In December 2021, Simon Fraser University announced the global equity portfolios for its non-pension related funds — valued at $450 million — would divest from fossil fuel producers. Four months later, the three members of its treasury team, which is led by Jacky Shen, treasurer and director of investment at the university, announced it had […]
When key stakeholders are examining sustainability solutions, they aren’t spending enough time on whether these solutions are actually capital efficient from energy return on investment and productivity perspectives, said Patrick Kent, portfolio manager and head of the small-cap equities team at Newton Investment Management Group, during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Global Investment Conference. The […]
There’s a distinct window of opportunity for institutional investors to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns through refurbishing brown buildings in Europe to make them operationally carbon neutral, said Lucy Swinton, investment director at Fidelity International, during the Canadian Investment Review’s 2023 Global Investment Conference. Environmental, social and governance — particularly the ‘E’ aspects — is increasingly becoming a disruptive […]
Proxy voting is playing a bigger role in institutional investors’ environmental, social and governance strategies, according to Christie Stephenson, executive director of the Peter P. Dhillon Centre for Business Ethics at the University of British Columbia’s Sauder School of Business, speaking during the Canadian Investment Review‘s 2023 Global Investment Conference. Long viewed as a value […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board’s latest annual report greenwashes its investment strategies, according to Shift Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health. “[A close reading] of its 2023 annual report shows Canada’s national pension manager continues to obscure its exposure to and prolongation of the fossil fuel economy while failing to understand that its […]
U.S. defined benefit pension plans posted net returns of 4.47 per cent in the first quarter of 2023, according to a report from Investment Metrics plan universe. The performance was led by allocations to public equities, which generated 6.47 per cent during the quarter. Fixed income allocations also performed well, rising 2.93 per cent. Alternative […]
While there’s a lot of noise and confusion around environmental, social and governance factors, it comes down to delivering value for investors in terms of better risk-adjusted returns, said Aaron White, CIBC Asset Management Inc.’s vice-president of sustainable investments, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 DC Plan Summit. Part of the confusion around the topic, he […]
With eight billion people consuming the planet’s resources, assets such as clean energy and sustainable agriculture are becoming increasingly important to institutional investors, said John Cook, senior vice-president, portfolio manager and co-lead of the Greenchip team at Mackenzie Investments, during a session at Benefits Canada‘s 2023 DC Plan Summit. Each year, it takes roughly 13.5 billion tons […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is filing a shareholder proposal calling for Imperial Oil Ltd. to disclose more information about its climate risks. The motion calls for the Canadian petroleum company to disclose its accounting assumptions related to climate change and the energy transition. According to a press release, the BCI’s aim is for […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is leveraging its size and influence to drive environmental, social and governance improvements across its portfolio, according to the investment organization’s 2022 ESG annual report. “We believe, as do our clients, that ESG matters, makes a difference and translates to meaningful distinctions in a company’s ability to generate long-term […]