In recent years, adaptive reuse strategies — which transform an existing structure to allow it to serve a new purpose — have become popular in the real estate portfolios of Canada’s largest public sector defined benefit pension plans. Indeed, repurposing old buildings can provide stronger returns to institutional investors than ground-up developments, but only in […]
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 Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is on track to have a net-zero portfolio by 2050, according to the organization’s latest sustainable investing report. In 2022, the carbon intensity of the Caisse’s portfolio was 53 per cent lower than its 2017 baseline level, a four per cent improvement over the previous year. As […]
When Richard Manley, chief sustainability officer at the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, joined the organization as managing director and head of sustainable investing in 2019, global financial markets were slowly dialling up the focus and integration of environmental, social and governance factors into investment strategies. Over the last three years — amid the ongoing […]
The Investment Management Corp. of Ontario is reporting that the weighted average net return of its clients’ portfolios was negative 8.1 per cent for the year ended Dec. 31, 2022, which narrowly beat its consolidated benchmark return of negative 8.4 per cent. Over the three years since assets have been managed according to the IMCO’s strategies, the annualized return […]
Over the last year, the number of large Canadian pension funds with commitments to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 rose from two funds to nine, representing $1.8 trillion — or 81 per cent — of total pension fund assets evaluated, according to a new report by Corporate Knights. The report also found four of the […]
The Public Sector Pension Investment Board is updating its proxy voting guidelines to communicate its views on sound corporate governance practices and climate change. According to the guidelines, boards of directors at the companies in which PSP Investments invests, are expected to ensure climate risks and opportunities are integrated into their strategy and operations. They […]
An article on how working mothers are struggling with work-life balance was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. Majority of Canadian working moms struggling with work-life balance: survey 2. CPPIB jointly acquiring cloud-based software company, OMERS subsidiary entering debt financing agreements 3. How employers […]
Despite many institutional investors pressing pause on their real estate activities in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic, those that keep calm and carry on with a focus on diversification and innovation are poised to emerge as winners. “Real estate values, like other investment vehicles, can vary at different times based on shifting demand […]
The Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan is reporting a total fund net return of four per cent for 2022, driven by strong returns from private equity and inflation-sensitive asset classes. The pension fund exceeded its benchmark of 2.3 per cent, according to a press release announcing its annual results. Its inflation-sensitive asset portfolio — including commodities […]