraging institutional investors to […]
As an institutional investor, Asif Haque knows the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology Pension Plan has a responsibility to meet the rising challenge of climate change through responsible capital deployment. “[We] have a gigantic role to play in using our ownership and influence to engage with companies on their transition to a low-carbon future,” […]
Vestcor Corp. is reporting a 7.5 per cent return for 2023, despite the challenges of rising inflation and high interest rates. The New Brunswick-based investment organization achieved five- and 10-year annualized returns of 6.27 per cent and 6.73 per cent, respectively. In a press release, Vestcor noted these returns ensure its clients continue meeting their […]
The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario is reporting a net return of 5.6 per cent for 2023, with net assets increasing to $77.4 billion. The investment organization’s year-end report found public equities returned 18 per cent in 2023, followed by global credit (7.7 per cent), fixed income (5.9 per cent), private equity (5.7 per cent), […]
The New York City Employees’ Retirement System, Teachers’ Retirement System and Board of Education Retirement System signed an agreement with the Royal Bank of Canada to publicly disclose its financing ratio of low-carbon energy to fossil fuels. The investment organizations are mandating RBC, as well as Citigroup Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co., to adhere […]
Significant headwinds in the commercial real estate sector have impacted the number of transactions seen in 2023, leading institutional investors to pursue diversification at home and abroad. The totals for acquisition dispositions of office assets in 2023 were “extremely low” compared to the previous year, says Lewis Gascoigne, an investment consulting principal at Eckler Ltd., […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is investing up to $40 million in the creation of a real estate investment platform dedicated to purpose-built student accommodation opportunities in Europe. The new group is being created through the CPPIB’s acquisition of Nido Living (which will be a wholly owned but independently-operated portfolio company), as well as its […]