As a fresh-faced elementary school student in 1977, Aaron Bennett wasn’t quite in the target demographic for the freshly launched Benefits Canada magazine. Still, Bennett — now the chief investment officer at Ontario’s University Pension Plan — has a pretty firm grasp on the concerns that would have occupied the minds of his predecessors as […]
An analysis of submissions made to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission reveals a sharp divide between the opinions of institutional investors and corporate executives when it comes to a proposal to standardize corporate climate disclosures. “Comments from different parties did not always fall along corporates versus investors, though some did,” wrote Subodh Mishra, global […]
The University Pension Plan is rolling out a new climate strategy that aims to make its portfolio carbon neutral by 2040. “I’m proud that we’ve set an ambition consistent with the challenge we face,” says Brian Minns (pictured), managing director of responsible investing at the UPP. “We’re going to deliver on our investment returns in […]
The pension plan for the faculty and staff of the University of Toronto grew from $6.3 billion to $6.6 billion in the first six months of 2021. For the second half of the year, the assets were officially in the custody of the University Pension Plan, though the day-to-day management of portfolios remained UTAM’s responsibility well into […]
There are a lot of reasons to believe financial markets will be very different in the next 10 to 20 years than what pension funds have been used to, according to Aaron Bennett, chief investment officer of the University Pension Plan, during a session at the Canadian Pension and Benefits Institute forum in Montreal last […]
The University Pension Plan is appointing Kathy Johnson as chief engagement and strategy officer and Andrew Naples as senior director of engagement. Johnson will lead the teams responsible for the UPP’s strategic planning, outreach and relationship-building programs with the university sector. She previously served as executive director of the University of Toronto’s faculty association and […]
An announcement regarding long-awaited amendments to the Patented Medicines Review Board regulations was the most-read story on BenefitsCanada.com over the last week. Here are the five most popular news stories of the week: 1. PMPRB drug pricing regulations officially coming into effect this July 2. Key stakeholders highlighting value of private payer health care amid plans for […]
The University Pension Plan is appointing Christophe L’Ahelec as head of public markets. L’Ahelec, who advised the UPP on the implementation of its investment activities in the months leading up to the plan’s launch in July, joined the organization as director of its external manager program. Previously, he was a senior principal at the Ontario Teachers’ Pension […]
The University Pension Plan is integrating diversity, equity and inclusion measures into its investment strategy. The pension plan sponsor’s responsible investing policy considers environmental, social and governance factors — including DEI — as essential to sound long-term investing, said Aaron Bennett, chief investment officer at the UPP, in an emailed statement to Benefits Canada. The approach […]
Trent University is joining the University Pension Plan. The university, based in Peterborough, Ont., is the UPP’s fourth member institution. It follows Queen’s University, which joined in July 2021, and the University of Guelph and the University of Toronto, which both joined at the beginning of 2022. Read: University Pension Plan names Barbara Zvan inaugural president, […]