The OPSEU Pension Trust is shifting toward responsible investing as environmental, social and governance factors become increasingly more material to returns for institutional investors. “We’re seeing a lot of shifting sands around consumer preferences and expectations,” said Alison Loat, managing director of sustainable investing and innovation at OPTrust, during a session at the Canadian Investment Review‘s […]
Before Alison Loat joined the OPSEU Pension Trust as its first managing director of sustainable investing and innovation in 2019, her experience with sustainability investing had only been peripheral. “Although I did not come from the responsible investing world, I could see the tides were starting to turn. It was clear that a lot more […]
Canada’s largest public pension plans are more heavily invested in private equity than other global public pension plans, according to a new report by British think tank the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum. “What really distinguishes the Canadian model is this large exposure to private equity, which stands out from across the sample, . […]
Canada’s $4 trillion pension sector could enjoy immense commercial benefits by aligning with the transition to net-zero emissions and helping to mobilize $140 billion of low carbon investments per year, according to a new report by Corporate Knights, the Natural Step Canada and the Smart Prosperity Institute. It found Canada’s 12 largest pension fund managers […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust is appointing Ingrid Chingcuanco as its vice-president of pension administration transformation. In the new role, she’ll be responsible for leading the pension fund in a multi-year transformation of its pension administration system. “Ms. Chingcuanco’s top priority is to lead this critical initiative, designed to renew our technology and bring greater value […]
With bond returns tied to interest rates, it’s no surprise Canadian pension funds are increasingly seeking other ways to boost fixed income yields. Canadian interest rates have been trending downward for the last 30 years, from a high of 10.3 per cent in 1990 to around 1.75 per cent in early 2020, according to the […]
Despite adjustments to operations and investments during the coronavirus pandemic, Canada’s major pension plan leaders are maintaining a long-term view by looking ahead to a post-pandemic world. But we’re not out of the woods yet as Canada, and the rest of the world, are likely many months away from reaching herd immunity and thus life […]
The OPSEU Pension Trust ended 2020 with an 8.9 per cent net investment return and maintained its fully funded status. That was down from 2019 when it ended the year with an 11.2 per cent net investment return and maintaining its fully funded status. The plan’s assets grew to more than $23 billion, up from almost […]
Despite several bumps in the decade since the 2008/09 financial crisis, the swift and brutal crash in global equity prices when the coronavirus was declared a pandemic sent pension investors reaching for their playbooks to implement defensive strategies to mitigate the damage. “People have worked very hard at just acting on the set strategies that […]
Despite several bumps in the decade since the 2008/09 financial crisis, the swift and brutal crash in global equity prices when the coronavirus was declared a pandemic sent pension investors reaching for their playbooks to implement defensive strategies to mitigate the damage. “People have worked very hard at just acting on the set strategies that […]