For institutional investors keen to maintain environmental, social and governance commitments made in recent years, there’s a steep climb ahead. The Paris Agreement — and its call to keep climate change to a 2°C warming scenario — is shrinking the investable universe for those still seeking to align with its confines, according to a report from MSCI […]
An environmental coalition is appealing to Ontario teachers to pressure their pension fund to divest from companies that develop or transport fossil fuel products. In a four-minute YouTube video, a group of students from across Ontario read a letter to their teachers, asking them to push the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan to stop investing their […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is forming a joint venture with Greystar Real Estate Partners to pursue multi-family real estate development opportunities in target markets in the U.S. The CPPIB has invested US$350 million in equity to the joint venture for a 90 per cent stake and Greystar has allocated US$39 million for the remaining 10 per cent. Greystar will manage […]
The Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec is investing an additional US$1 billion in Invenergy Renewables, a developer and operator of wind and solar projects across North America. The commitment, in the form of new investment facilities, will support Invenergy’s expanded development activities and continued growth, according to a press release. The Caisse began […]
After years of relatively stable appreciation in global fixed-income and equity markets, investors were thrust into dramatic turbulence in the first quarter of 2020, as COVID-19 sent shockwaves through markets. From Feb. 20 to March 23, the S&P/TSX Composite Total Return Index lost 37.20 per cent of its value in a mere 22 trading days, […]
Quebec-based pension fund Bâtirente has reduced the carbon footprint of its equities by more than 22 per cent of its benchmark portfolios, according to the fund’s latest analysis. It also found that as of Dec. 31, 2019, the fund’s carbon footprint was down 12 per cent from the previous year, due to improved equity selections […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is launching Renewable Power Capital Ltd., a U.K.-based platform that will focus on renewable energy investments in Europe. The platform is backed by the CPPIB’s power and renewables investment strategy and will invest in solar, onshore wind and battery storage projects across Europe, according to a press release, which also noted […]
During the virtual 2020 Defined Benefit Investment Forum on Thursday, the Canadian Investment Review announced the winners of its inaugural Pension Leadership Awards. The winners are: Investment governance award — Concordia University pension plan Sustainable investing award — Bâtirente Chief investment officer of the year — Julie Cays, the Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology pension plan DC investment […]
Along with big risks comes the need for solutions and companies that provide those solutions, said Edward Lees, co-lead and portfolio manager at BNP Paribas Asset Management, when speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s Investment Innovation Conference in November. Although in the current environment the coronavirus has been top of mind, climate issues have not […]
People are increasingly viewing the world with a lens that incorporates environmental, social and governance factors, said Andrew Parry, head of sustainable investment at Newton Investment Management, when speaking at the Canadian Investment Review’s Investment Innovation Conference in November. Climate change is a prominent issue with extreme weather events becoming the normal, he said, noting […]