Canada’s public pension funds should rethink the billions of dollars they’ve invested in natural gas infrastructure amid the global push to reduce emissions, says a new report from a climate advocacy group. The report by Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health says nine of Canada’s largest public pensions have invested in 22 gas-related […]
The urgency surrounding the climate change crisis is pushing institutional investors to focus on stricter measurements in the fight against confusing data that delays meaningful action. But voluntary measurements won’t be enough, as investors have already raised red flags against unreliable climate impact measurements getting in the way of their emissions reduction goals. The start […]
In the search for market-beating returns, institutional investors are facing a shifting geopolitical landscape, ongoing questions about monetary policy and the impact of climate change. At the 2024 Investment Innovation Conference on Nov. 12-14 in Vancouver, B.C., leading academics and industry figures reckoned with the aftermath of the highly anticipated U.S. presidential election and provided […]
Despite the fact most geopolitical shocks can cause serious social and emotional damage, they have less of an impact on stock returns than many investors realize, according to Seth Weingram, senior vice-president and director of client advisory at Acadian Asset Management, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Investment Innovation Conference. Indeed, when examining the market’s average […]
Pension plan sponsors’ integration of artificial intelligence will be a disruptive event that will require a delicate approach with sufficient testing, according to Alpesh Sethia (pictured right), chief technology officer at the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan. Speaking during a panel session at the Canadian Investment Review’s 2024 Investment Innovation Conference, he described the testing lab set […]
Institutional investors are facing significant barriers to including Scope 3 emissions as part of their disclosure strategy for environmental assets, according to a new report by the United Nations’ Net-Zero Asset Owner Alliance. It found asset owners need to accommodate Scope 3 emission disclosures as part of their overall strategy to create a meaningful climate-centric […]
User personalization and an ease-of-use approach are key in the adoption of artificial intelligence technology tools by pension plan sponsors, according to a new report by the CFA Institute Research & Policy Centre. It found the application of AI has the potential to revolutionize plan sponsors’ administrative duties but will require a collaborative approach that […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust has reduced its financed emissions intensity by 11 per cent when compared to 2022, according to the investment organization’s latest climate risk disclosure report. In 2023, the OPTrust extended the scope of its carbon footprint measurement to 70 per cent of its assets, up from 40 per cent in 2022. The […]
Brad Lander is advocating for public pension funds to enforce their responsible investment mandates even if that pits them against their partners. As New York City comptroller and chief financial officer, he’s the investment advisor and custodian for the city’s five public pension funds. In the role, he oversees the investment guidelines and allocations strategy […]
Responsible investments account for 71 per cent of the total assets under management by Canadian institutional investors, according to a new report from the Responsible Investment Association. The report, which is based on a survey of Canadian institutional asset managers and asset owners completed between May and July 2024, found the total assets attributable to […]