Over the last several years, a small group of faculty members at the University of British Columbia has been calling on its pension plan’s board of trustees to consider divesting from fossil fuels. As support for divestment grew, the board of the UBC faculty pension plan, which is defined contribution, agreed to assess whether there […]
North American institutional investors are catching up to other global regions in their interest in sustainable investing, according to a new survey by FTSE Russell. Nearly half (42 per cent) of North American asset owners surveyed before the coronavirus pandemic said they’re interested in sustainable investing, up from just 17 per cent in 2019. This remains a […]
The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board is updating its policy on sustainable investing to reflect an increased conviction in the importance of environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities. “ESG considerations are inextricably linked to our ability to successfully achieve our investment objectives,” said Richard Manley, managing director and head of sustainable investing at the CPPIB, in a […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. has released its environmental, social and governance strategy, which outlines its beliefs, principles, governance and how its investment strategies consider ESG factors. The strategy includes four components: integrate, influence, invest and insight. In particular, the BCI is focused on integrating ESG analysis and risk management into investment processes, influencing […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp., the AustralianSuper and two Dutch pension funds — APG and PGGM — are jointly establishing a responsible investing platform. The sustainable development investments asset owner platform, which will be available through distribution partner Qontigo, features standard and artificial intelligence-driven data that enables investors to assess companies on their contribution […]
The Institutional Limited Partners Association has included the University of Toronto Asset Management Corp. in its environmental, social and governance roadmap and resources compilation. “Comprised of best practices that limited partners can consider implementing to advance ESG efforts at their organizations, the roadmap promotes the sharing of initiatives and resources on a global basis,” the […]
The Principles for Responsible Investment has released a framework for investors to help focus on aligning their activities with the UN’s sustainable development goals. “Issues such as human rights abuses, climate change and inequitable social structures seriously threaten the longterm performance of economies, investors’ portfolios and the world in which beneficiaries live,” the report said. […]
Quebec-based pension fund Bâtirente reached $764.3 million in assets under management as of Dec. 31, 2019, an increase of 15.6 per cent on the previous year, according to its latest annual report. The fund also boasted 22,861 plan members in 2019 — a growth of 4.9 per cent over 2018 — from 318 organizations across […]
The Investor Leadership Network is appointing Charles Emond, president and chief executive officer of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, and Jean Raby, CEO of Natixis Investment Managers, as co-chairs of its CEO council. Raby and Emond are succeeding the founding co-chairs of the council, Ron Mock, former CEO of the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and Michael Sabia, […]
The British Columbia Investment Management Corp. is touting its 2019 environmental, social and governance successes in its annual ESG report. Some highlights from the year include that it finalized the introduction of a new corporate-wide ESG strategy including priorities and procedures for ESG reviews across all asset classes. As part of the strategy, the BCI’s […]