Institutional investors in Asia and Europe are at the forefront of adopting environmental, social and governance investment strategies, while North America lags behind, according to a survey by Coalition Greenwich. Globally, the survey found 75 per cent of investors incorporate ESG strategies, with Europe leading at 92 per cent followed by Asia at 76 per […]
Despite the prevalence of farming in its home province, the Alberta Investment Management Corp.’s agricultural portfolio is just 13 years old, the product of a 2010 investment in converted farmland held by Australian timber producer Great Southern Group. The properties proved too arid for tree growth and were converted back to croplands for canola, wheat […]
Jacky Shen suspects he was the oldest intern Simon Fraser University’s treasury department ever had. It was 2007, he was in his early 40s, had just arrived in Canada with his family and was studying for a master’s degree in the university’s wealth management program. As an intern, Shen — now the university’s treasurer and […]
British Columbia’s wildfires have crystallized the threats pension plan administrators across that province face from catastrophic climate change events, says Damara Kiceniuk, senior risk analyst of pensions at the B.C. Financial Services Authority. However, these fires are just one catastrophic risk pension funds have to manage. These risks have prompted the organization to release a discussion […]
Working and retired public sector employees from across Canada are calling on the federal government to remove Miranda Hubbs, director of Imperial Oil Ltd., from the board of the Public Sector Pension Investment Board with cause. In a letter sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his cabinet today, 39 PSP Investments’ members and retirees […]
An article on the federal government’s plan to scrap Canada mortgage bonds and the potential impact on pension funds was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Feds’ plan to discontinue Canada mortgage bonds may limit pension funds’ abilities to mitigate risk: PIAC […]
Despite recent uptick in U.S. commercial office real estate landlords defaulting on their loans, the chances of the same trend moving north of the border is low, says Jim Clayton, professor and Timothy R. Price chair in real estate and infrastructure with the Schulich School of Business at York University. Since the onset of the […]
Since municipalities and provinces fund public services and infrastructure with clear environmental and social benefits, as well as having substantial power to shape policies in their jurisdictions, municipal and provincial bonds are useful tools for institutional investors pursuing a thematic environmental, social and governance approach, according to a new report by the United Nations’ principles […]
Approaches to climate scenario analysis are currently based on “implausible” assumptions that could delay action and create fiduciary duty challenges for investors, according to a new study by the Institute & Faculty of Actuaries. Sandy Trust, head of organizational risk at M&G, a global investment manager headquartered in London, England and one of the authors […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing in a Quebec-based company that develops, sells and rents pre-fabricated modular buildings for the educational market. According to a press release, the investment will enable AMB Modulaire, in which Lise Bernier and Jacques Latreille have been shareholders for more 15 years, to finalize the transfer process […]